Twenty Maldives police officers will be sent to China to attend a training program that will begin this week, local media reported here on Wednesday.

Maldives Commissioner of Police Hussain Waheed had noted 20 senior officers of Maldives Police Service will attend the seminar which will be held from Thursday to Sunday in Shanghai, China.

According to local media outlet Sun Commissioner Waheed said he hoped that the seminar would help train and improve the competence of local police officers to the standard of Chinese police officers.

Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wang Fukang had also mentioned the briefing during a ceremony and pointed out the seminar would strengthen relations between the two countries.

The ambassador also noted that Chinese tourists visit Maldives in large numbers every year, and thanked local police for their services to ensure protection and security of tourists.

About a quarter of Maldives 1 million tourists are from China.