Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived in Beijing to sign bilateral agreements with his counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday. In the wake of Muizzu’s visit, China's state media in an editorial referred to the ongoing India's diplomatic row with the Maldives, and called for an "open-minded" approach.
A massive row had erupted after derogatory remarks were made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, by some ministers with the Maldives government after the PM visited Lakshadweep.
Maldives government suspended three ministers over their derogatory remarks against PM Modi on Sunday. Also, an official statement was released by Maldives distancing itself from the row. Maldives said in the statement that the views expressed by certain ministers do not represent the government’s view.
Meanwhile, the editorial by Global Times said China has always treated Maldives as an equal partner and respected its sovereignty.
"It also respects the friendly and cooperative relationship between the Maldives and India, fully aware of the importance for Male to maintain good relations with New Delhi. Beijing has never asked Male to reject New Delhi because of the conflicts between China and India, nor does it view cooperation between the Maldives and India as unfriendly or a threat," it added.
The editorial also mentioned that China is willing to carry out trilateral cooperation between China, India and Maldives. New Delhi should stay more open-minded, as China's cooperation with South Asian countries is not a zero-sum game," it said.
India-Maldives relation became tense after Mohamed Muizzu came to power.
Muizzu is on a five-day visit in China, where he is expected to hold a series of bilateral talks with Jinping.
Amid the row, the Maldivian envoy to India was on Monday summoned to the external affairs ministry and conveyed strong concern over remarks.
"The relations between China and the Maldives now stand at a new historical starting point. We believe that through this visit, the two heads of state will provide strategic guidance for the bilateral relations to reach a new height," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told the media ahead of Muizzu’s visit.
The visit will also pave the way for collaborations in technology and other areas between the two countries, it said.
Soon after Muizzu came to power, he requested New Delhi to withdraw 77 Indian military personnel from the Maldives and decided to review more than 100 bilateral agreements between the two countries.
The Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives like SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy' of the Modi government.
"Under normal circumstances, when a new leader comes to power, they arrange their visits based on the importance and urgency of the matters to be dealt with. President Muizzu broke tradition by visiting Turkey for his first official overseas visit instead of India," Global Times said in the editorial.