Maldives Crisis Could Stir Trouble Between China and India
- 6 years ago
Maldives Crisis Could Stir Trouble Between China and India
"The government of Maldives would like to reiterate
that it has maintained good relations with India since Maldives declared independence and firmly believes that India would not act on any such calls." The latest escalation in the Maldives began this month after an order by the Supreme Court to release political prisoners and reinstate members of Parliament whom Mr. Yameen had removed for crossing over to the opposition.
Despite calls from many Western countries for Mr. Yameen to lift the state of emergency
and release the judges and opposition leaders, just how much leverage other nations beyond China and India have over the Maldives is an open question.
14, 2018
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — As the Maldives’ autocratic president, Abdulla Yameen, cracks down on opposition to consolidate power ahead of another election, analysts and diplomats warn
that the small nation’s troubles could provoke a larger crisis that draws in China and India, which have long competed for influence in the Indian Ocean region.
Mohamed Nasheed, the opposition leader, who has lived in exile since his term as the country’s first democratically elected president ended in a coup of sorts in 2012, fears
that an expansionist China is propping up Mr. Yameen to lock the country into a "debt trap" — a term that refers to China’s taking over of infrastructure projects when a country cannot pay back its loans, such as the recent takeover of a port in Sri Lanka.
"The government of Maldives would like to reiterate
that it has maintained good relations with India since Maldives declared independence and firmly believes that India would not act on any such calls." The latest escalation in the Maldives began this month after an order by the Supreme Court to release political prisoners and reinstate members of Parliament whom Mr. Yameen had removed for crossing over to the opposition.
Despite calls from many Western countries for Mr. Yameen to lift the state of emergency
and release the judges and opposition leaders, just how much leverage other nations beyond China and India have over the Maldives is an open question.
14, 2018
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — As the Maldives’ autocratic president, Abdulla Yameen, cracks down on opposition to consolidate power ahead of another election, analysts and diplomats warn
that the small nation’s troubles could provoke a larger crisis that draws in China and India, which have long competed for influence in the Indian Ocean region.
Mohamed Nasheed, the opposition leader, who has lived in exile since his term as the country’s first democratically elected president ended in a coup of sorts in 2012, fears
that an expansionist China is propping up Mr. Yameen to lock the country into a "debt trap" — a term that refers to China’s taking over of infrastructure projects when a country cannot pay back its loans, such as the recent takeover of a port in Sri Lanka.