As we enter 2024, India, which has always positioned itself as the "big brother of South Asia", is dissatisfied with some of the practices of its two neighbors, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Sri Lanka is not only cooperating with China to build the Hambantota port, but also allowing Chinese research ships to be stationed in the country's ports for a long time On the Maldives side, after the new President Muiz took office, he not only broke with the convention and visited China before visiting India, but also demanded that India withdraw its troops from the Maldives, which had never happened before.
Indian submarines are stationed in Sri Lanka
Under such circumstances, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Sri Lankan president in person and clearly expressed his "concern" to the other side. For the Maldives, Modi went to India's closest to the country's Lakshadweep Islands for a "vacation", and moved a chair, sat on the beach, and looked at the direction of the Maldives to take pictures.
I didn't say anything, but I couldn't have made it clearer - I'll watch what you're doing, don't annoy India. Sri Lanka and the Maldives have responded very differently to this.
After Sri Lanka was "concerned", it immediately announced that it would not allow Chinese research ships to dock at its ports within one year. Objectively speaking, this is "bowing to India", and even the Indian media, which likes to compare with China in everything, think that "this is India's victory".
The Maldives is completely different from Sri Lanka, after Muiz returned from his visit to China, he immediately issued an article, saying that "the Maldives is not the backyard of any country, and the Indian Ocean does not belong to any country, although we are very small, this is not your license to bully us."
The Chinese research ship docked in the Maldives
Muiz didn't say who this "you" was, but everyone understood the meaning. He also issued an "ultimatum" to India that its troops in the Maldives must be withdrawn by March 15. What makes India even more dissatisfied is that after Sri Lanka "rejected the Chinese scientific research ship", the Maldives announced that it would allow the Chinese scientific research ship to dock at the country's ports.
In this regard, the Indian media believe that the Maldives is "moving closer to China". Against this backdrop, Sri Lanka's latest move has finally made India feel a little better.
On February 3, the Indian Navy's submarine "Karangi" arrived in Sri Lanka, which also coincided with the Chinese scientific research ship sailing from the country to the Maldives. Some Indian media seized the opportunity to hook up on China, saying that Sri Lanka welcomed the Indian Navy's submarines after rejecting the Chinese research ship, and that India had "defeated" China.
The Hindustan Times used the headline "India beats China in diplomatic duel", while India's Deccan Herald said it was a "signal" to China and the Maldives.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
For many years, India has always regarded South Asia as its "backyard" and the Indian Ocean as its "inner lake," believing that other South Asian countries should look at their faces and know how to "make trade-offs" when they are in foreign affairs. However, neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Nepal are all increasing cooperation with China, and China's naval escort groups have also been operating in the Indian Ocean, which also makes India very unhappy.
For India, it is not a problem with whom these countries cooperate, but when it comes to cooperating with China, India's heart is sour.
This is because there has always been a "China sentiment" among the political elites in New Delhi that cannot be ruled out -- no matter how weak India is, as long as it is stronger than China, it is strong, and no matter how strong India is, if it is weaker than China, it is still weak. Yes, they like to compare with China in any field.
For example, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has made it clear that in recent years, India's rise has actually been very fast, but China is obviously more attention-grabbing, "India's limelight has been stolen by China." In addition, India and China have been at a stalemate over the border issue, and in 2020, India also considered itself "at a loss" when there was a skirmish.
India likes to compare everything with China
Therefore, in India's heart, there is always a resentment towards China. However, since India's goal is to become a world power with a "sound and impressive" reputation, it should be broad-minded and look farther. As for other countries in South Asia, India should be clear that they are sovereign countries with their own national interests, and they should learn to respect how others govern. In contrast, after Sri Lanka made a decision, China did not complain, but tried to find a way to solve the problem, and the scientific research ship will soon dock in the Maldives, which is the best answer. As a neighboring country, India should not always compare with each other, but also look at how China comes up with a solution.