China to India on Maldives row: Be open minded, never asked Male to reject Delhi

India-Maldives row: Amid an escalating row with Maldives, China asked New Delhi to be “open-minded”, proposing a trilateral cooperation between Beijing, India and Male.

“New Delhi ought to maintain greater receptivity, since China’s collaboration with South Asian nations is not a zero-sum endeavor,” Global Times, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, said in an editorial.

Beijing clarified that it never asked Male to reject New Delhi. “Beijing has never asked Malé to reject New Delhi because of the conflicts between China and India, nor does it view cooperation between the Maldives and India as unfriendly or a threat...New Delhi should stay more open-minded as China’s cooperation with South Asian countries is not a zero-sum game,” it added.

The Global Times editorial coincides with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s five-day trip to China. Tensions between India and the Maldives have escalated since Muizzu, seen as China leaning, assumed power.

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Muizzu, who campaigned on "India Out" plank, is pushing for India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. He also decided to skip a key Indian Ocean security meet with India, opting to be present at Chinese Forum.

The editorial said Muizzu's decision to visit China before India "did not necessarily mean that he is pro-China and anti-India," saying it demonstrates that Muizzu is "treating India with a normal mind-set and steering the relationship between the Maldives and India to a normal state-state relationship".