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HomeOpinionMaldives is just another front of China’s expansive policy

Maldives is just another front of China’s expansive policy

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China is using non-interventionist methods to step in wherever it wants. Unless we beat them in their own game, it would be difficult to stop their ingress.

The introduction of multi-party democracy in the Maldives in 2008 unfortunately brought political instability to the country. In fact, the subversion of democracy started by the vested interests even before it could take root in the country.

The political crises erupting in the Maldives at regular intervals have also led to the demand from some quarters in India for a military intervention so that things could be set in order. The suggestion for India’s military intervention is largely influenced by what India did in 1988 under Operation Cactus. But since then, the global geopolitical scene has dramatically changed and a new major power China has emerged, which has significant political, economic and military interests in the Maldives.

A number of statements made by China in the aftermath of the political crisis in the Maldives show that it has deep interests in the country. It has called on the international community to play a “constructive role” in the crisis and urged other countries to respect Maldives’ internal affairs. This comment is seen as directed towards India. China’s state-run tabloid Global Times has also warned that Beijing will retaliate if New Delhi unilaterally decides to send troops to the crisis-hit Maldives. When China says that it does not want the Maldives to become another flashpoint, it became amply clear the kind of stake it has in the Maldives.

While the Indian government is still not sure how to respond to the crisis, a section of Indian strategic community and a section of international media want India to get militarily involved in the prevailing chaos in the Maldives. To begin with, it’s important to remember that the Indian intervention in 1988 was at the request of the former Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The attackers at that time were a Sri Lanka-based Tamil insurgent group PLOTE.

But this time, the request for military intervention is coming from an opposition leader who is in exile and all levers of power within Maldives are controlled by Yameen. Moreover, in 1988, the international community was supportive of India’s action. Gayoom had made a request not only to India but also to some western powers. India actually had intervened with the consent of western powers who wanted it to handle a crisis in its backyard.

But things are now different. The international community this time is divided with the emergence of China as a major power. China also holds a veto in the Security Council. So, it is very clear that it will be difficult for India to get an international mandate to intervene in the Maldives. China is one of the countries along with Pakistan and the Saudi Arabia where Yameen has sent his special envoy to explain the position of the government in the present crisis.

Clearly, there is no consensus among the major powers on India’s military intervention in the Maldives. What is worse, the western media presents the crisis in the Maldives as if it’s an extension of India-China rivalry. If China gets a military base in the Maldives, it would endanger not only India’s security interests but also the security of a number of major powers like the United States who have a base in the vicinity in Diego Garcia. China’s militarisation of islands in the South China Sea and the inability of the US to stand-up to it shows that its position as the lone super power of the world would be challenged soon. While the US does not know how to handle the threat posed by North Korea, China keeps pushing the envelope everywhere. Maldives is just another front of this China’s expansive policy.

But an important question which arises here is why India wakes up only when the crisis is precipitated. The writing on the wall had been clear for some time.

Yameen is not the first Maldivian ruler who is cosying up to China. In fact, the policy was started by none other than Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who befriended China to counter-balance India. The same policy was more or less continued even during the Nasheed era and China opened its embassy in the Maldives in 2011 when the SAARC summit was taking place in that country. It is believed that China wielded significant influence in the Maldives through Vice-President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik in the Nasheed government. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik finally ousted Nasheed with the help of military and police forces who rose in rebellion against Nasheed.

Gayoom wooed China only to the extent it helped counter-balance India. But Yameen is utterly corrupt and is engaged in money laundering. He can go to any extent to make fortune for himself and to keep himself in power. A rogue dictator like Yameen can endanger not only Indian security but also the security in the whole Indian Ocean region where China is trying to make ingress.

China is making inroads in many countries by using their armed forces. In fact, the army chief and the military are being used by China to prop-up dictators of its choice. These dictators are used to serve Chinese interests while no international law is violated. Recently, this was seen in Zimbabwe where the regime of Robert Mugabe was toppled with the help of army chief. In the case of the Maldives too, the rogue regime of Abdulla Yameen has been kept afloat by the support of army chief Major General Shiyam.

China is using non-interventionist methods to intervene wherever it wants. Unless we beat the Chinese in their own game it would be difficult to stop their ingress.

Anand Kumar is an Associate Fellow Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, and visiting professor in the University of Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania.

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