News Brief
India Continues To Provide Essential Commodities To Maldives Despite Its Pro-China Stance
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu With PM Modi
Despite political changes in the Maldives towards a pro-China stance under Muizzu's regime, India continues to supply essential commodities to its neighbours as per a report by Hindustan Times.
The credibility of the Narendra Modi government’s "Neighborhood First" policy is evident as India plans to provide thousands of metric tons of onions to Sri Lanka after supplying significant quantities of essential commodities to the Maldives under the pro-China Mohammed Muizzu regime.
It is understood that India has allowed the supply of an additional 10,000 metric tons of onions to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 3 April, over and above its quota, as the Gulf country is a priority for India. This is in addition to the 14,400 metric tons of onions agreed upon for the UAE on 1 March.
Despite the opportunity to exert pressure on Muizzu before the crucial Majlis elections on 21 April, India's export notification to the Maldives stated that the export of all essential items would be ‘exempted from any existing restriction/prohibition on exports.’
This indicates that India will continue to supply essential commodities to the Maldives, even if there are export bans or restrictions imposed by India due to unforeseen production shortfalls in the future.
Muizzu's efforts to secure funds from Turkey, China, and the UAE have not been successful, as none of these countries have pledged any grants to the Indian Ocean littoral state.
Due to Muizzu's short-sightedness, Saudi Arabia has also shown disinterest in the Maldives, especially after the Maldivian Salafi leader visited Turkey on his first foreign visit after being sworn in as Maldivian President on 17 November 2023. Muizzu has yet to visit India since coming to power, having ridden on an anti-India campaign.
India's decision to export essential commodities was not politically motivated but aimed at reaching out to the Maldivian public and signaling India's support for the Maldives, regardless of who rules the tiny island nation.
The Maldivian economy is currently struggling, with no infrastructure projects being revived by Muizzu since he came to power.
The country owes approximately USD one billion in debt repayment on account of sovereign bonds in 2026. Male also owes USD 50 million as interest to SBI in May and another USD 50 million in September on account of treasury bills purchased by the Indian multinational bank.
Due to the Maldives ruler Muizzu's toxic anti-India policies, high-spending Indian tourist arrivals in Male have declined, with the island nation seeing an influx of low-spending Chinese tourists.
Despite there being no threat to Muizzu’s government regardless of the Majlis election results, the Modi government is keen to ensure that the Maldivian public does not suffer due to the policies of its erratic ruler.
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