Category: Indian Ocean

Comoros’ Prized Muslim Headgear Undercut by Chinese Copies

By Faïza Soulé Youssouf In the markets of the Comoros, the hand-embroidered kofia that is essential headwear for men and boys at Eid celebrations this month is facing fierce competition from much cheaper Chinese versions. ...

Maldives’ Pro-China Leader in India to Repair Frail Ties

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu was given a red carpet welcome on his first state visit to India on Monday. The trip aimed at repairing frail ties between the South Asian neighbors. Pro-China Muizzu came to power a year ago on a ...

Maldives Gets IMF Debt Warning as More Chinese Loans Loom

The International Monetary Fund warned the Maldives against looming "debt distress" Monday, as the small but strategically placed luxury tourist destination looks set to borrow more from main creditor China. Since winning office last year, President Mohamed Muizzu has reoriented the ...

‘China Is the Winner’ in Maldives Election

A landslide parliamentary election victory for the Maldives' pro-China president clears the way for him to redraw the physical and geopolitical map of his strategically-located Indian Ocean archipelago in Beijing's favor, diplomats and analysts say. President Mohamed Muizzu's party, the People's ...

Landslide Win for Pro-China Leader’s Party in Maldives Vote

By Mohamed Visham Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's party won control of parliament in a Sunday election landslide, results showed, with voters backing his tilt towards China and away from regional powerhouse and traditional benefactor India. ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

China-Led Study Proposes Global Energy Network

A globally connected network of solar and wind energy could provide three times the global energy demand by 2050 at a lower cost than independent national power systems. This is the finding of a study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Denmark.

The study focused on how areas with high solar and wind capacity (such as deserts) can be linked to ...

Maldives Votes in the Shadow of India-China Rivalry

The Maldives votes Sunday in a parliamentary election likely to test President Mohamed Muizzu's tilt towards China and away from India, the luxury tourism hotspot's traditional benefactor. Primarily known as one of the most expensive holiday destinations in South Asia, with pristine ...

China Says Military Delegation Visited Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal

A Chinese military delegation recently visited the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal to discuss further cooperation in defense issues, Beijing said on Wednesday. China is seeking to build closer ties in South Asia to counter its strategic rival, India, for influence. ...

Two Chinese Research Vessels Operating in the Indian Ocean Are Making New Delhi Very Anxious

A pair of Chinese research ships currently deployed to the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) have sparked renewed fears among observers in India that the vessels are gathering military intelligence. The ships, Xiang Yang Hong 01 and Xiang Yang Hong 03, are ...

Maldives Signs China Defense Deal as India Prepares Exit

The Maldives has signed a "military assistance" deal with China after ordering Indian troops deployed in the small but strategically-placed archipelago to leave, officials said Tuesday. Some 89 Indian military personnel in the country will be gone by May 10 after ...

India Holds Sway Over the Maldives for Now but Not Forever, Says Scholar

The Maldives will remain under the political influence of India for the time being, but eventually, it will fall under the sway of China, according to Chinese scholar Zhu Fangfang, director of the Dhivehi Language Program at Beijing Foreign Studies University. ...

Concern Over China’s Growing Naval Presence Dominates Australian Indian Ocean Gathering

The foreign ministers from Australia and India both issued veiled critiques of China's military build-up in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) at a conference hosted by both countries in the western Australian city of Perth on Friday. The gathering brought together ...

China, Madives Upgrade Relationship

Mohamed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. The meeting, Xi’s first with a foreign leader this year, saw the announcement of an upgrade of ties ...
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