While Chinese propaganda media accuses India of “hegemonic mentality in South Asia”, Beijing’s feedback after anti-China Lai Ching-te gained the Taiwan election with a 40 per cent vote regardless of mainland machinations reveals an imperial Middle-Kingdom mindset of the Xi Jinping regime.

The electoral victory of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in a three-cornered contest is unquestionably a setback for China because the Communist regime could should rethink its 2026-2027 navy plans to annex democratic Taiwan. Just as China’s founding father Mao Zedong was seen to provide respect, Deng Xiaoping gave financial empowerment, paramount chief Xi Jinping sees himself as a unifier of the Middle Kingdom. The man who will translate “One China Policy” into actuality.

China’s said resolve to overcome Taiwan regardless of the democratically held election within the island nation and its help in upholding nationwide sovereignty and opposing exterior interference (learn India) for a pro-Beijing Mohammed Muizzu regime in Maldives reveals the coercive diplomatic mindset by the Xi Jinping regime.

The assertion stated: “ China firmly supports the Maldives in upholding its national sovereignty, independence and national dignity….firmly opposes external interference in the internal affairs of Maldives….The Maldives is committed to the one-China principle……and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory….supports all efforts made by China to achieve national unification.” This is a regular textual content for Middle-Kingdom’s diplomacy with all tributary states.

Although it’s as much as Taiwan’s backers within the West to come back to phrases with its ambiguity over the “One China Policy” and assist Taipei towards Beijing’s unilateral coercion, Beijing clearly has dropped all pretence with India as is clear from the joint assertion issued after President Muizzu’s four-day go to to Beijing. The assertion is clearly aimed towards Indian pursuits within the Maldives and completely in help of China towards Taiwan with Male nearly appearing as a tributary state to the Middle Kingdom.

With China taking part in anti-India video games overtly within the Indo-Pacific and at multilateral establishments, it’s time that the Modi regime additionally upped its counter to the problem from the northern neighbour and its proxies within the Indian sub-continent. Its financial help to Sri Lanka throughout its hour of financial disaster clearly has paid dividends with Colombo able to have inter-grid connectivity, oil pipeline and land connectivity with the Indian mainland through the Rameswaram-TalaiMannar axis.

On December 22, Sri Lanka knowledgeable India by way of diplomatic channels that it could not enable any surveillance-scientific analysis vessels in 2024, delivering a snub to China. Sri Lanka has agreed to a ferry service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanturai port within the north of the Island nation. It has additionally agreed to flights between Chennai and Jaffna.

While it’s fairly evident that the Muizzu regime in Maldives will give entry to Chinese spy ships to discover the Indian Ocean seabed for future submarine exercise, India should counter the problem with the help of allies like Mauritius and Mozambique. But given the distances between China and Maldives and the current capacities of the PLA Navy, a pure disaster-prone Male will quickly understand like Nepal that solely India has the capability and will help within the worst-case situation.