Maldives President's visit to China will deepen bilateral relations

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, stated at a regular press conference on the 5th that currently, China Malaysia relations are standing at a new historical starting point. He believes that through this visit, the two heads of state will make strategic plans for the development of China Malaysia relations and promote them to a new level.
  Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji will respectively meet with President Muiz.
Public information shows that on September 30th last year, Muiz won the general election and was elected as the President of Maldives. Muiz is a close aide to former President Yamin, who served as President from 2013 to 2018 and made a state visit to China in December 2017. Muiz himself said in an interview with the media earlier that he believed that under the framework of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, Malaysia China friendly cooperation will promote the long-term prosperity and development of Maldives. He gave an example that the China Malaysia Friendship Bridge, which was built with China's assistance, opened in August 2018 and became the first cross sea bridge in Maldives, ending the history of only ferry transportation between Male and the emerging city of Hulumale, the second largest island. This bridge is the most iconic and transformative development project implemented in the country so far. In addition, in recent years, Malaysia and China have also implemented housing project construction, as well as the renovation and expansion of Vilana International Airport. Maldives has planned many infrastructure projects, and we believe that cooperation between Malaysia and China will effectively promote these projects.

According to a report by the Indian weekly "One Week" on the 5th, before Muiz's visit to China, Maldives Vice President Latif attended the second China Indian Ocean Regional Development Cooperation Forum in Kunming, Yunnan in December 2023. During the meeting, he greatly appreciated China's infrastructure projects. He also stated that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, equal treatment, friendly coexistence, and win-win cooperation have been maintained, and bilateral relations have always developed in a healthy and stable manner.

Qian Feng, a researcher of the National Institute for Strategic Studies of Tsinghua University, told the Global Times on the 5th that during his tenure as Mayor of Male, Muiz had actively promoted the connection between Maldives and the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, and he had a clear understanding of the positive impact of the "the Belt and Road" on the economy and society of Maldives. This is Muiz's first state visit to China, which shows that he is very willing to develop closer practical cooperation with China, especially to further promote better integration of the Maldives national development strategy with China. Qian Feng believed that during this visit, China and Maldives are expected to continue to strengthen cooperation and docking under the "the Belt and Road" initiative at the macro level. It is expected that the two sides will sign a series of cooperation documents covering economic and cultural exchanges, joint response to climate change, green cooperation and other fields.
Muiz's visit to China has received widespread attention from Indian media. Several Indian media outlets have reported that in the past, Maldivian presidents usually visited India first after taking office, but this time they are visiting China before visiting India. During the election, Muiz advocated changing his country's "India First" policy. On November 18, 2023, Muiz's office issued a statement stating that during a meeting with Indian Earth Science Minister Kieran Rigidju who was attending the inauguration ceremony, Muiz requested that India withdraw its military personnel stationed in the country, "hoping that India respects the democratic wishes of the people of Maldives.". But The Hindu Daily stated that Indian Prime Minister Modi was one of the earliest foreign leaders to congratulate Muiz on his election as president on social media, and Muiz himself promised to maintain close relations between Maldives and India. The Press Trust of India reported on the 5th that during his visit to the United Arab Emirates in December to attend the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), Muiz met with Modi and discussed the relationship between the two countries.
Qian Feng believes that some Indian media hype that Muiz is "pro China" is actually caused by Cold War thinking. In fact, Muiz's policy towards China is based on the interests of the Maldives itself. Some people in India have this idea mainly because they have long regarded the Maldives as their "sphere of influence" and rightfully regarded themselves as the "leader" of South Asia. It is precisely this mentality that has often hindered the development of India's relations with other small and medium-sized South Asian countries in recent years. Qian Feng said that in fact, cooperation between China and India with South Asian countries is not a zero sum game, and India should have a more open perspective on this.