A diplomatic crisis is deepening between the Maldives and India—a major U.S. partner in the Indian Ocean—after its president returned from Beijing and accused New Delhi of attempting to dictate its foreign relations.
President Mohamed Muizzu, who was elected in October, has publicly shunned the island nation's traditional ally, India, in favor of closer ties with the world's second-largest economy, China.
Muizzu visited China from January 8-12 and successfully elevated his country's status in Beijing's rank of diplomatic importance. The two countries now share a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership," a friendship that could challenge New Delhi's sphere of influence in the region and further mute Washington's overtures in Male.
Amid China's inroads in the Indian Ocean, the Maldives climbed the list of U.S. priorities in the region as Washington opened its first embassy in its capital. The archipelagic nation sits roughly 727 miles north of Diego Garcia, a British overseas territory and small atoll that houses a U.S. military base.
"We are not a country that is in the backyard of another country. We are an independent nation," Muizzu said on Sunday from Velana International Airport. "We may be small, but that doesn't give you the license to bully us."
His assertive remarks were followed on Monday by another geopolitical fallout. Muizzu ordered India to withdraw its troops—nearly 100 personnel are stationed there for combat training as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief—by March 15.
The decision came on the heels of his visit to China, during which 20 key agreements were struck, according to a press release from the Maldives presidential office. Among the deals was unspecified cooperation between the nations' state media groups.
It was a small but meaningful shift in regional influence toward Beijing and comes amid an existing diplomatic spat between Male and New Delhi, after a number of Maldives lawmakers were suspended for making inappropriate remarks by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, hosted Muizzu and backed the Maldives' choices as well as its sovereignty and independence, according to China's state broadcaster CCTV.
"China respects and supports Maldives in exploring a development path that suits its national conditions, firmly supports Maldives in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and national dignity," Xi said.
Perhaps more significant to the modest South Asian economy, which relies heavily on tourism, Muizzu said the Chinese government had agreed to begin debt restructuring talks on monies owed by Male to Beijing. A Chinese technical team would visit the Maldives for the discussions, he said.
Muizzu's embrace of China presents a rare opportunity for Xi to advance his foreign policy goals in the region.
"Under the new circumstances, China-Maldives relations face a historic opportunity to build on past achievements and forge ahead," Xi said.
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Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
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