Chinese military delegation on Maldives-Sri Lanka-Nepal tour
A Chinese military delegation made a surprise visit to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Nepal to discuss strengthening cooperation on defense issues. Beijing said the Chinese delegation made the visit to build closer ties in South Asia to counter the growing influence of strategic rival India.
On Wednesday (March 13), AFP reported this information.
Last week, the Maldives said it had signed a military assistance agreement with China after ordering the departure of Indian troops stationed in the strategically important archipelago.
A Chinese military delegation made a surprise visit to the Maldives. Beijing confirmed it on Wednesday. Members of the visiting delegation also met with the Maldives' new pro-China president, Mohamed Muijju. Later from there they visited Sri Lanka and Nepal from March 4 to 13.
"In all three countries, they exchanged bilateral views on military relations and common regional security issues," said a statement on the Chinese military's official WeChat account.
According to the statement, this delegation of officials from the international military cooperation department of the Chinese military is important in the development of bilateral defense cooperation. It said, "China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has reached a series of consensus to strengthen defense cooperation with related countries."
India is concerned about China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean and Beijing's influence in the Maldives. China's influence is also growing in Sri Lanka, the neighbor of the Maldives, which is made up of 1,192 small coral islands spread over 800 kilometers across the equator.
These two island nations in South Asia lie halfway along the strategically important east-west international shipping route. Beijing also has close ties with Nepal; which is headed by the former Maoist guerrilla leader Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda