China’s CCP & Maldive’s Muizzu government sign a new defence pact for future Maldivian security, a responsibility long held by India. It is another shriek to India’s ambitions of dominance in the Indo-Pacific. Not just the dominance, this new defence pact also directly hurts India’s national security.
The distance between the Maldives & India’s Lakshadweep is only 754 KM, which means a threat of China’s submarines & spy ships to look closely at India’s strategic resources & firepower.
China-Maldives Defence Pact, March 2024: Details Undisclosed
On Monday, March 4, 2024, China signed a defence pack to provide free military assistance to the Maldives. China announced that this defence pact will help build stronger bilateral relations with the Maldives. Maldives’s Ministry of Defence announced the development of X, a social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
However, India’s defence experts and geopolitical analysts perceive China’s underlying intentions. In the wake of a significant strategic misstep in Sri Lanka, China seeks a fresh strategic naval position to monitor India closely. Last month, it dispatched the high-tech naval research vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 03, to Male’s ports.
Muizzu’s ‘India-out’ Movement Continue Even After Elections
The past few months have seen a cooling of relations between India and the Maldives, with the latter demanding the complete withdrawal of Indian military forces from its soil. Pro-China leader President Muizzu mandated a March 10 deadline for the repatriation of the first contingent of Indian military staff. This decision emerged from a pivotal core group discussion aimed at addressing the matter. After the meeting, the Maldivian foreign ministry declared that India would initiate the two-phase withdrawal of its troops, concluding by May 10 of the current year.
India’s Counter to Development
India is also not sitting ideally & watching these developments closely. India is all set to commission its new base, INS Jatayu, located at the southernmost island of Lakshadweep tomorrow (06 March 2024). The prime objective of this Naval base is to keep an eye on the Maldives & China’s activity on the neighbouring island.