India's withdrawal from the Maldives is a topic of concern. We can see the complexity of this issue from the statement of Mohammed Moiz of the Maldives and the response of India. With its beautiful scenery and strategic location, the Maldives is a key point in the Indian Ocean. Control of the Maldives means control of shipping lanes and influence in the Indian Ocean. But the Maldives is wary of India. The Maldives is more inclined to develop diplomatic relations with China in its cooperation with India, which to a certain extent shows that India's hegemony in South Asia is being challenged.
Maldives Moiz said the Maldives is committed to cooperating through diplomatic channels to resolve issues to ensure that there is no foreign presence on the country's territory. The Indian side seems to be less than happy about this, and the Indian source insisted that the Indian army's participation in maintaining the mechanism of "humanitarian aid and disaster relief" is an important part of the partnership between the two countries. This shows that India's influence and presence in the Maldives cannot be ignored. The Maldives is strategically located in the Indian Ocean and has important shipping lanes connecting East and West.
The Maldives consists of 26 atolls and thousands of coral reef archipelagos, 820 kilometres from north to south, and a chain of islands that almost separates the Indian Ocean from east to west. Last year, India deployed 10 radar stations in the Maldives to bolster its surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean. At present, there are about 75 Indian troops stationed in the Maldives, and the Maldives is equivalent to an Indian outpost. Due to the proximity of the Maldives to India, Indians also regard the Maldives as India's sphere of influence, like Nepal and Bhutan. After coming to power, Muiz of the Maldives openly demanded that India withdraw its troops from the Maldives and adhere to the policy of "Maldives first".
According to Moiz, the deployment of foreigners in the Maldives is "detrimental to sovereignty". This shows that the Maldives is cautious about India's military presence. Diplomatically, the Maldives prefers to develop relations with China. During the last Yameen administration, the Maldives upgraded its diplomatic relations with China and received more economic assistance to support the country's infrastructure and economic development. The most eye-catching project is the first sea-crossing bridge in the Maldives built by China, the "China-Malaysia Friendship Bridge". Muiz, Maldives, praised the bridge as "a bridge to hope and prosperity for the whole country".
The mutually beneficial cooperation between the Maldives and China shows that the Maldives is wary of India and tends to China. The Maldives' tendencies also reflect the attitudes of some South Asian countries. Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries are also trying to get rid of India's bad influence and instead cooperate with China for mutual benefit and win-win results. This shows a kind of resistance to the oppression of India's power. India's hegemonic mentality has been challenged, and China's foreign policy has become more popular with smaller countries. It's time for India's hegemonic mindset to change.
All of the above signs suggest that the attitude and actions of the Maldives mean that the pattern of South Asia is changing, and India's hegemony is being challenged. This also reminds us that state-to-state relations are complex and changeable, requiring comprehensive consideration of various factors, and hegemonic thinking and power behavior are doomed to fail.