China vows to expand military cooperation with Maldives

A.V.

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BEIJING, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met here Thursday with visiting Maldivian Minister of Defense and National Security Ameen Faisal, vowing to expand bilateral military cooperation.

  Liang, also a state councilor, spoke highly of Maldives' firm support of China on Taiwan and Tibet issues.

  Liang said friendly exchanges between the two countries and cooperation between the two armed forces have expanded since the establishment of China-Maldives diplomatic ties 37 years ago.

  China looks forward to further developing friendly cooperative relations between the two defense ministries and armies, Liang said.

  Faisal briefed Liang on the social and economic development of Maldives since the archipelago's new President Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) assumed office.

  He stressed Maldives' hopes to keep closer ties with China and to further promote the development of cooperative relations between the two countries.

  Noting Maldives' GDP per capita income being the highest among South Asian nations, Liang congratulated the government and people of Maldives on their achievements.

  China was committed to developing long-term, friendly relations with South Asian nations, said Liang, adding that China hoped to see the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) playing a much bigger role in regional affairs.

  The Maldives is composed of 1,192 small coral islands scattered across the equator. About 200 islands are inhabited. 85 islands have been developed into resorts.

China Military Online English Edition
 

ahmedsid

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Malidives rely on India for a lot of stuff, I feel India should not let China make Inroads there. It will prove to be dangerous because lot of Mali citizens are in Kerala and they overstay. these People can be used to create terror if China supports Anti India activities. Again this is my personal View.
 

A.V.

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Malidives rely on India for a lot of stuff, I feel India should not let China make Inroads there. It will prove to be dangerous because lot of Mali citizens are in Kerala and they overstay. these People can be used to create terror if China supports Anti India activities. Again this is my personal View.
you are absolutely right about it sir, maldives falls under china,s ring of pearls strategy so they are trying to get a sphere of influence there india needs to counter this effectively.
moreover india is already going for a FTA with ASEAN this april so i think the best way to counter china is to put some indian presence in chinas backyard and then the chinese might think twice before taking things too far.
 

ahmedsid

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Yeah, Its the pearl at work Sir. The people of Malidives rely upon My state in India, Kerala for their Medical treatments etc. Lots of Mali people in my state, and these can be used against us if China gains an upperhand. India should pull all stops to make sure this doesnt happen. The FTA is just the start I believe.
 
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it is also desperation by the Chinese getting smaller and smaller places to cooperate in their commie plans
 

Atul

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it is also desperation by the Chinese getting smaller and smaller places to cooperate in their commie plans
all they want is to keep INDIA busy, with petty issues ( like Pak ) & countries, whose very existence is a question to think & recalculate. :sniper::sniper:
 
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chinese are hyped up,most of their weapons are copies and they are third rate soldiers.
 

Atul

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chinese are hyped up,most of their weapons are copies and they are third rate soldiers.
That is a different question, but INDIA has to have a more aggressive approach, towards china.

We need to closely monitor their moves & progress, before they become a big bad headace.:vehicle_plane:
 

Bhagat Singh

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India gives Maldives defence help

India and the Maldives have agreed to greater levels of co-operation on matters of defence and security, an Indian defence ministry spokesman says.

series of measures were agreed in meetings between Indian Defence Minister AK Antony and the President of the Maldives, Mohammed Nasheed.

Mr Antony, who is on a three-day visit to the Maldives, said the countries faced common security threats.

He said Delhi was willing to extend whatever support the Maldives required.

"India and Maldives have agreed on a series of measures to step up defence cooperation between the two countries," Indian defence ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.

He said the Maldivian authorities "expressed concerns over the crucial tasks of safeguarding and protecting their vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) while stating its need to develop and enhance maritime surveillance and aerial mobility capabilities".

But Mr Antony denied reports in the Indian media that an offer by Delhi of military assistance to the Maldives is driven by self-interest.

Media reports said Delhi was offering to establish a comprehensive maritime surveillance plan, by installing a network of ground radars in the Maldives and linking them with the Indian Coastal Command.

Analysts see the move as a possible Indian response to Chinese efforts to establish close strategic relations with India's neighbours including Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh
 

roma

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the maldives have in fact made an agreement with india to shift their population onto the indian mainland in case the sea level rises
 

Koji

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chinese are hyped up,most of their weapons are copies and they are third rate soldiers.
Can we get some mod action here? What relevance is this post to the topic LF? Some of the weapons are copies (does it make it less effective?) and how do you know that they are third rate soldiers?
 

Koji

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The interesting thing here is that China's friendly policy with Pakistan is paying dividends in the Maldives. The country being a mostly Sunni Muslim state, has excellent relations with Pakistan.

In the past, Pakistani delegations went to Maldives to boost cultural ties. "The Pakistanis put pressure on Male to facilitate Chinese plans for a naval base," said an official. "China used Pakistan to play the Islamic card with Maldives."

The result was that China was able to basically buy the Marao island of the Maldives to use as a base. It'll be operational come 2010.

China Base Strategy in Maldives against India with help from Pakistan hivehi Observer :: Peoples Press ::
 

Koji

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USA stopped this from happening they don't want China near Diego Garcia.
Do you have a source?

Not some unrelated one like you usually post, but one that directly supports your claim that the US stopped the Maldives from leasing one of the Islands for a navy base.
 
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It is understood that USA kept China out of gwadar and maldives and possibly elsewhere just google you'll find it.
 

Koji

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It is understood that USA kept China out of gwadar and maldives and possibly elsewhere just google you'll find it.
I did and I can't find it. It's your assertion, you prove it. Now since it is so easy for you to google it, just reply with a link!
 

Known_Unknown

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India To Install Radars in Maldives

By Vivek Raghuvanshi
Published: 21 Aug 2009 15:27

India To Install Radars in Maldives - Defense News

NEW DELHI - India will help the Republic of Maldives build a maritime surveillance system, among other defense-cooperative measures agreed to during the Aug. 20-22 visit of India Defence Minister A.K. Antony to the Indian Ocean island nation.

The system's radars will be linked to the Indian Navy and Coastal Guard headquarters, a senior Indian Navy official said.

India is also likely to give Maldives two Coast Guard helicopters in coming months, the Navy official said.

Indian Defence Ministry sources said Maldives is emerging as an important logistics and intelligence base for India.


Antony and his delegation met with Maldives President Mohammed Nasheed and Defence Minister Ameen Faisal, who told reporters Aug. 21 that the security concerns of both countries are intertwined.

Analysts said the move was part of India's efforts to counter growing Chinese influence in the region.

"If China is building a port in Hambantota, India outflanks the same by a strong presence in Male and so on. What could even be termed as a great game in the Indian Ocean will be seen in the years ahead," said defense analyst Rahul Bhonsle, a retired Army brigadier.

But Zach Mathews, a retired Indian Navy commodore, said India is more worried about countering Pakistan's influence on the island chain, which is 400 nautical miles from the Indian coast.

"Maldives is a Muslim country, and having an independent nation close to the Indian subcontinent and under control of forces inimical to India would be a disaster," Mathews said.

In 1988, India sent forces to Maldives at the request of President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom during a coup attempt. When the Indian troops arrived in Maldives by air, the terrorists and rebels escaped from Male but were overpowered by Indian Navy warships.

Maldives has an India-First policy, says Vijay Sakhuja, a director at the Indian Council of World Affairs here.

"Maldives has emphatically denied that there are Chinese naval facilities on any of its island territories and assured [us] that it has no plans [to allow any] in the future. Instead, it seeks an exclusive security arrangement with India and does not wish to approach regional and extraregional powers for such agreements," said Sakhuja.

Analysts said Maldives needs help securing its littorals from piracy, terrorism, contraband trade, drug smuggling and human smuggling by local and foreign actors.

"There is a need not just for Indian interests, but also [for] overall global interests, given the large quantum of trade passing through this region, which is likely to grow exponentially once the present financial crisis recedes. Unless these sea lanes are secured, there would be many more Somalia-like situations happening in the region," said Bhonsle. "I would not view it as an Indian security net but a global trade security net for which other South Asian countries of Sri Lanka and Maldives and those on the East African coast would remain critical. This global trade safety net through the Indian Ocean will be led by India, given the strategic location and large naval presence."

The Indian delegation also included Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, DG Armed Forces Medical Services Lt. Gen. N.K. Parmar, DG Coast Guard Vice Adm. Anil Chopra and Deputy Chief of Navy Staff Vice Adm. D.K. Joshi, according to an Indian Defence Ministry press release.

--------------------------------------

....lest anyone have doubts about the India-Maldivian relationship.
 

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