China dismisses accusations that it is ‘buying up the Maldives’
Foreign ministry says Chinese aid has ‘no political strings attached’, as Maldives sends envoys to China and two other countries to explain crisis
China dismissed accusations from the former leader of the Maldives that it is attempting to effectively buy up the Indian Ocean island state, while the Maldives government said on Thursday it is sending envoys to three countries to explain its ongoing political crisis.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Chinese economic assistance came without political conditions and called recent remarks by exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed “totally groundless”.
“China’s aid to the Maldives has no political strings attached and does not harm the Maldives’ sovereignty and independence at all, still less jeopardise security in the Indian Ocean,” Geng said at a regularly scheduled news conference.
Nasheed is wrapped up in the political turmoil that has swept the archipelago nation since the Supreme Court ordered his release in absentia as well as the release of several other jailed opposition leaders. Current President Yameen Abdul Gayoom rejected the order and declared a state of emergency this week in which two of the justices were arrested.
Yameen has cracked down on civil liberties since coming to power in 2013, imprisoning or forcing into exile nearly every political leader who opposes him.
