Newly elected Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Thursday met the Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives in the first ever meeting between the two officials since Yameen's appointment.

Chinese Ambassador Yu Hongyao met Yameen for talks that aim to deepen ties between the two countries.

China is a major market for Maldives's lucrative tourism industry, with over a quarter of the one million tourists to the Indian Ocean group of islands coming from China in a year.

Tourism earns as much as 70 percent of the Maldives Gross Domestic Product (GDP), making China's travelers of significant importance.

Yameen was elected as the 6th president of the Maldives on Nov. 16 after a prolonged election battle that lasted nearly three months.

Since his appointment, the new president has been busy putting his new government in order and meeting with key officials of countries that have strong relations with the Maldives.

Yameen on Wednesday met with the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives for talks.