Opinion: China's growing influence in Maldives, India has to intervene

The Maldives is strategically important primarily for its location in the Indian Ocean. It lies almost at the centre of the waterbody with proximity to the Indian Peninsula, Africa, Seychelles. It is located at a place from where the maritime routes to the South East Asia can be effectively monitored.

Being located in a close proximity of the Lakshadweep islands of India, Maldives had been a close ally since ages. The country had been influenced by Buddhism from India for over 1600 years before embracing Islam as its primary religion. Even under the colonial rule, the relations between the two countries were healthy and developed many folds after its independence in 1966. India was the first country to recognise Maldives.

Both nations are founder members of SAARC and, hence, the relationship becomes more important. Soon after Operation Cactus in 1988, the relations reached new heights, with India economically helping the island nation. Indian Banks established their branches in Maldives and trade flourished. Till date, India is the largest contributor to the economy of Maldives. India always helped the Maldives in the time of crisis, whether it is a coup by foreign mercenaries or the drinking water crisis of 2014.

Soon after 2006, the military relations between the two countries also started building up; India donated many defence equipment, including naval vessels, helicopters and Radars to the island-nation. It extended its coastal patrols to the Maldives and facilitated training of Maldives' forces.

So, when China came up with its String of Pearls concept to secure its maritime communications, Maldives caught the attention of the Golden Dragon. Strategically located close to India, as well as US base in Diego Garcia, China anticipated that the Maldives and could play a vital role in establishing Chinese foothold in the Indian Ocean region.

The Dragon opened its embassy in the Maldives in 2009 and its leaders started visiting the country soon after. By 2012, China became the highest contributor to Maldives tourism revenue. The relations between India and Maldives soured when India froze a 25 Million $ aid and, in return, Maldives cancelled the contract of Male International Airport from an Indian company and gave it to Chinese companies instead. The relations soured so much that in December 2012, the official spokesperson of the president of Maldives, Mr Adil Raza called Indian Ambassador Mr D K Muley as a traitor and enemy of his country.

Despite all this, the then President Nasheed was considered a close ally of India and he assured that the Chinese influence will be limited to a socio-political extent and will not develop into a military one.

However, in 2012, he lost the elections and a dark phase of Indo-Maldives relations started. Allegedly, it was Chinese influence and money which resulted in the defeat of Mr Nasheed and they were successful in establishing their men called Abdulla Yameen in the country’s highest chair. The elections were disputed and, soon after winning, Yameen put all his major opposition members behind bars.

Between 2012 and 2014, Chinese companies started mushrooming in the Maldives and were effectively ignored by the Indian Government which I feel was a grave mistake. The Chinese trade which was less than 3 Million $ in 2000 became over 70 Million $ in 2014. In 2014, when Chinese Premier Xi Xinping visited the country and announced lucrative packages, India realised the importance of losing an old friend.

China also played the Islamic card, using Pakistan to sent its envoy to the Maldives and convinced the government to hand over an important Island called Marao to China towards establishing a military base. The base is now fully functional and is a grave threat to the security of Indian Peninsula. The base is less than 100kms away from the nearest Indian land of Minocoy Islands and can cause serious disturbances for India.

The recent events in the Maldives are particularly a matter of grave concern for India as the future of over 30,000 Indians staying in the country is uncertain and the course of events in this scenario cannot be predicted. On one hand, we must worry but, on the other, these events present India with an opportunity to re-establish the relations by reinstating the rule of Mr Nasheed as per their Supreme court verdict. This action will not only help in restoring the relations back to the track but also curtail the Chinese influence on an extent. India should also increase its trade and aid to the country so that Chinese can be isolated in the region.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)