In the first invitation letter for his visit to China at the beginning of 2024, the Chinese side gave President Muiz of the Republic of Maldives. However, before Moiz's visit to China, there was a small episode.
Recently, three deputy ministers of the Maldives were suspended for insulting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and giving bad analogies to India. As we all know, since Muiz officially took office, the relationship between India and the Maldives has been somewhat "delicate", previously because of the Indian military presence in the Maldives, and now the Malaysian and Indian sides have begun to tear their faces in a diplomatic dispute caused by the "competition for tourists".
Truth be told, with the strength of the Maldives' tourism industry, India doesn't really need to be seen as a real rival. And I believe that after Moiz's visit to China, the cooperation between the Maldives and China will be further opened, in this case, the Maldives and India have a dispute because of the competition for tourists, in fact, it is completely unnecessary.
(Muiz will visit China)
The incident actually started with a tweet by Modi praising the beauty of the "pristine beaches" of India's Lakshadweep archipelago and the warmth of the local residents. The island's location is a little more special, as the Lakshadweep Islands are located in the western part of India, and not far south of the island is Malé, the capital of the Maldives.
Frankly speaking, Modi's choice of this time to visit the Lakshadweep Islands has to make people think about it, because as soon as the new president of the Maldives Muiz came to power, he informed the Indian authorities to immediately withdraw the troops stationed in the Maldives, and also at the climate conference COP28 in the United Arab Emirates. Even the most infuriating point for Indians is that Muiz wants to put his visit to China before visiting India.
South Asia is India's "backyard" for Indians, and since 2008, the Maldives has had an unwritten diplomatic tradition of tacit agreement that every head of state will make India their first country to visit. The Indian government has also often said that this is India's "preeminent" status in the Maldives and the "India First" policy pursued by the Maldivian side.
(In the middle of the picture is Modi, diving in the Lakshadweep Islands)
However, after Muiz came to power, he not only asked the Indian army to withdraw from the Maldives immediately, but also actively cooperated with China. No one believes Modi's lack of frustration and anger in his heart, and Modi's choice is to go to the Lakshadweep Islands, and also go diving and walking around the island in flip-flops, with the caption "Meet Lakshadweep".
In the eyes of people in the Maldives, this is Modi blatantly robbing the Maldives of tourists. Later, three Maldives deputy ministers for youth rights, information and the arts, Sharif, Shouna and Mahzoum Majid, became angry and called Modi an "Israeli puppet", "clown" and "terrorist" on social media, and Shuna even compared India to "cow dung".
Although Maldivian officials were relieved, it aroused the anger of Indian netizens, and many Indians said that they would never travel to the Maldives again, and would go to the Indian island if they wanted to. These public opinions have also attracted the attention of the Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has stressed that those are only the personal positions of the Maldivian officials, and a senior Maldivian official revealed that three officials have been suspended.
(Three Maldivian officials, from left to right, Shona, Sharif and Mahzoum Majid)
Objectively speaking, Modi's move does have a certain propaganda effect on the Indian islands, and it may also be that he is really grabbing tourists to anger the Maldives, but it is actually unnecessary for Malaysian officials to make personal attacks on the Indian side and even insult the whole of India.
After all, the Maldives is recognized as a tourist destination, known as the "paradise island country" because of its blue sea and blue sky, unique island scenery and rich underwater ecosystem, and also attracts tourists from all over the world, among which Chinese tourists are particularly fond of the Maldives.
According to the official data of the Maldives Immigration Department, the number of Chinese tourists in the peak tourist season last summer ranked first, ahead of Russia in second place and India in third place. Moreover, before the epidemic, Chinese tourists were the largest tourist market in the Maldives, accounting for 14.7% of the total number of tourists entering the Maldives in 2019, and in the post-epidemic era, Chinese tourists have returned to the "C position" of the Maldives' tourism industry, and there is a trend of catching up with and surpassing the pre-epidemic situation.
(The Maldives is known as the "paradise island country")
However, China's support for the Maldives' tourism industry is not only reflected in the large number of tourists, but also in investment and infrastructure construction. China has invested in some of the country's key infrastructure projects, such as airport expansion and bridge construction projects. These projects have not only brought better transport facilities to the Maldives, but also increased its tourism reception capacity and attracted more international tourists.
In order to promote tourism exchanges between the two countries, China and Malaysia have increased direct flights, providing more convenient air connections. This not only makes it easier for Chinese tourists to travel to the Maldives, but also makes the Maldives an easier destination to visit.
With a large number of Chinese visiting the Maldives, bilateral cultural exchange programs between the two countries have also helped to deepen the understanding and friendship between the two peoples, which has a positive effect on enhancing the image and attractiveness of the Maldives as a tourist destination.
Moreover, the Chinese government and the Maldives government have signed a number of tourism cooperation agreements, which have defined the framework for bilateral tourism cooperation and laid the foundation for promoting the sustainable development of the tourism industry.
(China-Maldives Friendship Bridge) jointly built by China and Maldives)
In general, Modi's "advertisement" is just a ploy against the Malaysian side based on the current situation, and if the Malaysian side is really provoked by India's approach, it will fall into a trap. But Muiz is a pragmatic and wise president, and after his visit to China, the cooperation between China and Malaysia will bring more benefits to both countries. In this situation, there is no need for the Maldives to regard the Indian islands as competitors, and tourists from all over the world will naturally be attracted to the beautiful and well-equipped Maldivian islands. In the end, it will be found that India's practice is completely just a princess selling melons.