India, while reacting to the deteriorating political condition of a small island nation the Maldives has sparked some political drama. In the statement India said that is imperative for the government to follow Supreme Court’s order, reacting to which China said that a country of more than 4 lakh people is fully capable of dealing with the current situation by itself. Only last year China had signed a free trade agreement with the honeymoon paradise Maldives.
China is considered to be India’s top geopolitical rival in South Asia and with political backing from Japan and United States, it has been more assertive to maintain its supreme control in the Indian ocean. In reply to the foreign policies by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, China has been building ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka to expand its influence. It has also built a port in a small African country, Djibouti which is its first military base overseas.
The local power struggle in the Maldives between government and opposition has also influenced the battle of influence in the Indian Ocean between China and India. The Maldives, also known as honeymoon paradise is a beautiful country in the Indian Ocean known for its lavish beaches and luxurious resorts. It has been a ground for political turmoil since The President Abdulla Yameen ordered arrests of his political opponents without any valid reason.
The Maldives owes more than 70% of its foreign aid to China and it is obvious that this has always been a concern for India. With the recent crisis in the Maldives- the rule of Rajapaksa in Sri Lanka has now been compared with what Yameen is doing in the Maldives- and this has apparently opened up an opportunity for India to step in.
According to sources, there has been moderate troop movement seen at a key air-base in Southern India. India has assured that its troops are on standby to deal with any emergency and it is deeply disturbed by the situation in the Maldives.
On Monday, The President declared a 15-day emergency in the state. Abdulla Yameen ordered the military troops to storm the Supreme Court and arrest the Chief Justice along with former president Mr. M Nasheed. As the situation got worse, India advised its citizens to defer all travels in the honeymoon island which are not essential.
According to Constantino Xavier, a fellow at Carnegie India said that the Maldives has been an important region for India as it is slowly increasing its influence in the Indian Ocean. He observed that President Yameen has been accelerating his outreach to China to reduce leverage from India and to fend off political pressure from the West.
The country has been in political turmoil since President Yameen came to power in 2013. He has been counting on economic investments from Saudi Arabia and China. This time protests broke out in the capital city after he ordered the troops to storm the Supreme Court and arrest Chief Justice along with 9 other political rival s from the opposition.
According to David Brewster, an academic at the Australian National University, China will eventually engage in land reclamation in the Maldives as it had done earlier in south China Sea. He said that India is in a tough position as it seems impossible to turn Yameen away from China while restoring democracy in the country.
