The Maldivian president on Sunday told India to withdraw its nearly 100 troops by March 15, a day after returning from China where he signed a raft of deals. New Delhi considers the Indian Ocean archipelago to be within its sphere of influence but the country has shifted to China\u2019s orbit, the Maldives\u2019s largest external creditor. The March deadline was set during talks with Indian officials in the Maldives on Sunday, a top aide to President Mohamed Muizzu said, honouring the leader\u2019s long-standing election pledge. \u201cThe president put forth this request at the meeting of the high-level committee between the two nations\u2026 the proposal is currently under consideration,\u201d Muizzu\u2019s Public Policy Secretary Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim told reporters. India has a deployment of about 89 personnel, including medical staff, to operate three aircraft to patrol the archipelago\u2019s vast maritime territory. \u2018Independent nation\u2019 Muizzu came to power in September after pledging to evict Indian forces. On Saturday, after arriving in the capital Male, the president said that while the Maldives may be small, the country will not be bullied. \u201cWe are not a country that is in the backyard of another country. We are an independent nation,\u201d Muizzu said. \u201cThis territorial integrity policy is one that China respects\u201d, he said in the nation\u2019s Dhivehi language, the Mihaaru newspaper reported. With Beijing and New Delhi tussling for influence, Muizzu was elected in September after pledging to cultivate \u201cstrong ties\u201d with China. \u201cWe may be small, but that doesn\u2019t give you the license to bully us,\u201d Muizzu said, in a final comment in English. He has denied seeking to redraw the regional balance by bringing in Chinese forces to replace Indian troops. Muizzu\u2019s trip to China this week was his first state visit since becoming president. China\u2019s state broadcaster CCTV said deals included \u201cinfrastructure construction, medical care and health care, improvement of people\u2019s livelihoods, new energy sources, agriculture and marine environmental protection\u201d agreements. \u2018Diminish reliance\u2019 Tensions with New Delhi flared after three of Muizzu\u2019s junior ministers reportedly called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a \u201cclown\u201d and a \u201cterrorist\u201d in since-deleted social media posts earlier this month. Bollywood actors and some of India\u2019s cricket greats responded with calls for compatriots to boycott their southern neighbour and instead book their next holidays closer to home. Tourism accounts for nearly a third of the Maldives\u2019s economy, with Indians making up the largest share of foreign arrivals. Muizzu said the Maldives will also slash reliance on India for healthcare and medicine, adding more countries where citizens needing government-paid health treatment abroad can go. Most eligible citizens currently get treatment in India, as well as small numbers in Sri Lanka and Thailand, officials said. But Muizzu said the government would \u201cdiminish reliance on\u2026 a select group of countries\u201d, without specifically mentioning India, and would now support treatment also in the United Arab Emirates. Most pharmaceuticals in the Maldives are currently imported from India, and Male will now seek to import medicines from the United States and European nations, he said. At the same time, Muizzu, the former capital\u2019s mayor, suffered his first electoral setback as his party\u2019s candidate lost the vote to replace him. Adam Azim of the former ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which is seen as more pro-Indian, won the seat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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