The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge

The design of the China-Maldives Friendship bridge

The construction of the China-Maldives Friendship which is known as the largest infrastructure projects in the country has received a lot of criticism over the years.  According to the Maldivian government, the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is the most prioritized project of this government.

Former Vice President Mr. Ahmed Adeeb & Chinese Minister of Commerce Mr. Gao Yan unveiled the design of the “China-Maldives Friendship Bridge” in an animated video presentation at a ceremony held at the surf point area of Male City at 07^th September 2015. As per the request of Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping the name Male-Hulhule Bridge was changed to the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge & a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two countries, to officially name the Male-Hulhule Bridge as the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge. According to Ministry of Housing & Infrastructure of Maldives, half of the project would be financed by a grant provided by the Chinese government, and the other half by a soft loan obtained by the government. The government previously estimated that the project will cost US$300, which was to be financed through US$100 million in Chinese grant aid, a US$170 million loan from China, and US$30 million from the Maldivian state budget.  Housing Ministry of Maldives reported that the Chinese Government had shortlisted China Railway Major Bridge Engineering, CCCC Second Harbor Engineering and Shizuan Road and Bridge Construction. Out of these 3 parties, CCCC Second Harbor Engineering has succeeded the project, scoring the highest on the technical scale and the lowest on the pricing. As the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is the most prioritized project of this government, Chinese President Mr. Xi Jinping has also stated that China will fully support the China Maldives Friendship Bridge project.

The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge will span from Male City’s eastern edge to the western corner of the island of Hulhulé, where the airport is located. The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge is to be 1.39 km long and 20 meters wide & the total cost of the bridge project is $200 Million.The Bridge would have two lanes for four-wheel vehicles, two lanes for motorcycles, and a separate lane each for bicycles and pedestrians. The bridge also comes with solar panels to generate 4-6 megawatts، as well as، a system to generate energy from the waves، making it an environment-friendly bridge according to the Environment Ministry of Maldives. The China-Maldives Friendship Bridge which is to be built from the Tsunami Monument in Male to the southern end of the airport’s runway is estimated to be completed in the year 2018.