An agreement for the Chinese military to provide military assistance to the Maldives military and security forces was signed after the Maldives accepted a proposal from China, the Defense Ministry has said.
The Maldives signed the defense agreement with China in Male' on March 4. Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director of the Chinese Office for International Military Cooperation, signed the agreement on behalf of China. Defense Minister Ghassan Maumoon signed on behalf of the Maldives.
The Defense Ministry refused to provide a copy of the agreement or disclose details when Adhadhu sought the information under the right to information law.
However, "China proposed providing military assistance during the President's state visit to China, and the Maldives government accepted the proposal," the Defense Ministry stated about how the agreement was reached.
The agreement period was "until the assistance is provided to the Maldives and handed over to the military," the ministry said in its official response.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu previously said that China will supply military equipment and train soldiers under the agreement. He did not offer any further details.
Speaking in Dhaalu Meedhoo a day after the agreement was signed, Muizzu referred to his meeting earlier in the day with a visiting senior Chinese military officer and said that China has always maintained military ties with the Maldives.
“It was an agreement to provide under grant aid various kinds of training that soldiers need and to provide non-lethal equipment for free,” the President said.
The Maldives defense force would receive further training and improve capacity under the agreement, the President said, adding that the effort was intended to establish self-reliance.
“This work, too, is being done for us to stand on our own two feet, for us to further strengthen our independence, as part of efforts to strengthen our self-reliance and stand on our own feet,” he said.
The ruling Progressive Party of Maldives-People's National Congress (PPM-PNC) coalition enjoys a close relationship with China and the Maldives maintained close ties with China during the PPM's first government.
Early in President Muizzu's administration, the government faced criticism from the opposition as a Chinese research vessel that was denied entry to some other countries docked in Male' after spending a month near the border of the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The ship remains active near the EEZ boundary at present, sailing in and out of Maldives territory.
