China urges India to be 'open-minded' amid row with Maldives

In light of the ongoing disputes between India and the Maldives, China asked New Delhi to maintain an “open-minded” stance on the issue. “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 on Monday. The Global Times editorial coincided with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s commencement of a five-day trip to China on Monday. Prominently ‘pro-China’, Muizzu is escorted by his spouse Sajidha Mohamed and an official delegation. Senior Chinese authorities welcomed the President and the First Lady when they arrived in the nation. “It also respects the friendly and cooperative relationship between the Maldives and India, fully aware of the importance for Male to maintain good relations with New Delhi. Beijing has never asked Male 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,” the Global Times article stated. “It (China) is also willing to carry out trilateral cooperation between China, India and the Maldives. New Delhi should stay more open-minded, as China’s cooperation with South Asian countries is not a zero-sum game,” it added. Earlier on Monday, Ali Naseer Mohamed, the ministry’s ambassador at large, called Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Munu Mahawar to the country’s foreign ministry for a scheduled meeting. This occurred after the Ministry of External Affairs called Ibrahim Shaheeb, the Maldivian envoy, on Monday morning. When ministers from the Maldives made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Modi, a major issue broke out. In an effort to promote daring exploration of Lakshadweep, PM shared pictures of the stunning white beaches, azure skies, and the ocean on the social networking platform X. PM Modi was called a “clown” and a “puppet of Israel” by Mariyam Shiuna, the deputy minister of youth empowerment, information, and the arts, in a now-deleted post she made in response to his pictures. Derogatory comments on social media against India and PM Modi by several Maldives ministers has sparked a huge uproar, prompting many Indians to cancel their reservations and airline tickets to the Maldives. Prominent figures such as Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Akshay Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, John Abraham and several others also reacted negatively to the comments made about Prime Minister Modi on social media. (With agency inputs)