China seeks to play down its role amid India-Maldives diplomatic row

Amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Maldives, China has jumped in, with its state media seeking to play down Beijing's role in contributing to the worsening of ties between New Delhi and Male.

A self-aggrandising state media article said China's relations with the island nation remain on the rise, and even cheekilyadvised New Delhi to keep an open mind when it comes to operating in the region with other South Asian countries.

The feature-length article in Chinese tabloidGlobal Timesclaimed Beijing had no part in pressuring the Maldives to pick up a fight with India. The partisan publication even claimed that New Delhi was responsible for the straining of ties between the two nations.

"India's strained relations with certain countries in South Asia can be attributed to its perception of being the regional boss. Instead of shifting blame to China, India should take a moment to reflect on its policies toward its neighbours and abandon the zero-sum mentality," read the article, titled "China-Maldives relations expected to reach new heights".

"The bilateral relations between China and the Maldives are expected to reach new heights as Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu began his first state visit to China on Monday since taking office," it added.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu was on a visit to China this week.

The tabloid article said the visit had raised concerns among Indian media outlets that the Maldivian leader was pursuing a pro-China policy.

Notably, on the second day of his China trip, Muizzu praised Beijing as a valued ally and integral collaborator of the Indian Ocean island nation.

Muizzu, who is regarded as “pro-China,” preferred China as among the first foreign nations to visit since coming to power in November last year.

Usually, the tradition is that newly-elected Maldivian presidents visit India before embarking upon an official trip to any other nation.

However, Beijing neatly sidestepped the change in precedence, adding that it was open to a trilateral cooperation.

"It (China) is also willing to carry out trilateral cooperation between China, India and the Maldives. New Delhi should stay more open-minded, as China's cooperation with South Asian countries is not a zero-sum game," it said.

While China plays the good samaritan act, it is not the first time that relations between Maldives and India have turned frosty, primarily due to Beijing's interference.

When former president Abdullah Yameen was in power, his pro-China credentials createdplenty of troubles in the India-Maldives ties.

Yameen had even signed the highly controversial Free Trade Agreement with China which practically submerged the country in China’s debt.

What is the India-Maldives controversy?

After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visitedLakshadweep - an archipelago consisting of 36 islands located in the Arabian Sea, an online discourse started about whether the picturesque Indian region could be the next Maldives.

The idea, however, did not go down well with certain Maldivian government officials who started foul-mouthing PM Modi as well as India on social media.

A day later, India officially raised the matter with Male and even summoned the Maldivian high commissioner to the Ministry of External Affairs office.

Since then, Maldives has been attempting to mitigate the situation. It has suspended three junior ministers who made the remarks.

(With inputs from agencies)