Maldives reaffirms commitment to One-China policy, to issue no statement

The Maldives government has reaffirmed its commitment to the One-China policy, but said that it would not issue any official statement on it, according to local media reports.

Answering media queries, the Foreign Ministry of the country stressed on Maldives' commitment to the "One China" policy. However it added that the Ministry will not issue an official statement on the matter, reported Avas.mv.

The Maldives, a key neighbour of India in the Indian Ocean Region occupies a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. However, under the pro-China ex -president of the Maldives, Abdullah Yameen, who launched the "India Out" movement, the two nations' ties were severely strained. When Abdulla Yameen Yameen was the president of the Maldives, China and the country established strong ties. Yameen was ousted from power in 2018, with Ibrahim Mohamed Solih becoming the new President.

Notably, India's relations with Maldives have significantly grown under Solih and have been multi-dimensional, largely cordial and cooperative. In recent years, both sides assert that the partnership has witnessed rapid growth in most areas of cooperation, especially in the field of development.

Recently, President Solih visited India from August 1-4 for the third time since assuming office and was accompanied by a high-level official delegation.

The meeting resulted in the announcement of a number of key agreements and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) exchanged.

Meanwhile, earlier, the Pakistan and Sri Lankan government had also reaffirmed their commitment to the One China policy.