As Muizzu hardens anti-India stance, Chinese official calls on Maldivian Prez to discuss military cooperation

With India consolidating its position as a net security provider for the Indian Ocean region, an official of China’s Ministry of National Defence called on President Mohammed Muizzu of the Maldives in Malé on Tuesday and discussed ways to strengthen military cooperation between the communist country and the archipelago.

Muizzu’s meeting with Major General Zhang Baoqun, the deputy director at the Office for International Military Cooperation of the People's Republic of China, took place in Malé a day after the two nations inked a defence cooperation agreement. The details of the agreement were not revealed, but the Ministry of Defence of the Government of the Maldives indicated in a post on X that it would pave the way for China to provide military assistance to the Indian Ocean nation free of cost.

“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,” said Muizzu, who made New Delhi agree to withdraw by May 10 all Indian military personnel who had been deployed to operate three aviation platforms India had provided to the archipelago for humanitarian and medical evacuation purposes. India will send civilians to replace the military personnel deployed in the Maldives.

Muizzu on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to China for its continued support and assistance to the Indian Ocean nation. He and Major General Zhang Baoqun held comprehensive discussions on strategic partnerships and enhancing defence cooperation between the Republic of the Maldives and China, according to a press release issued by the office of the president of the Maldives. The courtesy call concluded “positively”, with both sides “expressing enthusiasm for future collaborations and partnerships”.

“More broadly, China is committed to working with the Maldives to build a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership,” Mao Ning, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, said in Beijing. “Normal cooperation between China and the Maldives does not target any third party and will not be disrupted by any third party,” Mao said, without specifically referring to India.

Beijing moved to step up defence cooperation with Malé even as India got a strategic edge against China in the Indian Ocean region with a jetty and airstrip it built in Mauritius. The Indian Navy also moved to enhance its operational capability in the vicinity of the Maldives and commission the Naval Detachment Minicoy as INS Jatayu on Wednesday.

The INS Jatayu is going to be the second naval base in Lakshadweep after the INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti. With the commissioning of the INS Jatayu, the Indian Navy will strengthen its foothold in the Lakshadweep Islands, and along with extending operational surveillance, reach and sustenance, it will usher in a new era of capacity building and comprehensive development of the island territories, according to the Indian Navy.