New Delhi: Being perceived as “pro-China” does not necessarily make a country “anti-India”, said Chinese tabloid Global Times in an editorial, as it slammed the Narendra Modi government and accused it of using Malé as a “piece of meat” between New Delhi and Beijing.
“Indeed, even though a country is deemed ‘pro-China’, it does not necessarily mean it is ‘anti-India’, the Communist Party (CCP) mouthpiece said in an editorial published Saturday. The tabloid piece also criticised India’s “domineering stance” towards its neighbours and spoke of China’s model of “fostering good neighbourly relations”.
The Global Times editorial came days ahead of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s China visit — between 8 and 12 January — and on the same day that a diplomatic row erupted between Maldives and India, following derogatory comments made by several Maldivian deputy ministers against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Maldives government has since reportedly suspended “all government officials responsible for the comments”.
In its editorial column Saturday, Global Times alleged that India viewed Maldives as a “piece of meat” between New Delhi and Beijing, which it claimed demeaned Malé sovereignty and disrespected the nation.
“From this perspective, it seems that the Maldives’ foreign policy has only two choices: either rely on India or turn to China. These voices completely ignore the fact that Maldives is an independent sovereign country with legitimate interests and demands,” said the editorial, emphasising on the need for the world to respect Maldives’ independence.
It added: “Even former Maldivian president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, considered by India to be pro-Indian, dismisses this notion, stating that the development of relations with China and India is not viewed as a zero-sum game.”
Global Times also accused India of adopting a “domineering stance” towards other neighbours, such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka among others, citing examples of Colombo banning the entry of Chinese research vessels in Sri Lankan ports for a year last week — following concerns raised by India — and New Delhi’s close attention to the elections held in Bangladesh Sunday, which the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League won for the fourth time in a row.
Ties between Maldives and New Delhi have been strained ever since President Muizzu’s election last year. Ahead of the elections, Muizzu had run a campaign centred around reducing India’s influence in the Maldives and immediately after being sworn in, he had asked New Delhi to remove its troops from Maldives.
While Muizzu’s predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), held a firm “India first” policy, Muizzu is considered pro-China.
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‘Mutual respect and support’
In its editorial, Global Times highlighted Beijing’s “mutual respect and support” within the China-Maldives bilateral relationship, citing numerous Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects that have been completed such as the China-Maldives Friendship Bridge, the housing project in Hulhumale, and the expansion of the Velana International Airport.
It explained that unlike India and the West, “The Maldives, with its enchanting white sandy beaches and tranquil azure waters, is the epitome of a tourist paradise in the minds of the Chinese people, never to be equated with the ‘battlefield’ of competition among major powers.”
“This right path of state-to-state interaction not only benefits the people of China and the Maldives, but is also worth considering as a reference for all countries wishing to develop normal diplomatic relations”, Global Times added.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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