China and the Maldives have upgraded their relationship during newly elected President Mohamed Muizzu’s first state visit to Beijing, following a campaign in which he cast China’s regional rival India as a threat to its sovereignty.
The Maldives signed several new agreements with China – its largest external creditor – on Wednesday, including ones on climate, agriculture and infrastructure, Muizzu’s office said on Thursday. No details about the value of the deals were shared by either side.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, speaking at the Great Hall of the People, called Muizzu “an old friend” as the Asian giant set the stage for further investment in the Indian Ocean archipelago by agreeing to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”.
In talks with Xi, Muizzu “expressed gratitude for China’s significant role in the Maldives’ economic success … and infrastructure development,” read a statement from his office.
“Under the new circumstances, China-Maldives relations face a historic opportunity to build on past achievements and forge ahead,” Xi told Muizzu, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China January 10, 2024 [cnsphoto via Reuters]
The Chinese president said he “respects and supports the Maldives in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions”, it said.
But the World Bank, in a report in October, warned further cosying up to China could spell trouble in the Maldives, since the $1.37bn it already owes Beijing represents about 20 percent of its public debt.
China is the Maldives’ biggest bilateral creditor, ahead of Saudi Arabia and India, to which it owes $124m and $123m, respectively.
India’s relations with the Maldives have been strained, especially since Muizzu, who campaigned on an “India Out” platform, took office.
He promised to remove a unit of India a unit of Indian security personnel, deployed to operate three aircraft gifted to the Maldives to patrol its vast maritime territory.
