Chinese President Xi Jinping has deputed a senior ruling Communist Party official as his special envoy to attend the swearing ceremony of Maldivian President-elect Mohamed Muizzu later this week.
State Councilor Shen Yiqin will visit the Maldives from November 15 to 18 and attend the inauguration ceremony of Muizzu, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here on Monday. Shen will be visiting Maldives at the invitation of Muizzu, Mao said.
The election of Muizzu, stated to be a close associate of former pro-China Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, raised expectations in Beijing that the archipelagic state strategically located in the Indian Ocean close to India's southern coast will pursue pro-Beijing policies, unlike the incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who followed India's first policy and established close ties with New Delhi.
Copyright © 2017 Indian Grapevine a unit of Integrated Media Enterprises
