Maldives

According to Edition.mv, a news portal citing the Marine Traffic website, the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 was initially docked near Male City and later appeared near Thilafushi around noon.

The permission for the Chinese research vessel to dock at Male port in the Maldives was granted by President Mohamed Muizzu, who is known for his pro-China stance. The Indian defense establishment is closely monitoring the movements of the Chinese ship in the region.

India, which held the top position in 2023, has now fallen to fifth place, recording 16,536 tourists and a 7.7% market share in 2024. This shift is speculated to be a consequence of the backlash against the Maldives following derogatory remarks directed at India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by three Maldivian ministers. These remarks followed Modi's sharing of photos and videos during his visit to the pristine Lakshadweep Islands in January.

The MDP's decision to pursue impeachment stems from clashes in Parliament on Sunday, where pro-government MPs and opposition lawmakers clashed over the approval of four members of Muizzu's cabinet.

The Parliament of the Maldives, however, stated that Nasheed did not inform them before his temporary move to Ghana. According to Parliament's Communications Director Hassan Ziyau, Nasheed has not disclosed his plans regarding his responsibilities at the Parliament, and he has not applied for leave. Despite his absence, Nasheed will continue to receive his salary for the remaining three months of his term.

In response, Home Minister Ali Ihusan challenged Solih to provide evidence supporting the claim of a politically motivated attack. Ihusan stated that the Maldives police are currently investigating the case and requested Solih to share any credible information he possesses with the authorities.

According to Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, China's visa-free "circle of friends" is expanding, and numerous countries have officially entered the "visa-free era." He highlighted that China has already concluded mutual visa exemption agreements for different passports with 157 countries.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) opted to withhold parliamentary approval for the four cabinet members, leading to a protest by pro-government MPs that disrupted the parliamentary session, local media reported.

Tensions between India and Maldives have escalated since the newly-elected President Mohamed Muizzu chose Beijing as his first port of call, a departure from the tradition of making New Delhi the initial stop.

In a departure from tradition, where New Delhi has historically been the first port of call for a Maldivian President, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry stated that the Chinese Research Vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 will not be conducting any research while in Maldivian waters.