التنافس الهندي-الصيني في جزر المالديف

This study examines the India-Chinese competition over the Maldives within the framework of its escalating geopolitical dimensions in the Indian Ocean, and its direct and indirect repercussions on Maldivian state stability and regional security. The study is based on the premise that the Maldives is no longer merely a small island state, but has evolved into a strategic crossroads for major powers’ interests amid the ongoing reshaping of power balances in the Indian Ocean and the intensification of maritime influence competition.

The research highlights the instruments of penetration employed by both India and China to consolidate their presence in the Maldives, demonstrating the diversity of these tools, which range from development assistance and maritime initiatives to military support, alongside the deployment of soft power through health, education, and humanitarian initiatives as indirect means of entrenching influence and securing local acceptance. It further clarifies the drivers of this competition, closely linked to the Maldives’ critical geostrategic location and its significance for maritime trade routes and Indian Ocean maritime security.

The study also discusses the impact of successive political transformations within the Maldives, emphasizing the pivotal role of power transitions between different governments in repositioning the state between the Indian and Chinese axes, with tangible implications for its foreign relations and strategic choices. The study concludes that this competition not only threatens internal stability in the Maldives but also extends to regional security in the Indian Ocean, particularly in light of growing polarization among major powers and the increasing fragility of regional.