China at it again! Constructs artificial Island in Maldives concerning India

New Delhi, May 13: In yet another development affecting China-India relations amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis is the revelation of the latest satellite images of Feydhoo Finolhu Island in the Indian Ocean. The images exhibited might poses serious concerns for India as Beijing is trying to broaden its political influence among the island nations of the Indian Ocean.

 

The satellite images from January 2018 shows the original size of the island i.e about 38,000 sq. metres. However, after destroying the reef of the island, the image from February 2020, shows land reclaimed by China which led the island to be of 100,000 sq. metres. The image not show this but also the ongoing construction of the reclaimed area.

 

It is reported that this island is almost 600 km from India and close to Malé airport. Having said that, the Maldives had leased the island to a Chinese company for 50 years at a cost of about $4 million in December 2016. At that time, the geopolitical expert Hans Kristensen had already disapproved the project due to the environmental reasons as he had hinted that China will probably damage the reef in its efforts to expand.

 

It is important to note that in the strategically important South China Sea that following the dismantling of the reef, Beijing has now built seven artificial islands in the Spratly Islands with huge amounts of sand and coral reefs adding 1,300 hectares to the islands.

 

In 2018, China’s Defence Ministry stated that it had a “natural right as a sovereign nation” to run military assets at its Spratly Islands's bases. And also, it claims that it enjoys sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the South China Sea where infrastructure development took place.

 

Due to the One Belt One Road connectivity initiative to increase its stamp in the Indian Ocean Region, China is also trying to build infrastructure in the South-East Asian countries. It is not only about the Island in the Maldives but it is engaged in to start key infrastructure projects in Myanmar as well, like in New Yangon City, Kyaukphyu Deep-Sea Port and Industrial Zone and the China-Myanmar Border Economic Cooperation Zone.

 

Due to this continuous interference of China in the Indian Ocean Region over past few months, it can heighten the expansion of its naval presence throughout the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by building maritime civilian infrastructure in friendly countries. On the other hand, Beijing has denied the existence of any such strategy.

 

Meanwhile, India and China were locked up in an intense face-off near the Naku La sector (ahead of Muguthang Valley) pass at a height of over 5,000 metres in North Sikkim on Saturday. 11 soldiers, including four Indians and seven Chinese, were injured on the Line of Actual Control.