Male: China signed a defence cooperation agreement with the Maldives to provide free military assistance to foster "stronger" bilateral relations amid the latter's strained ties with India over President Mohamed Muizzu's deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his island nation. The details of the defence cooperation are not known yet.
Maldives' Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon met with Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China, to discuss enhancing defence cooperation between the two countries. Meanwhile, China has also gifted 12 eco-friendly ambulances to Maldives, according to Maldivian media.
Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wang Lixin presented the letter gifting the ambulances to the Maldives in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Health on Sunday. The visit of the Chinese military delegation took place days after Male allowed Xiang Yang Hong 03, a hi-tech Chinese research ship to make a port call for the "rotation of its personnel and replenishment", ignoring India's concerns.
Muizzu sharpens rhetoric for withdrawal of Indian troops
Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, has set March 10 as the deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his country. "The first team of technical personnel to operate the advanced light helicopter has reached the Maldives. It will replace the existing personnel who were operating this platform," said the Ministry of External Affairs on February 29.
Following meetings of the high-level core group that was set up to address the issue of withdrawal of the Indian military personnel, the Maldivian foreign ministry had said India will replace all its military personnel in two phases by May 10. There are 88 Indian military personnel in the country, primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft that have carried out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.
Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Muizzu affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10, according to local reports. He said that due to his government’s success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours are attempting to twist the situation.
“That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” he said. “There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence."
The first troops to depart the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu atoll Kahdhoo are also expected to leave ahead of May 10. India had agreed to remove their troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.
Controversy over Chinese ship
The 4,500-tonne high-tech Xiang Yang Hong 3 departed from Maldives after docking on February 23. The vessel's zigzag movements between the Maldives and Sri Lanka have heightened concerns in New Delhi, reflecting broader anxieties over China's expanding influence in the Indian Ocean Region. India's apprehensions extend beyond the immediate vicinity of the Maldives, encompassing the broader strategic implications of the Chinese vessel's activities.
On January 5, Sri Lanka, while denying entry to the same ship, said it has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighbourhood and collecting data from the oceans, including in the Indian Ocean Region, for military purposes, especially for submarine operations.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson has previously defended the port call by the Chinese research ship to the Maldives saying, “China’s scientific research activities in relevant waters are for peaceful purposes and aimed at contributing to humanity’s scientific understanding of the ocean.” It has data buoys that can measure ocean currents, waves, and important environmental information, providing real-time satellite information to the Chinese government. Incidentally, the Chinese vessel was present near the India-Maldives-Sri Lanka trilateral Dosti-16 exercise that took place in the ocean near Male between February 22 and 25.
The Maldives' proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.
(with inputs from PTI)
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