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China on India-Maldives row: ‘Never asked them to reject New Delhi’
China on India-Maldives Row: China has always treated Maldives as an equal partner and respected its sovereignty, the editorial by Global Times said.
China's state media referred to New Delhi's diplomatic row with the Male in an editorial as Maldives' president Mohamed Muizzu landed in Beijing to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and sign bilateral agreements. As Maldives government distanced itself from the "insulting" comments by the three ministers on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep after which they were suspended, China called for an "open-minded" approach to looking at South Asian issues.
China has always treated Maldives as an equal partner and respected its sovereignty, the editorial by Global Times said, adding, “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.”
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"It (China) is also willing to carry out trilateral cooperation between China, India and the Maldives. New Delhi should stay more open-minded, as China's cooperation with South Asian countries is not a zero-sum game," it said.
Relations between India and Maldives have been strained after Mohamed Muizzu- seen as a pro-China leader- came to power.
"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.
During his visit to China, Mohamed Muizzu and his wife Sajidha Mohamed visited the Xiamen Free Trade Zone in China's Fujian province. The Maldives president is due to hold talks with Xi Jinping.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, “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.”
