Fear of anti-India protests hurts Maldives government

Significance

Solih’s government has departed from the pro-China diplomacy which Yameen pursued, reverting to the country’s long-standing ‘India First’ policy. Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar made a two-day visit to the Maldives late last month.

Impacts

• A Yameen run for the presidency will hinge on prosecutors failing to secure a conviction against him on outstanding charges he faces.
• The health and education sectors will continue to attract sizeable Indian financing.
• China will try to maintain cordial ties with Solih’s government, as demonstrated by Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit in January.