‘Hegemonic mentality': Chinese daily's barb at India over Maldives row

The tension between India and Maldives arose after ministers of the island nation made disparaging remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

China's leading state-run daily has written a scathing article on the ongoing tensions between India and Maldives, stemming from the disparaging remarks made by three ministers of Mohammad Muizzu dispensation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.

The article published in the Communist regime-run Global Times makes scathing observations at India's stand in the entire controversy, calling it a ‘lack of confidence’ among Indian political leaders.

Last week, Prime Minister Modi shared pictures from his trip to union territory Lakshadweep wherein he had inaugurated key development projects. The pictures of him taking a stroll on the beach and snorkelling had gone viral.

However. Maldives' deputy minister for youth empowerment Mariyam Shiuna made derogatory remark at the PM on social media platform X. Although she deleted the post, but the damage had been done. Soon, the internet was flooded with calls to boycott Maldives, that depends largely of tourism.

The controversy escalated at a time when the island nation's president Mohammad Muizzu is on a state visit to China where key agreements on infrastructure and tourism are expected to signed. Male distanced itself from the remarks after India made it clear that the unsavoury remarks made by the junior minister was uncalled for and unacceptable. On Sunday evening, Maldives suspended the three ministers over their anti-Modi remarks.

The Chinese analysts continued their attack on India, calling it a ‘long-standing hegemonic mentality’ in South Asia as the root cause of its strained relations with some regional countries including the Maldives. They have warned New Delhi to not shift the blame on to China by ‘hyping the narrative of’ competition with Beijing as an excuse.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu and his wife Sajidha Mohamed being welcomed on his arrival at Xiamen, in Fujian on Monday. (The President's Office, Maldives)

India should not shift the blame onto China by hyping the narrative of competition with China in the region as an excuse.

Continuing its attack, the Chinese mouthpiece article has ‘advised’ India to reflect on its policies towards neighbours and abandon its ‘zero-sum mentality’.

Lin Minwang, deputy director at the Center for South-Asian Studies at Fudan University, told the state-run newspaper that Muizzu's foreign diplomacy has shifted from ‘India First’ to ‘Maldives First’. Defending the Maldives president who fought and won elections on ‘India Out’ plank, the expert said that Muizzu is not choosing sides between India and China but putting interests of his own country first.

The Global Times article accused the Indian media of trying to exert pressure on Muizzu by hyping the ‘pro-China’ policy.