BEIJING – After recently declaring that it did not want the Maldives tobecome another ‘flashpoint’ in Sino-Indian relations, a Chinese newspaperhas again warned India against any military interference in the tiny IndianOcean archipelago.
“If India one-sidedly sends troops to the Maldives, China will take actionto stop New Delhi. India should not underestimate China’s opposition tounilateral military intervention,” declared a report in the state-runGlobal Times on Monday.
Titled “Unauthorized military intervention in Malé must be stopped”, thereport written Ai Jun began by noting that while the Maldives is in a stateof emergency, “its neighbouring country is publicly and immodestlydiscussing whether to interfere in its domestic affairs… India shouldexercise restraint.
The Maldives is trapped in turmoil. This is the country’s internal affairsand China firmly opposes outside interference. More than that, China shouldtake necessary measures to stop India if New Delhi moves to intervenemilitarily,” the report stated.
The newspaper had another report which stressed China’s need to build moreoverseas naval bases.
“More overseas logistic bases will be built in the future to assist the PLANavy to conduct operations globally,” the Global Times quoted Xu Guangyu, aretired major general and senior adviser to the China Arms Control andDisarmament Association, as saying. “There is no need to hide the ambitionof the PLA Navy: to gain an ability like the US Navy so that it can conductoperations globally,” Xu said.
As for the Maldives, China had said that it was touch with India to ensurethat the Maldives did not turn into a Doklam-like standoff between Beijingand Delhi.
Despite tensions between the two, Indian and Chinese armies met at theMoldo garrison in Eastern Ladakh’s Chushul sector on the Chinese side onTuesday.
This was part of the series of formal meetings held every year. Tuesday’smeeting was on the occasion of the Chinese Spring Festival. “Both thedelegations interacted in a free, congenial and cordial environment.
The delegations parted amidst a feeling of friendship and commitmenttowards enhancing the existing cordial relations and maintaining peacealong the LAC,” an Army statement said.