Amid a diplomatic row with India, Maldives has signed a defence cooperation agreement with China for free military assistance to foster "stronger" bilateral ties. Maldives' Defence Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon met with Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of China, to discuss enhancing defence cooperation between the two countries.
Maumoon and Major General Baoqun "signed an agreement on China's provision of military assistance gratis to the Republic of Maldives, fostering stronger bilateral ties," the Maldivian defence ministry wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This comes just weeks after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu set a deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his island nation.
China has also gifted 12 eco-friendly ambulances to the Maldives, Male-based Edition.mv news portal reported on Monday. In a ceremony held at the Ministry of Health on Sunday, Chinese Ambassador to Maldives Wang Lixin presented the letter gifting the ambulances to the Maldives, it said.
Male has tilted towards China under its new president Mohamed Muizzu. Maldives recently allowed a Chinese research vessel to dock at Male port despite concerns that Beijing may use the ship to collect data from the Indian Ocean Region for military purposes.
The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall bilateral ties, including in the areas of defence and security. The bilateral relationship between Male and New Delhi flourished under former Maldives Presidents Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Mohamed Nasheed.
However, the current government under Muizzu said it would review more than 100 bilateral agreements signed with India by the previous governments.
The Maldives' proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland's western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.
(With inputs from PTI)