The Maldives has signed a military agreement with the People's Republic of China.
The Ministry of Defense in a post on X said a military assistance agreement has been signed by Minister of Defence Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon and Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the People's Republic of China, Major General Zhang Baoqun.
Minister of Defence @mgmaumoon and Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the People's Republic of China, signed an agreement on China's provision of military assistance gratis to the Republic of Maldives, fostering… pic.twitter.com/OeaAe2QZr9— Ministry of Defence (@MoDmv) March 4, 2024
While the specific details of the agreement were not disclosed, the Ministry highlighted that the agreement to provide military assistance gratis aims to strengthen the bilateral ties between Maldives and China.
While a military agreement has been signed with China, several military agreements were signed with India during the previous government, which had faced significant criticism.
The current administration has also suspended the use of military aircraft operated by India in Maldives. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that civilians will replace Indian military personnel to operate the aircraft once the Indian troops in Maldives are repatriated.