New Delhi: China Monday signed an agreement to provide free military assistance with Maldives. This agreement comes a week after an Indian civilian team arrived in the country to replace military personnel manning one of the three aviation platforms gifted by New Delhi to Malé.
The agreement between Beijing and Malé was signed by the Maldivian minister of defence Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon and Major General Zhang Baoqun, the Chinese deputy director of the office for international military cooperation.
“Minister of Defence @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 stronger bilateral ties,” said that Maldivian defence ministry on the social media platform X.
Minister of Defence @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 Defence (@MoDmv) March 4, 2024
The specific manner of military assistance agreed to by both China and Maldives remains unclear, however this is a further sign of the pivot from India by the pro-China Maldivian president Mohamed Muizzu.
The military agreement also comes after Maldives allowed the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 to dock at the port of Malé on 22 February. India had raised objections with the governments of Sri Lanka and Maldives regarding the docking of this vessel at their ports in December 2023, reported The Hindustan Times.
The Xiang Yang Hong class of survey ships are suspected of operating unmanned gliders underwater that are able to collect information on the seabed in the Indian Ocean, that can be used for both civilian and military purposes as reported by ThePrint in 2021.
The permission given to the research vessel to dock at Malé despite Indian objections, followed by the signing of the defence cooperation agreement with China, highlights the series of actions taken by the Muizzu administration in its efforts to deepen its relationship with Beijing.
Strained ties between New Delhi & Malé
Ties between India and Maldives have been strained since the election of Muizzu in 2023. He ran on a platform of minimising India’s influence in the country and, since taking power, has taken a series of steps to achieve his goals.
One of his earliest actions was to call for the removal of Indian military personnel from the country, who were operating three aviation platforms — two helicopters and one Dornier aircraft. The unarmed military personnel were military engineers, trainers and pilots
In February, the two countries agreed to replace Indian military personnel with a civilian team in a phased manner. The Muizzu government also announced that it has no intention of renewing an agreement with India which allowed New Delhi to conduct hydrographic surveys in Maldivian waters. The agreement is due to expire in June 2024.
In January 2023, he undertook a state-visit to China, where the two countries inked over 20 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU’s), including those that indicate a deepening of maritime cooperation between the two countries.
In the same month, the Maldivian government signed a $37 million deal with Türkiye to purchase military drones to patrol its high seas — a task that was done by India in partnership with the Maldivian defence forces.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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