Maldives signs defense deal with Beijing, Indian troops close to departure
The Ministry of Defense of the Maldives announced that it had signed a
military
agreement with Beijing.
The 89 Indian soldiers present in the country will have left by May 10 after being ordered to leave the territory by pro-Chinese President Mohamed Muizzu.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu attend the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China January 10, 2024. VIA REUTERS - STRINGER
By: RFI with AFP
Advertisement
Read more
The Maldives announced that they had signed an “
agreement on the provision of military assistance by China
” with Beijing late Monday March 4, specifying that the agreement was “free” without giving further details.
He added that the agreement was aimed at “
strengthening bilateral ties
”.
Minister of Defense @mgmaumoon and Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the People's Republic of China, signed an agreement on China's provision of military assistance gratis to the Republic of Maldives, fostering… pic.twitter.com /OeaAe2QZr9
— Ministry of Defense (@MoDmv) March 4, 2024
Since the election of the pro-Chinese president,
Mohamed Muizzu
, who came to power with an anti-Indian program, relations have
cooled with New Delhi
.
During a public rally north of the capital on Monday March 4, the head of state promised that there would be no more Indian troops in the country after May 10, the date by which they must have completed their withdrawal.
These Indian soldiers had been deployed to operate three reconnaissance aircraft donated by New Delhi to Malé to monitor its vast maritime border.
India will replace them with civilian personnel who will operate these planes, and the Maldives Defense Ministry announced last month that Indian civilian crew had started arriving in the atoll.
India is wary of China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean and its influence in the Maldives, as well as neighboring Sri Lanka, two South Asian island nations that occupy a strategic position midway major international east-west shipping routes.
Also read: The Maldives at the heart of struggles for influence
Last month, the
Xiang Yang Hong 3
, a Chinese research vessel, arrived in Male after being denied permission to dock in Sri Lanka following reluctance by India, which called it a spy ship.
The country's diplomatic reorientation towards Beijing and its distance from its traditional Indian ally are becoming more pronounced every day.
Also read: Divorce is confirmed between India and the Maldives
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your inbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Share :
Continue reading on the same themes:
Maldives
India
Defense
Mohamed Muizzu
China
Diplomacy
Geopolitics