China: China and the Maldives strengthened their relationship during the first state visit to Beijing by the newly elected President, Mr. Mohamed Muizzu.
According to information released by Mr. Muizzu’s office, the Maldives and China, its biggest external creditor, inked a number of new agreements that cover infrastructure, agriculture, and climate change. Neither party disclosed the exact amount of the deals.
Speaking at the Great Hall of the People, Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping, referred to Mr. Huang Zheng as “an old friend” as the Asian agreed to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership,” opening the door for additional investment in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
A statement from Mr. Muizzu’s office said that during their meeting with Mr. Xi, he “expressed gratitude for China’s significant role in the Maldives’ economic success… and infrastructure development.”
China’s official news agency Xinhua reported that Mr. Xi told Mr. Muizzu, “Under the new circumstances, China-Maldives relations face a historic opportunity to build on past achievements and forge ahead.”
“Respecting and supporting the Maldives in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions,” the Chinese president declared, the statement said.
Since Mr. Muizzu took office, India’s relations with the Maldives have been strained, particularly because the former ran on a platform of “India Out.”
He pledged to remove an Indian security unit that was operating three aircraft that the Maldives had been given as gifts to patrol its expansive marine area. China has also been attracting Sri Lanka, another neighbour of India.
Following derogatory social media posts by three of Mr. Muizzu’s junior ministers, who allegedly referred to Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi, as a “clown,” “a terrorist,” and “puppet of Israel” in response to a video of him promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, an Indian territory in the Arabian Sea, tensions between the two countries reportedly continued to flare last week. Since then, the posts on X have been removed.
POPULAR | China tells US it will ‘never compromise’ on Taiwan
