Eleven Chinese Warships Enter Indian Ocean Amid Ongoing Crisis In The Maldives

Amid the ongoing political crisis in the Maldives, eleven Chinese warships sailed into the East Indian Ocean this month, Reuters has reported.

According to the report, which is based on a news item posted on a Chinese website, a fleet of destroyers and at least one frigate, a 30,000-tone amphibious transport dock and three support tankers entered the Indian Ocean earlier this month.

The People's Liberation Army, the Reuters report says, has posted pictures and a story on rescue training exercises taking place in the East Indian Ocean on its official Twitter-like Weibo account.

This development comes when President Abdulla Yameen of the Maldives, who has declared an emergency in the country after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court ruling, is consolidating power in his hands. Yamen, often regarded as pro-China, has arrested the Chief Justice of the country, another Supreme Court judge and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

In a dramatic judgement on 2 February, the top court ordered the release of nine political prisoners, including exiled former President Nasheed, saying their trials were "politically motivated". It also overturned a ruling that disqualified 12 members of parliament after defection, giving the opposition a majority in the Majlis.

Under Yameen, the Maldives has not only seen a decline in democratic freedoms, but also a rise in Chinese influence. China has invested in multiple infrastructure projects and has signed a free trade agreement with the country. Yameen has ignored repeated snubs from New Delhi and has not shown sensitivity towards India’s security concerns in face of increasing Chinese influence in the island nation.

India has said that it is closely monitoring the situation in the Maldives. While many sections have called for a military intervention, the government has stayed away from signalling that it is considering the option.

Describing the conflict as an internal crisis of the Maldives, China has said that no outside power should intervene. However, state-run Chinese media has warned India against a military intervention, saying China would respond to any such action.