About 89 Indian military personnel, previously ordered to leave by pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu, who came to power last year with an anti-India platform, will leave the country by May 10.
The Maldives’ Defense Ministry said it had signed an “agreement on the provision of Chinese military assistance” with Beijing late Monday night, saying the deal was “free“, ie unpaid, but did not provide more information.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement on the X social network that the agreement aims to strengthen bilateral ties.
India is suspicious of China’s growing activity in the Indian Ocean and its influence in the Maldives, a chain of 1,192 small coral islands stretching some 800 km across the equator, as well as in neighboring Sri Lanka.
Both South Asian island nations are strategically located midway between major east-west international shipping routes.
After Muizzu won the election in September, relations between Male and New Delhi cooled.
New Delhi considers the Indian Ocean archipelago as part of its sphere of influence, but the Maldives has moved into the orbit of China, its biggest foreign creditor.
Mr Muizzu, who visited Beijing in January where he signed a series of infrastructure, energy, maritime and agricultural deals, has previously denied seeking to change the regional balance by calling in Chinese forces instead of Indian troops.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on Tuesday that Beijing was making every effort to “establish a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” with the archipelago.
“The normal cooperation between China and the Maldives is not directed against any third country, and there is no interference by third countries,” she added.
“Operational Care”
Last week, India said it was beefing up its naval forces in the strategically important Lakshadweep islands, about 130 km north of the Maldives.
An Indian naval unit stationed at Minikoja Island will strengthen operational surveillance of the area, the navy said.
Addressing the public at a rally north of the capital on Monday, Muizzu promised that all Indian troops would be withdrawn from Maldivian territory by May 10.
Indians were deployed to operate three reconnaissance aircraft donated by New Delhi to the Maldives for maritime border patrolling.
India is expected to replace the military with civilian personnel to operate the aircraft, and the Maldives’ defense ministry announced last month that several Indian civilian crew members had already arrived.
Last month, Male allowed a controversial Chinese research vessel to enter its waters, appearing to signal the country’s diplomatic reorientation towards Beijing rather than its traditional patron India.
The Chinese ship, Xiang Yang Hong 3, arrived in Male after Sri Lanka refused permission to dock. India objected to this, calling it a reconnaissance ship.
China also handed over 12 electric ambulances to the Maldives on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said.
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2024-04-18 11:47:51