The Chinese envoy to the Maldives refuted Speaker Mohammad Nasheed who claimed on Friday that the Maldives will need to repay $15 million- in the next 14 days to Chinese banks. 

Just hours after the speaker’s claim, the Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives Zhang Lizhong took to Twitter to deny the claim. Quoting Nasheed’s tweet, he tweeted, “Good news. According to the feedback from banks, there is no $15 million payment due in [the next] 14 days.” 

The Chinese envoy went even further and advised Nasheed: “Check the account book and save it for the budget. Cheers.”  

Nasheed on Friday hit hard on Chinese banks for not deferring the repayment schedule. He said, “After Covid, Maldives needs breathing space.” This isn’t the first time Nasheed and the Chinese envoy traded barbs publicly. 

Last month, Nasheed said, “Even if we sell our grandmother’s jewelry, we won’t be able to afford these payments.” Replying to Nasheed’s “jewelry” comment, the Chinese envoy said we value our friendship. 
  
Speaker Nasheed has remained critical of Chinese loans for a long time due to sustainability issues.