Military Assistance Agreement Signed Between Maldives, China Amidst Tensions With India
Photo: Ministry of Defense
Maldives and China have formalized an agreement for military assistance at an official ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence on Monday.
The agreement was signed by Minister of Defence Ghassan Maumoon and Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China.
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The agreement, according to the defense ministry, is poised to enhance military connectivity between Maldives and China.
The meeting also served as a platform for both parties to engage in discussions aimed at further strengthening defense collaboration.
Senior officers from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Chinese military, alongside the Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives, Wang Lixin, participated in the ceremony.
This development comes in the wake of the Maldives government ordering the departure of Indian troops from the archipelago. The decision to seek military assistance from China follows the election of President Mohamed Muizzu, who campaigned on the “India Out” platform.
Historically, Maldives and India have shared amicable relations. However, recent political changes have strained ties, prompting the withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives. India, for its part, has announced plans to replace the troops with civilian staff to operate surveillance aircraft gifted to Maldives for monitoring maritime borders.
Concerns over China’s expanding influence in the Indian Ocean have prompted India to bolster its presence in the region. The deployment of a Chinese marine research vessel to the Maldives and the signing of various infrastructure and economic agreements between Maldives and China underscore the growing partnership between the two nations.
India’s response to these developments has been marked by increased vigilance, with plans to ramp up operational surveillance from nearby islands. The evolving dynamics between Maldives, China, and India underscore the complex geopolitical landscape in the Indian Ocean region, with implications for regional security and stability.
