 | |
 China |  Maldives |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of China, Malé | Embassy of the Maldives, Beijing |
| Envoy | |
| Her ExcellencyAmbassador Wang Lixin | Ambassador Fazeel Najeeb |
Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China andthe Maldives were established in 1972.[1] China has anembassy inMalé which opened in November 2011, and the Maldives has anembassy inBeijing which opened in 2009. Approximately 70 percent of the Maldives' totaldebt is attributed to Chinese projects, with an annual payment ofUS$92 million to China, constituting around 10 percent of the country's entire budget. China has become pervasive in the Maldives, exerting influence over infrastructure, trade, and energy sectors, raising concerns of a new form of Chinese entrapment.[2]
China employs economic coercion as a means to advance its broader objectives. This perspective, frequently articulated by formerMaldivian President and formerSpeaker of Parliament,Mohamed Nasheed, implies that China aims to achieve commercial dominance in its trading partners, frequently employing a 'debt-for-equity' exchange to secure strategic assets while ensnaring these nations in unsustainable debt. A prominent example often cited to support this strategy is Sri Lanka's 99-year lease of the Hambantota port to Beijing.[3]
China-Maldives ties improved with the election ofMohamed Muizzu as president in 2023. Likewise, relations between the Maldives and India deteriorated, with relations hitting a new low after an incident involving theIndian Coast Guard boarding three Maldivian fishing boats within the Maldives'sExclusive Economic Zone.[4] On March 5, 2024, the Maldives and China signed a bilateral military pact in a further sign of warmer Sino-Maldivian ties vis-a-vis worsening Indo-Maldivian ties.[5] President Mohamed Muizzu considers his country's relationship with Beijing as one of the Maldives' closest 'allies and developmental partners' in the region.[5]
The relations betweenChina and the Maldives date back hundreds of years. A record from theTang dynasty documents a visiting Maldivian delegation bearing gifts from King Baladitiya toEmperor Gaozong in 658 AD, and repeatedly in 662 AD. The Maldives are referred to as "Mo-lai". The Chinese explorerZheng He visited the islands in 1412 and 1417 AD.[6]
The Maldives has historically been aligned withIndia since its independence in 1965 but has increasingly engaged with China, particularly after joiningChina's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2014.[7]
Maldives strongly supported China's 2007 application to join theSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as an observer.[8] In November 2011, China opened anembassy inMalé.[9]
In July 2022, the Chinese embassy in the capital cityMalé received a bomb threat, sent via the city's website, that also targeted a Russian consulate. Security forces were dispatched to the affected areas and the residence of politicianMohamed Nasheed, and some streets were cordoned off.[10]
In 1999, thePeople's Liberation Army chief of staff visited Malé, and Chinese PremierZhu Rongji visited in 2001. In 2002, the Maldives Minister of Defense and National Security visited China. In 2010, President Mohamed Nasheed made a state visit to China.[11]
In May 2011,Wu Bangguo, the Chairman of ChineseNational People's Congress and member of theCCP Politburo Standing Committee, visited the Maldives.[12] In September 2012, PresidentMohamed Waheed Hassan Manik met PremierWen Jiabao in China.[11]
In October 2012,Li Changchun, member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, visited the Maldivian President Mohamed Waheed Hassan. Li said "China will continue to provide assistance to its capacity to help promote the Maldivian social and economic growth and support the country's infrastructure and human resource development".[13]
In December 2012, theMaldives Minister of Defense and National Security visited China. In September 2014, PresidentAbdulla Yameen traveled to China, and during the next monthXi Jinping, President and theGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, visited Yameen.
In August 2017 three Chinese navy warships made a port call to Malé. In December 2017, in China, President Yameen signed afree trade agreement with China; notably this was the Maldives' first free trade agreement.[11]
The Maldives has significantly strengthened its relationship with China, underscored by PresidentMohamed Muizzu's inaugural state visit to China in January 2024, where he signed twenty new agreements including financial and military assistance.[7]
Following the defeat of Abdulla Yameen in theSeptember 2018 presidential election, the government ofIbrahim Mohamed Solih raised concerns about the level of Chinese debt incurred by Yameen's government.[14][15][16] In December 2019, the then-Speaker of thePeople's Majlis and former presidentMohamed Nasheed labelled debts incurred to build projects such as theSinamalé Bridge, part of a debt trap.[17][18] Former Maldivian officials and Chinese representatives criticized Nasheed's lack of detailed accounting, and worried that the amount was still a large amount for the islands.[19]
China's enduring economic partnership with the Maldives for over a decade has remained robust, positioning Beijing well to steadily pursue its strategic goals in Male.[20]
As of 2024, the Maldives already owes US$1.3 billion to China, which represents the largest percentage of its debt.[21]
On January 1, 2025, the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement officially came into effect.[22]
Under President Mohamed Nasheed, Beijing financed a housing complex inHulhumalé, "the largest civilian housing project in the history of the country and the first commercial project undertaken by the Chinese in the Maldives".[23] The upgrade ofMalé International Airport was awarded to China after the eviction of Indian contractors.[11]
Large infrastructure projects facilitated by Chinese investment, including theChina-Maldives Friendship Bridge, are a significant aspect of the cooperation between China and the Maldives.[7]
By 2014, Chinese investments in the Maldives included theMalé-Hulhule Bridge, a MaldivesMinistry of Foreign Affairs building, a national museum, housing projects, and investments in sectors such as renewable energy, tourism, and telecommunications.[11][24] Beijing's initiatives gained greater momentum during the presidency of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who assumed office in 2013 and exhibited a notable receptiveness to Beijing's trade initiatives.[20] Yameen's preference for China became evident during his presidency from 2013 to 2018. He put a halt to Indian projects and welcomed a succession of Chinese infrastructure initiatives in the Maldives.[25]
TheExport-Import Bank of China has provided more than $1 billion to the Maldives for upgrading an airport, a new bridge, and relocating Maldives's port.[26]
363,000 Chinese tourists visited Maldives in 2014.[11] In 2018 and 2019 there was a gradual decrease in Chinese tourists.[27]
On February 17, 2023, the Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Republic of Maldives on Mutual Visa Exemption came into effect, allowing holders of valid Chinese ordinary passports and travel documents to enter the Maldives visa-free for 30 days.[28]
Mohamed Muizzu became the first president to visit China on January 10, 2024. During the state visit, the two countries agreed to develop an "Action Plan" for establishing a comprehensive strategic cooperation partnership between China and Maldives from 2024 to 2028. Additionally, the two governments agreed to sign 20 MoUs. Mohamed Muizzu referred to China as a valued ally during the visit.[29]
The Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 arrived at Male seaport on 8/2/2024. The survey ship has the capability to conduct civilian research as well as military surveillance, and is strategically positioned in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).[30]
China and the Maldives reached a bilateral military agreement on March 5, 2024. The impact was regarded by analysts, as significantly affecting the geo-security environment of India.[5]
On April 21, 2024, the pro-ChinaPeople's National Congress led by President Muizzu won alandslide victory in theparliamentary election with 71 of the 93 seats in thePeople's Majlis, theunicameralparliament of the Maldives.[31][32][33]
Following growing Chinese influence in Maldives,India–Maldives relations had soured in a number of areas including defence and security.[11] Successive Indian Governments expressed concern about the growing Chinese influence in the Maldives.[34] China and the Maldives in 2018 were looking to construct aJoint Ocean Observation Station; theGovernment of India and theMaldivian Democratic Party expressed concerns that it will be used for military applications by China.[35] Media reports later indicated that Maldives might cancel the plans.[36][11] China is presently vigorously extending its influence in the Indian Ocean. Under theleadership of CCP general secretaryXi Jinping, the Indian Ocean has been designated as the focal point of the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiative.[37]
The US has a Maldives-focused assistance program within theUnited States Department of the Treasury to provide "assistance on debt strategy and domestic debt management".[11] The opening of a U.S. embassy in the Maldives in 2023 is a continuation of these strategic efforts.[7]
A Joint Ocean Observation Station which China is looking to establish in the Maldives could prove to be another security challenge for the Indian government with the Maldivian opposition leaders claiming that the observatory will also have a military application with provision even for a submarine base.
