As Indian troops pull out, Maldives signs defence pact with China 

COLOMBO  Days after a technical team from India arrived in the Maldives to replace troops that President Mohamed Muizzu wanted removed, the Maldivian Defence Ministry announced signing a military pact with China.

Maldives’s Minister of Defence, Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon, and Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director at China’s Office for International Military Cooperation, on Monday signed an agreement on “China’s provision of military assistance gratis to the Republic of Maldives, fostering stronger bilateral ties”, the Maldivian Defence Ministry said. The two sides also held bilateral talks on military cooperation.

The Ministry’s post on the social media platform ‘X’ did not mention details of what the agreement entails. The development aligns with the two countries agreeing to “elevate” China-Maldives relations to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”, during President Mohamed Muizzu’s five-day state visit to China in January this year. 

• Editorial.A tricky period for Indo-Maldivian relations

It also coincides with New Delhi’s apparent compromise with Male, agreeing to withdraw its troops stationed in the island nation, instead replacing them with a technical team to help operate India-gifted aircraft. The decision was made amid President Muizzu’s persistent calls for the removal of Indian troops, a campaign promise-turned-official pledge made by the leader. Following bilateral discussions between a high-level core group, the two sides in early February reached a consensus on Indian troops leaving the Indian Ocean archipelago in phases by May 10, 2024.

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Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent comments at an event in New Delhi, where he said: “big bullies don’t provide USD 4.5 billion in aid when the neighbours are in trouble,” referring to Indian assistance to Sri Lanka during its crisis in 2022, have drawn wide attention in the Maldives.

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Interpreting it as a “swipe at” President Muizzu, the statement has been reported widely by Maldivian media, which linked Jaishankar’s remarks to Muizzu’s comments to local media soon after his return from China in January. “Maldives may be small, but that doesn’t give others the licence to bully the country,” President Muizzu had said.  

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