As you may have heard, there has been a recent diplomatic storm between the Maldives and India, and the reason turned out to be that three deputy ministers of the Maldives called India a "cow dung country" on social media and insulted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an "Israeli puppet" and a "**person". The incident has caused strong outrage among the Indian public, who have cancelled their travel plans to the Maldives and demanded that action be taken.
India has also filed a complaint with the Maldives, demanding that the Maldives apologize and punish those involved. Maldives*** then announced that the three deputy ministers had been suspended, which was only their personal opinion and did not represent the position of the Maldives. India** declared that this was India's "victory" over the Maldives, showing India's strength and influence. But is this really a win?Can relations between India and the Maldives really improve as a result of this?
Why did the three deputy ministers of the Maldives suddenly make such remarks?Actually, this is related to a post posted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week. In his feed, Modi described the "pristine beaches" of India's Lakshadweep Islands, calling them "one of the most beautiful places in the world" and encouraging Indians to visit them. This may seem like an ordinary tourism promotion, but in reality, it is a strategy of the Indian tourism sector to seize the tourism market in the Maldives.
The Maldives is a tourism-oriented country, with millions of tourists visiting here every year to enjoy the sun, sand and sea. Among them, India is the second largest source of tourists to the Maldives, after China. Relations between India and the Maldives have always been relatively friendly, with close cooperation in the economic, security and cultural fields.
However, since the Maldives ** Solih came to power in 2018, the Maldives' foreign policy has changed, he has begun to move closer to China and Turkey, and there has been a rift in relations with India. India is unhappy, arguing that the Maldives has betrayed its traditional allies and fears that it could become a strategic fulcrum for China in the Indian Ocean.
In order to put pressure on the Maldives, the Indian tourism department has begun to deliberately guide people to travel to the country as an alternative to going to the Maldives. The Indian tourism department believes that the Lakshadweep Islands in India is an ideal destination because of its proximity to the Maldives, beautiful beaches and ocean, and cheaper and safer.
India's tourism sector has also launched a series of preferential policies and promotional activities to try to attract Indians to visit the Lakshadweep Islands, thereby undermining the Maldives' tourism revenue. Modi's dynamics are part of this, as he tries to use his influence to promote the Lakshadweep Islands, while also hinting at dissatisfaction with the Maldives.
The Indian population is understandably outraged by the remarks of the three deputy ministers of the Maldives, as it hurts India's national dignity and national feelings. However, the reaction of the Indian people is also somewhat radical and blind, they do not take into account the truth and impact of these statements, but blindly demand that ** take tough measures, and even cancel the tourism plan of the Maldives, which also has a negative impact on India's own economy and society.
Nor did India play a rational and objective role, but instigated and exaggerated the significance of the affair, treating it as an Indian victory over the Maldives while ignoring the complexity and consequences of the affair. Such nationalist sentiments will affect not only India's relations with the Maldives, but also India's relations with other countries, and even trigger greater conflicts and crises.
India is trying to put pressure on the Maldives to return to India's sphere of influence by robbing the Maldives of the tourism market. However, instead of bringing the Maldives to its knees, this practice has fueled the Maldives' resentment and hostility, leading to the remarks of three Maldives' deputy ministers.
Moreover, India has not taken into account the actual situation and interests of the Maldives, which, as a small country, needs to maintain good relations with many large countries in order to maintain its own security and development. The Maldives' move closer to China and Turkey is not necessarily to betray India, but to seek more cooperation and support. If India wants to improve its relations with the Maldives, it should adopt a more flexible and inclusive approach, rather than a hard-line and threatening approach, which will only backfire.
India and the Maldives are both important countries in South Asia, and their relations are not only related to the interests of the two countries, but also to regional peace and stability. I hope that India and the Maldives can take this opportunity to rebuild trust and friendship, enhance communication and understanding, promote cooperation and development, and jointly safeguard the harmony and prosperity of South Asia. India