China to provide free military assistance to Maldives; inks agreement to bolster bilateral ties
China on Monday signed a defence cooperation agreement with the Maldives to provide free military assistance to foster «stronger» bilateral ties with Male, weeks after President Mohamed Muizzu set a deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military personnel from his island nation. The Defence Minister of the Maldives 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 posted on its X handle.
The details of the defence cooperation agreement were not provided.
The visit of the Chinese military delegation took place days after Male allowed Xiang Yang Hong 03, a hi-tech Chinese research ship to make a port call for the «rotation of its personnel and replenishment.»
On January 5, Sri Lanka, while denying entry to the same ship, said it has declared a moratorium on foreign research ships entering its waters for a year amid concerns from India over Chinese research vessels docking in its neighbourhood and collecting data from the oceans, including in the Indian Ocean Region, for military purposes, especially for submarine operations.
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson has previously defended the port call by the Chinese research ship to the
