China

Maldives is scheduled to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in September 2023. In the previous parliamentary election held in 2019, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) won a historic 65 out of 87 seats, with the remaining seats held by other parties and independents. The main electoral issues in the country include development, corruption, the environment, and violent extremism, but political discourse is largely dominated by anti-India and anti-China campaigns. The ruling MDP is facing a growing rift between former President Mohamed Nasheed and incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Nasheed announced his candidacy for the MDP’s presidential primary, accusing Solih of rigging votes and bribery. Solih won the primary and urged for unity within the party, but the split could lead to a divided vote in the upcoming elections. Meanwhile, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Qayyoom, the opposition coalition’s candidate, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges of money laundering and bribery, barring him from running for president. India and China’s activities in the country have further exacerbated political divisions and polarization. The opposition has urged the government to reconsider its close ties with India, while Nasheed criticized China’s Belt and Road Initiative, saying that Beijing intentionally inflated the…

China’s reaction to the recent announcement of Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through AUKUS was highly critical. China accused the three AUKUS members of “completely disregarding the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger.” Not surprisingly, China’s view of the recently announced expansion of military ties between the United States and the Philippines was also overwhelmingly negative. The news of the largest-ever joint army exercises between the U.S. and the Philippines was labeled by China as “part of U.S. efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance.” In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the formation of multilateral groupings and informal minilaterals in the Indo-Pacific. States with existing defense-strategic partnerships are increasing cooperation and strengthening these relations. Several scholars and observers have argued that one common factor behind these developments is the rise of China and its implications for the regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific. Yet China’s reaction to these developments is almost invariably hostile, as the statements in relation to AUKUS and Philippine-U.S. ties demonstrate. China’s wolf warrior diplomacy is well documented. Claims that the U.S. is interfering in China’s sphere of influence…