Rajnath Singh's visit to Maldives was fruitful but Chinese machinations and unpredictable domestic politics still pose a threat to ties

During his recent visit to the Maldives from 1 to 3 May, the first by an Indian defence minister to the Indian Ocean archipelago in 11 years, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh achieved quite a few objectives in his characteristic understated style. Ever since the Ibrahim Solih government came to power in 2018 and the pro-China former president, Abdulla Yameen, was sent to jail by a criminal court for 11 years on charges of money laundering and corruption, Indians have been breathing easy. Solih embarked on an 'India First' foreign policy and sought to put bilateral ties with New Delhi…