Maldives-China ties deepening along with worsening ties with India amidst the demand for the withdrawal of Indian troops

The Maldivian government is once again acting against India by making public statements indicating that no Indian troops will remain in the Maldives in any form. The President of the island nation has been consistently making statements against India for a long time. Apart from deteriorating relations with India, the country is simultaneously strengthening and deepening its ties with the red giant. Let's discuss the latest updates on the Maldives' growing relations with China and worsening relations with India:

Maldives-China Ties

Minister of Defence Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon met with Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the People's Republic of China on March 5th. They discussed deepening defence ties between the two countries. Both nations also signed an "agreement on China's provision of military assistance gratis to the Republic of Maldives, fostering stronger bilateral ties" which will further foster Maldives-China ties.

Defence partnerships between two countries indicate already established deep bilateral relations. It is one way to achieve strong ties with another country. Having defence cooperation with another nation also indicates the building of trust between the two countries. The President of the Maldives visited China from 8th January to 12th January. After the visit, he indirectly referred to India as a bully while also stating that Maldives-China ties have improved. President Muizzu also requested the Chinese government to encourage people to visit the Maldives in large numbers and secure the first spot for the highest number of tourists, similar to pre-COVID times.

Also Read: Maldives tourist- India gets down to 5th position as China rises to 3rd

This time, the two countries have signed actual agreements in defense partnership indicating better Maldives-China ties. China on Monday also donated 12 green ambulances to the health ministry of the Maldives.

India and Maldives

The Maldivian President has been vocal about his desire to get the Indian troops out of the country. The president even used this topic in his presidential election campaign. After attaining the position, the president started working on the promise. Recently, the Indian government and the Maldivian government agreed to remove all troops from the island country. The Indian government agreed to compromise to withdraw the troops and replace them with a technical team to operate the Indian gifted aircraft.

The government of the Maldives has been facing criticism about the presence of Indian troops in civil dress stationed in the country by May 10. The President of the island nation assured the country that all Indian troops will leave the country. "There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence," he said.

Also Read: Maldives President Muizzu asked India to take withdraw Indian troops from Maldives

Jaishankar taking a jib at neighbours

S. Jaishankar recently said that “big bullies don’t provide USD 4.5 billion in aid when the neighbours are in trouble,” while he was talking about Indian assistance to Sri Lanka during the economic crisis of 2022. The mention of the word "bullies" is connected with the minister indirectly calling out Maldivian president calling India a bully.

Also Read:Did Maldives President indirectly called India a bully in front of China?

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