India’s Diplomatic Crisis Deepens as Neighbor Cozies Up to China

A diplomatic crisis is deepening between the Maldives and India—a major U.S. partner in the Indian Ocean—after its president returned from Beijing and accused New Delhi of attempting to dictate its foreign relations. President Mohamed Muizzu, who was elected in October, has publicly shunned the island nation’s traditional ally, India, in favor of closer ties with the world’s second-largest economy, China. Muizzu visited China from January 8-12 and successfully elevated his country’s status in Beijing’s rank of diplomatic importance. The two countries now share a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership,” a friendship that could challenge New Delhi’s sphere of influence in…