India Maldives relations: Less than 24 hours after taking oath as the President of Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu on Saturday (November 18) made a formal request to the Indian government to withdraw Indian troops from his country.
Meanwhile, a news has been published on the website of Hong Kong based English newspaper South China Morning Post with the headline that Maldives is expected to see an increase in investment with its new China-friendly President as Beijing wants to take advantage of the opportunity. In such a situation, the question arises that what will Maldives take from China to remove the Indian army and will the dragon leave such an opportunity?
What will Maldives take from China?
Let us tell you that Muizzu is widely seen as a pro-China leader. The South China Morning Post reported on Saturday (November 18) that The Maldives is expecting more investment from China in energy infrastructure and tourism facilities after hosting a Chinese special envoy this week. A Maldivian diplomat said the country has welcomed a president friendly to Beijing.
Hong Kong-based honorary vice-consul Vijay Harilala told The Post on Thursday that renewable energy would be high on the Maldives’ investment agenda as it moves towards lower pollution targets as it is a tourism hotspot.
Harilala said there is scope for further cooperation in renewable energy projects as the Maldives aims to become carbon neutral by 2030. He said China’s expertise in renewable energy technologies can contribute to the development of solar and wind energy projects in the Maldives.
Maldives will give opportunities to Chinese investors in these areas
According to the report, Harilala said that Maldives will provide more opportunities to Chinese investors in hotel and resort development, water sports, eco-tourism and travel agencies. He said that fisheries, agriculture, real estate, transportation and logistics are also open for foreign investment.
According to Chinese customs data, China’s exports to the Maldives increased by 59 percent from 2020 to 2022, when total shipments reached US$438.5 million.
‘It’s time for China to take advantage’
Daniel K in Hawaii. Alexander Wuwing, a professor at the Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, said Beijing would welcome the leadership change and would likely see increased investment as a result because of its strategic location along Indian Ocean oil and gas shipping routes.
“Maldives has been a center of strategic competition between China and India,” Wuwing said.China had been waiting for this moment for a long time and Now the time has come for him to take advantage of this opportunity open after the elections.
What was said by Muizzu to expel the Indian soldiers?
According to news agency PTI, a release from the Maldives President’s Office said that Muizzoo said that the people of Maldives have given him a strong mandate to make this request to New Delhi. The release said that the President of Maldives made this request to India during the meeting between Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Muizzu.
However, after the meeting between Kiren Rijiju and Muizzu in Male, sources said India and Maldives have agreed to discuss practical solutions to the continued use of Indian military platforms on behalf of the island nation as such cooperation is beneficial for the people of Maldives. Is favorable to the interests of.
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Also read- As soon as he took oath, Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu showed his attitude, requested India to withdraw the army.
