New Delhi: Announcing the upgradation of ties to a “Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership” with Maldives, Chinese President Xi Jinping cited “new circumstances” in the Indian Ocean archipelago presenting a “historic opportunity” to enhance relations, accompanied by the signing of 20 agreements on January 10. The Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu is currently on a five-day visit to China, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in Beijing.The visit takes place in the backdrop of the new Maldivian president choosing to go to China for his first state visit after assuming office in November. Till now, all democratically elected presidents of Maldives have travelled to India for their first foreign trip.Muizzu had been elected on an opposition platform fuelled by the ‘India Out’ campaign which had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed in Maldives by New Delhi to operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.As reported on Tuesday, January 10, Maldives had reportedly proposed a visit to India soon after Muizzu’s inauguration, but it remained at an initial stage with the administration insisting on the withdrawal of the Indian defence personnel.Meanwhile, the Maldivian president has travelled to Turkey, the UAE and China in the last six weeks. Muizzu met with the Indian PM on the sidelines of the COP summit in Dubai.During delegation-level talks, the Chinese President Xi Jinping told his guest that China “supports the Maldives firmly in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national dignity”, as per a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.While announcing the elevation of ties to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,’ the Chinese president indicated that there was a friendlier government in Malé compared to the previous regime.“Under the new circumstances, China-Maldives relations face a historic opportunity to build on past achievements and forge ahead,” Xi said, as quoted by state-run news agency Xinhua.The joint statement issued after the talks stated that China “firmly opposes external interference in the internal affairs of the Maldives”.It also stated that Malé opposed “external interference in China’s internal affairs under any pretext and supports all efforts made by China to achieve national reunification”.According to the Chinese statement, Maldives supported the Xi-proposed platforms of “Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative”.As per a list published by the Maldives President’s Office, 20 agreements were signed by the two countries after formal talks between India and China. This included an “Action Plan” for fostering Comprehensive Strategic Partnership over the next four years.It also listed an agreement on Grant Assistance, but no more details were provided. Additionally, the list included an MoU on “Jointly Accelerating the Formulation of the Cooperation Plan on the Belt and Road Initiative”, along with an agreement on disaster risk reduction.The readout of the Maldivian government stated that Muizzu expressed “gratitude for China’s significant role in the Maldives’ economic success and for China’s generous assistance in social housing, higher education, and infrastructure development”. The Maldivian President also called expanding tourism cooperation and air connectivity between the two countries, which was also echoed by the Chinese side.A day earlier at an Investors Meet, Muizzu had called on China to reclaim its status as the largest source of tourists to the Indian Ocean Island nation in the pre-Covid era.Over the past three days, numerous Indian celebrities, including film stars, simultaneously announced on Twitter that they would choose an Indian travel destination over Maldives due to derogatory remarks made by Maldivian ministers against the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Maldives had announced the “suspension” of three deputy ministers for the disparaging remarks.
