Chinese state media changes tune on India, Maldives

The Beijing-based tabloid, which has been said to reflect what party leaders think but cannot say, has criticised New Delhi for its zero-sum mentality, warned it against military intervention in the Maldives and told it to stop provoking the upmarket holiday destination.

President Abdulla Yameen lost last Sunday’s election by more than 38,000 votes. He was widely seen as being China’s preferred candidate for having courted loans and investment in excess of a billion dollars, with his closeness to China coinciding with worsening India ties.

The Global Times said Beijing had come up with a constructive “two-plus-one” mechanism – China and India plus another South Asian country – as a demonstration of sincerity.