China has announced free military assistance to the Maldives, and a defense agreement has been signed between the two countries.
However, details about this agreement have not been elaborated. It is believed that this agreement could pose challenges for India. China signed the agreement for free military assistance to the Maldives on Monday. This agreement is being portrayed as a move to strengthen bilateral relations.
The agreement came weeks after Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih set a deadline for the return of Indian military personnel. Maldives Defense Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon held discussions with Major General Zhang Baokun, Deputy Director of the Chinese International Military Cooperation Office, to enhance defense cooperation between the two countries.
Maldives’ defense ministry posted on its handle, “Maldives signed an agreement with China on the provision of military assistance to strengthen bilateral relations. Maldives has not provided details of this defense cooperation agreement.
The trip of the Chinese military delegation to the Maldives took place a few days after the Chinese research vessel Jiang Yang Hong 03 was allowed to dock at Male port for “rotation and logistics exchange” of its personnel. Concerns are being raised that after this agreement, Chinese warships could easily dock at Maldivian ports.
Additionally, the Chinese navy could establish a permanent or temporary base in the Maldives. Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had announced just a day earlier the installation of a surveillance system for 24-hour monitoring of the country’s maritime borders.
There are concerns that this surveillance system could be a Chinese radar, which could spy on India’s maritime borders. The Maldives and China could pose challenges for India in the Indian Ocean.
