Maldives-China relations

Chinese Research Vessel Is Again Docked at a Maldivian Port Three Months After First Visit

The ship Xiang Yang Hong 03 was docked at the Thilafushi industrial island’s harbour on Friday morning.

New Delhi: Just three months after its first visit this year, the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 is back at a Maldivian port on Friday (April 26).

Local media outlet Adhadhu reported that the ship Xiang Yang Hong 03 was docked at the Thilafushi industrial island’s harbour on Friday morning. As per the report, the Maldivian government had not disclosed the return of the ship, even though it had issued a statement at the time of its first visit in February.

It was first reported in January that Xiang Yang Hong 03 was on its way to the Maldives. This news was greeted with interest as it came within a few months of the new President Mohamed Muizzu winning the presidential elections and being sworn into office in November 2023.

While Muizzu has denied being “pro-China”, his government is widely perceived to be friendlier to Beijing. His key campaign promise had been to ensure that Indian troops stationed in the Maldives to operate three aircraft for humanitarian sorties in the country should be withdrawn. After negotiations, India has now replaced the crews with civilians from a state aviation firm.

The Maldives had also given a notice to India that it planned to terminate a bilateral agreement that allowed New Delhi to participate in hydrographic surveys of the Maldivian territorial waters.

The Muizzu government got a big boost when the ruling coalition won three-fourths of the seats in the parliamentary election last week.

The first docking of Xiang Yang Hong 03 this year took place on February 22 after “spending about a month near the boundary of the Maldives’ Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)”. After its port call, the ship had gone back to the borders of the Maldivian EEZ in early March, and is back again at the dock.

“Therefore, Xiang Yang Hong 03 has been active inside or near Maldives’ territory since January,” said the news report.

Earlier in January, Maldives’ foreign ministry had said that China had sought clearance for “Xiang Yang Hong 03 at Malé for “rotation of personnel and replenishment”. The foreign ministry had also claimed that the Chinese vessel would “not be conducting any research while in [Maldivian] waters”.

A report from the Washington-based think tank CSIS in 2020 observed that Chinese research vessels, many of them owned by Chinese organisations affiliated to the military, had the potential of gathering undersea data for submarine detection, essential in naval reconnaissance.

After Fire at SBI and Anti-India Protests, Maldives Beefs up Security for Indian High Commission

The government handed over the security of the diplomatic premises from the police to Maldives National Defence Forces.

New Delhi: After a major fire damaged the office of the State Bank of India and opposition parties held a major rally through the streets of the capital against Indian development projects, the Maldives government on Saturday upgraded the security of the Indian high commission in Malé by handing over the perimeter to Maldivian defence forces.

Indian sources confirmed that Maldives had handed over the security of the diplomatic premises from the police to Maldives National Defence Forces. This is the first time that armed security personnel will be guarding the Indian diplomatic mission, since Maldivian police had been unarmed.

It is learnt that the Maldives government had increased the security on their own. There had been no request from the Indian side.

Sources stated that the Maldivian government had beefed up the security following a massive fire at a high rise building, half of whose floors are occupied by State Bank of India on Friday night. “We don’t know yet if it was an accident or sabotage. The police investigation is going on, but the government thought it prudent to increase security for Indian diplomatic assets,” a senior Indian official told The Wire.

In a statement, SBI Maldives, which is one of the biggest banks in the Indian ocean nation, stated that there was “substantial damage” in all the five floors that housed its offices. However, the bank announced that it would resume banking services on Sunday.

Besides the fire, the threat perception to the Indian high commission had also increased due to a high-voltage rally by the opposition on the same day, sources stated.

Also read: Maldives: India Bids to Overtake China in Funding ‘High Visibility’ Infrastructure

Earlier on Friday, the opposition coalition of Progressive Party of Maldives and People’s National Congress held a number of rallies across the nation to protest the so-called “selling off Maldives” to India.

In the capital, around 350 motorcyclists came out onto the streets with banners and flags, which was a major show of strength by the opposition in the small nation. The opposition demonstrations were also demanding the release of former President Abdula Yameen, who is currently in jail on money-laundering charges.

“Most of these motorcyclists were part of the gangs who had been patronised by the previous regime. So if anti-social elements are on back on the streets, increasing security of Indian assets becomes vital,” added diplomatic sources.

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and former president Mohamed Nasheed arrive at an election campaign rally ahead of their parliamentary election on Saturday, in Male, Maldives April 4, 2019. Photo: Reuters/ Ashwa Faheem

Maldives foreign ministry sources added that the motorcycle rally was being held in “direct contravention of the guidelines put in place by the Health Protection Authority, given the community spread of COVID-19 in the capital city”.

They asserted that security measures that have been instituted “are part of a routine security exercise in the Greater Male Region”.

The trigger for the Maldivian opposition protests, as per sources, was the slew of announcements made by the Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, which included funding for the largest infrastructure project in the Maldives.

During a video conference with his Maldivian counterpart, Jaishankar had announced that India would fund the Greater Malé Connectivity Project that could potentially overshadow China’s Sinamale bridge that cost over $200 million. He also added that India would give another USD 400 million line of credit, appending to the USD 800 million soft loan already being used to finance high impact projects in the Maldives.

Sources claimed the opposition was trying to corner the Ibrahim Solih government on its ties with India as New Delhi has been able to deliver on many of the projects that the president had requested after his election victory. “The opposition had assumed that the projects would get delayed and they will be able to cache onto the dissatisfaction over it”.

Highlighting the strengthened partnership with India under President Solih and his close ties with Indian PM Narendra Modi, sources in the Maldivian foreign ministry added that both countries are committee to “delivering results”. The number of development projects being undertaken with Indian financial support are progressing at excellent speed and will soon deliver their intended benefits to the people of the Maldives,” they said.

Also read: A Visual Guide to the External Affairs Ministry’s Share of the Budget 2020 Pie

With an ultra-nationalist, Islamist platform and accusing the government of “selling” to India, the opposition is hoping to see a recap of the events that led to the fall of Mohamed Nasheed-led MDP government in 2012. Nasheed’s forcible resignation had been preceded by months of anti-GMR and anti-India protests by the opposition parties, which snowballed into a mutiny by security agencies in February.

However, sources asserted that the likelihood of the opposition’s current anti-India protests being similarly successful was unlikely due to the leadership. “Solih is a very seasoned, solid person. He is not going to take any impetuous steps unlike Nasheed, who was a maverick,” they stressed.

(The article has been updated to include comments from sources in Maldivian foreign ministry)

Maldives: India Bids to Overtake China in Funding ‘High Visibility’ Infrastructure

During a meeting between foreign ministers S. Jaishankar and Abdulla Shahid on Thursday, India also extended a financial package to the archipelago nation.

New Delhi: Two years after China completed the Maldives’ biggest infrastructure project till date, India is attempting to overshadow Beijing by financing a multi-island connectivity proposal envisaged to be longer than the Sinamalé Bridge.

India’s decision to finance the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP), along with new budgetary support and an air travel bubble, was announced by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar during a meeting with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid on Thursday.

While the Maldivian government highlighted the $250 million financial package, the Indian side gave top billing to the investment in GMCP.

The Maldives China Friendship project, a 1.39-kilometre bridge linking the capital city Malé to Hulhule island, was opened in April 2018. Then Maldives president Abdulla Yameen, whose term witnessed strained ties with India and stronger alignment with China, had described the $200 million project as the “biggest achievement in our diplomatic history”.

After the opposition MDP candidate Ibrahim Solih defeated Yameen, India has been trying to leverage its friendlier disposition to expand its presence in the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelago.

‘Largest civilian infrastructure project’

Announcing the decision to support the GMCP, Jaishankar noted, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release, that it will be the “largest civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives”. The financial package will have a grant component of $100 million and a new Line of Credit of $400 million.

An electoral promise of President Solih, the project will connect Malé with three neighbouring islands through a bridge and causeway link that will be 6.7 kilometres long. “Once completed, this landmark project will streamline connectivity between the four islands, thereby boosting economic activity, generating employment and promoting holistic urban development in the Malé region,” said the Indian foreign ministry.

It is said that the Maldivian president had reportedly sought India’s aid for the project during Jaishankar’s visit to the country in September 2019.

According to government sources, the “high visibility” GMCP will render the Maldives China Friendship bridge ‘insignificant in comparison’. “It will help in demonstrating India’s overarching presence in the Maldives through a high-visibility project in the Greater Malé region and showcase India’s expertise in conceptualising and implementing a complex infrastructural project of this scale,” they said.

India had previously extended an $800 million line of credit, which is being used to implement seven projects ranging from a water supply and sewerage system to a port project.

An aerial view of the Maldives China friendship bridge. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Panda 51 CC BY SA 4.0

Extension of financial assistance

For the Maldives, the key assurance received during the meeting was the extension of financial assistance.

The Maldives foreign ministry headlined the readout of the video conference – “extends financial support of 250 million US Dollars to the Maldives”. The Indian press release stated that the “exact modalities of the loan arrangement are being finalised by the two sides”.

“Given the financial challenges faced by the Maldives due to the COVID-19 situation and India’s commitment to assist the Maldives in its economic recovery, EAM announced that the Government of India has decided to extend in-principle urgent financial assistance to the Government of Maldives, by way of a soft loan arrangement,” said the MEA press note.

Indian sources pointed out that India had earlier signed a $400 million bilateral currency swap agreement with the Maldives, out of which $150 million had already been withdrawn.

“The Government of Maldives can draw the remaining $250 million anytime till July 2021 to increase forex liquidity and exchange rate management. On the GoM’s request, the currency swap agreement has been further extended for a period of one year,” the sources said.

Tourism and travel

The restrictions on travel and lockdown have badly impacted the Maldives due to its dependence on tourism, with the government projecting a GDP contraction of 11% this year.

Last month, the Maldives opened its international airport to foreign tourists after a gap of nearly three months.

Jaishankar announced that India will create an air travel bubble with the country, with the first flight expected to commence on August 18. Until now, India has largely negotiated air travel bubbles with western countries, so this is the first in the neighbourhood.

“He (the Maldivian foreign minister) emphasised the importance of easing travel, especially for Maldivians seeking to visit India for urgently required medical treatment, as well as Indian tourists wishing to visit the Maldives,” said the Maldivian statement.

A resort island in the Maldives. Photo: Reuters

Besides, India and Maldives agreed that a direct cargo ferry service, announced during the Indian PM’s visit last year, will “commence shortly”.

“A direct cargo ferry service presents an opportunity for India to replace other countries and become the top trade partner of Maldives. In this context and with many bilateral projects slated to commence in the next few months, it is the right time to start a cargo ferry service with the Maldives,” explained government sources.

India has also offered a larger annual quota for this year of supply of essential commodities as defined by the 1981 bilateral trade agreement.

The MEA also added that President Solih is likely to visit India this year “subject to the COVID-19 related conditions”

Maldives Court Orders Arrest of Former President Over Alleged Corruption

The Maldives is due to hold a parliamentary election on April 6, with corruption likely to dominate campaigning.

Male: A court in the Maldives ordered the arrest and detention on Monday of the former president, Abdulla Yameen, on suspicion of money laundering.

Yameen, who drew the Indian Ocean island country closer to China during his rule, is accused of receiving $1 million of government money through a private company, SOF Private Limited, which has been implicated in a corrupt deal to lease tropical islands for hotel development.

He denies the allegations.

After a two-and-a-half hour remand hearing on Monday, prosecutors sought a court order to detain the former president. The court ruled that Yameen, who appeared in person, should be taken into custody.

Preliminary hearings in his money-laundering trial are expected to begin this week.

The Maldives is due to hold a parliamentary election on April 6, with corruption likely to dominate campaigning.

On Friday, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih suspended two government ministers over financial transactions conducted with SOF Private.

The scandal has implicated several other businessmen and politicians, all of whom deny wrongdoing.

Officials from SOF could not be reached for comment.

The state-run Anti-Corruption Commission in 2016 found that SOF, a company launched by former tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb, was used to launder more than $92 million from the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, the country’s tourism board.

(Reuters)

Maldives’ Top Court Cancels Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-Year Jail Sentence

The Supreme Court said the island nation’s first democratically elected leader was wrongfully charged and the criminal court should not have proceeded to trial.

Colombo: The Maldives Supreme Court on Monday canceled former president Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-year jail sentence after a review of the controversial terrorism conviction.

The top court said the island nation’s first democratically elected leader was wrongfully charged and the criminal court should not have proceeded to trial.

Under former leader Abdulla Yameen’s administration, which jailed a number of opposition leaders on various charges, the Supreme Court previously upheld the conviction in 2016.

Also read: There Should Be an Investigation: Ex-Maldives President Nasheed on Yameen’s Future Continue reading “Maldives’ Top Court Cancels Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-Year Jail Sentence”

Maldives’ Supreme Court Clears Way for Former President Mohamed Nasheed’s Return

The move comes days before newly-elected president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who defeated pro-China incumbent Abdulla Yameen, is scheduled to take his oath of office.

Male: The Maldives‘ Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed’s 13-year jail sentence on terrorism charges, allowing him to go home this week.

Nasheed has said he will return on Thursday.

The move comes days before newly elected President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is scheduled to take his oath of office. Solih, a close ally of Nasheed, unseated former pro-China leader Abdulla Yameen in the Sept. 23 poll by a 16.8% margin.

Nasheed was sentenced to jail for ordering the abduction of a judge after a rushed and widely criticized trial in March 2015. He went into exile during a medical trip to Britain.

The Muslim-majority tourist paradise has been in political upheaval since February, when a state of emergency was imposed by Yameen to annul a court ruling that quashed the convictions of nine opposition leaders, including Nasheed.

Also Read: You Have to Be Blind Not to Read the Signs: Ex-Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed

The Maldives, located near key shipping lanes, has become a battleground for China and India as they compete for influence in the region.

The Supreme Court also reinstated 12 opposition lawmakers who were stripped of their seats when they defected to the opposition in 2017.

(Reuters)

Committed to ‘India First’ Policy, Male Tells New Delhi

The assurance was given by Maldivian foreign minister Mohamed Asim during talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj.

New Delhi: The Maldives yesterday assured the Indian leadership of its ‘India first policy’ – an affirmation which comes amid a chill in bilateral ties over a host of issues, including the signing of an FTA between the Maldives and China.

The assurance was given by Maldivian foreign minister Mohamed Asim during talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj.

Asim, a part of the special envoy of the President of the Maldives Abdulla Yameen, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reiterated “the commitment of his government to maintain close relations with India under Maldives’ ‘India first’ policy”, an external affairs ministry release said.

Modi affirmed that India would always be a reliable and close neighbour of the Maldives, supporting it in its progress and security.

Swaraj also conveyed India’s commitment to achieving the full potential of a bilateral relationship, in line with the government’s ‘neighbourhood first policy’.

The visit by the Maldivian leader is seen as an effort by Male to assuage concerns of New Delhi following a free trade pact with China after which India had made it clear that it expected that as a close and friendly neighbour, the island nation would be sensitive to its concerns in keeping with its ‘India first’ policy.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said India was committed to supporting democracy, development and stability in the Maldives.

“We do attach high importance to our relationship with the Maldives. They have an India first policy, we have a neighbourhood first policy. I think it is important for the two countries to work together,” he told reporters.

The external affairs ministry release said discussions centred around strengthening of the development partnership between the two countries, and enhancing defence and security cooperation.

Asim also reiterated Yameen’s invitation to the prime minister to visit the Maldives. Modi conveyed his gratitude for the invitation and agreed to the visit at a suitable time, it said.

During his call on, the special envoy also emphasised that the Maldives attached the highest priority to its ties as close neighbours bound by shared history, culture and maritime interests in the Indian Ocean.

Asim conveyed the greetings of Yameen to the prime minister, which was warmly reciprocated by Modi.

(PTI)