Maldives pro-China leader gives Indian troops March deadline to go

The Maldives has given India until mid-March to withdraw its troops from the archipelago nation, as its new pro-China president draws closer to Beijing.

The notice follows a five-day visit by Mohamed Muizzu to China on his first foreign trip since taking office. Muizzu won last year’s election after campaigning on an “India Out” platform.

India has a really serious issue with China who are militarily much, much further ahead, for example in a 2022 Foreign Policy article they stated that

Still, it is in Ladakh that the Chinese have built up infrastructure at a frenetic pace, with only military operations in mind: roads, bridges, airfields, heliports, accommodations for troops, and storage and communication infrastructure. Pande noted that one of the biggest developments is the G695 highway, which runs parallel to the LAC and gives the PLA the ability to quickly move from one valley to another. Flatter terrain on the Chinese side already gives Beijing an advantage, now further bolstered by infrastructure—an extensive network of new roads, bridges, and heliports.

In the 1960s, the PLA needed one full summer season to mobilize and launch military operations in Ladakh for the next summer. Now, it would need a couple of weeks to undertake the same operation. Indian military planners must live with this scenario, even if the current border crisis is resolved.