Pro-Beijing Maldivian President Muizzu Asks India To Withdraw Troops By March 15; Says Taiwan Part Of China

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, who was on a visit to China days ago, has again shown his pro-Beijing attitude by not only rejecting the existence of Taiwan but also by setting a deadline for India to withdraw its troops from the island nation. Muizzu came to power on November 17 last year. Breaking away from the tradition of first visiting India, Muizzu went to China and inked several deals with China. It also urged China to send more tourists to Male.

Pursuing 'India Out' Policy

Muizzu, who came to power in November last year through his vicious 'India Out' campaign, has asked India to withdraw its military personnel from his country by March 15. According to the latest government figures, there are 88 Indian military personnel in the Maldives.

“Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and that of this administration,” said Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the public policy secretary at the President's Office. Amid this, a high-level core group of the two nations met today to negotiate the withdrawal of troops. 

Diplomatic Row Between India and Maldives

The call for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel arises amidst heightened tensions between the two nations, triggered by offensive remarks made by three deputy ministers of the Muizzu government against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following their controversial social media posts, Muizzu suspended the three ministers. These comments raised concerns in India and led to calls for a boycott by Indian tourists, who held the highest numbers, followed by Russia, with Chinese tourists ranking third.

Muizzu's Veiled Attack On India

Muizzu, who has just returned from China, has sought to move Maldives closer to Beijing. Speaking to reporters, he said that Maldives being small doesn't give anyone a license to bully it. He also announced plans to reduce the country's dependency on India, including securing imports of essential food commodities and medicine and consumables from other countries. He also said that the Indian Ocean doesn't belong to just one country and belongs to all countries located in the ocean. 

Toeing Chinese Line

During his China visit, Maldives and China issued a joint statement that even rejected the existence of Taiwan. "The Maldives is firmly committed to the one-China principle, recognizing that there is but one China in the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The Maldives opposes any statement or action that undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, opposes all 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities, and will not develop any form of official relations with Taiwan," read the statement. 

Maldives To Become Chinese Colony?

This shows that Muizzu has already bowed down to China for financial assistance and trade needs. Muizzu is not realizing that his pro-Beijing moves may lead the Maldives into a crisis like Sri Lanka. While India was there to help Colombo, that may not be the case for Maldives. Thus, the day is not far when Maldives will become a colony of China run by a puppet government. This definitely poses a security challenge for India and the Indian Navy needs to be on alert for any misadventure in the region.