Chinese troops will not replace Indians, says Maldives president

MALAY, Maldives: The Maldives´s incoming president Mohamed Muizzu has vowed to expel Indian troops after taking office later this week, but told AFP he does not want to redraw regional balance by bringing in Chinese forces instead.

“Maldives is too small to be entangled in geopolitical rivalry,” the president-elect said in an interview on the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelago. “I am not very much interested to engage the Maldivian foreign policy in this.”

Muizzu´s election success in September hinged on a sustained campaign against India´s outsized political and economic clout in the Maldives, and specifically his pledge to eject Indian forces.

But he said he will not allow China -- or any other nation -- to replace them, and dismissed reports of him being closer to Beijing. He insists he is only “pro-Maldives”. “We are going to work together with all the countries, India, China and all other countries as well,” the 45-year-old leader, who will be sworn in on Friday, said at his home in the capital Male.