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Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has commented on the ongoing row between India and Maldives over ‘derogatory’ remarks made by three Maldivian ministers on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his Lakshadweep visit. Adhir Chowdhury claimed that Maldives is now “choosing China” over Indi, especially after the latest spat.
Addressing the press, Adhir Chowdhury drew concern and said, “Our (India) relationship with the Maldives is getting hampered today. Till today, Maldives has always preferred India over China, but now it is choosing China, and this is a concerning topic for us”.
Adhir Chowdhury‘s comments come at the heel of Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arriving in China for a five-day state visit. President Muizzu is due to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and sign several agreements to bolster the bilateral ties.
The newly-elected president Muizzu, who is regarded as “pro-China”, is accompanied by his wife Sajidha Mohamed and a high-level delegation.
During President Muizzu’s visit, the Maldives and China will hold official talks and sign key agreements to enhance trade, professional development, and socioeconomic cooperation, the Maldivian President’s Office said in a press release.
Muizzu will also attend the Invest Maldives Forum in the southeastern Chinese city of Fuzhou, China and meet with senior Chinese business leaders to explore avenues for strengthening socioeconomic relations between the Maldives and China, it said.
Muizzu‘s predecessors in the recent past visited India first, considering the wide-ranging bilateral ties and the Maldives’ proximity to India, followed by China which has expanded its influence in the island nation by investing in major infrastructure projects there.
Analysts believe Muizzu‘s foreign policy perhaps is still evolving as the Maldives domestic political situation has undergone a major change after his election in November last year.
The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives like SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy’ of the Modi government.
The Maldives‘ proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland’s western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean gives it significant strategic importance.
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Published: 08 Jan 2024, 03:08 PM IST
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