On a day Maldives’ President Mohamed Muizzu landed in Beijing to sign bilateral agreements, China’s state media in an editorial referred to India’s diplomatic row with the Maldives, and called for an “open-minded” approach to looking at South Asian issues.

The Maldives government has suspended three ministers over their derogatory comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, India’s smallest Union Territory.

The Maldivian government has distanced itself from the “insulting” comments by the three ministers, and called the matter their “personal opinion that do not represent the views of the government”.

Ties between India and the archipelago nation in the past few months, however, have been strained after Mr Muizzu came to power. Seen as a pro-China politician, Mr Muizzu had defeated his India-friendly predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential run-off held in September.

The editorial by Global Times says China has always treated the Maldives as an equal partner and respected its sovereignty.

“It also respects the friendly and cooperative relationship between the Maldives and India, fully aware of the importance for Male to maintain good relations with New Delhi. Beijing has never asked Male to reject New Delhi because of the conflicts between China and India, nor does it view cooperation between the Maldives and India as unfriendly or a threat,” the Chinese state media editorial said.

“It (China) is also willing to carry out trilateral cooperation between China, India and the Maldives. New Delhi should stay more open-minded, as China’s cooperation with South Asian countries is not a zero-sum game,” it said.

Mr Muizzu’s predecessors in the recent past visited India first, considering the wide-ranging bilateral ties and the Maldives’ proximity to India, followed by China which has expanded its influence in the island nation by investing in major infrastructure projects there.

“Under normal circumstances, when a new leader comes to power, they arrange their visits based on the importance and urgency of the matters to be dealt with. President Muizzu broke tradition by visiting Turkey for his first official overseas visit instead of India,” Global Times said.

Mr Muizzu, accompanied by wife Sajidha Mohamed, visited the Xiamen Free Trade Zone in China’s Fujian province today, news agency PTI reported. Representatives from the Xiamen Free Trade Zone presented an introductory video.

Mr Muizzu is due to hold talks with Chinese President Xi and sign several agreements, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. “The relations between China and the Maldives now stand at a new historical starting point. We believe that through this visit, the two heads of state will provide strategic guidance for the bilateral relations to reach a new height,” Wang told the media on January 5.

The remarks by three Maldives ministers – which included comments critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – “challenged the dignity of India”, Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel told NDTV Monday. “India will never tolerate such an insult (and) the entire country showed solidarity with the Prime Minister,” he said, adding, “I want to thank the people of India for standing by the PM and Lakshadweep.”

Mr Patel also waved away talk of demanding a public apology from Maldives, pointing out the ministers who made the comments had been disciplined. “We are not going to talk about it (a public apology)… our values are different… they did not need to make such comments. They have been punished by the government for their actions. This showed India will not tolerate any insult to its PM. From Bollywood celebrities to cricketers as well as ordinary people… India has given a befitting reply to the Maldives.”

Asked if he would welcome Maldivians to Lakshadweep, the administrator said, “This is our country’s tradition. If they want to come, appreciate our beauty and are happy, it will make us happy too. What’s wrong in it. Definitely, they should come.”

The row began after Maldivian ministers Maryam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid posted critical remarks about Mr Modi on X. This was after the Prime Minister posted photos and videos from his visit to Lakshadweep, in which he was seen snorkelling and relaxing on pristine beaches. The PM’s posts prompted social media users to push for Lakshadweep as an alternate holiday destination.

The Maldives – which relies heavily on Indian tourists for revenue – reacted swiftly. “Those who made such posts on social media while in government positions have been suspended…” the island nation said.

READ | “No Zero-Sum Game”: China On Ties With Maldives Amid India Row

The incident has, though, snowballed into a political and diplomatic flash point, particularly with opposition lawmakers in that country using this to attack the ruling party. Former President Mohamed Nasheed called the remarks “appalling” and asked his successor, Mohamed Muizzu, to distance his government from these comments. India, meanwhile, has summoned the Maldives envoy in Delhi.

READ | India Summons Maldives Envoy Amid Row Over Remarks Against PM Modi

Ties between the two nations have been strained ever since Mohamed Muizzu, seen largely as a pro-China leader, was elected President. 

Following his election to the top post, Mr Muizzu – due to visit China this week – pushed for the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives on grounds of national security.

Aamir Khan’s daughter Ira Khan tied the knot with gym trainer Nupur Shikhare recently. After an official registered wedding on January 3, the two jet off to Udaipur for a grand celebration of their marriage with their closest friends and family. Now, snaps from the festivities have emerged.

One of the first photos from Ira and Nupur’s mehendi ceremony sees the couple happily posing as the bride gets adorned with henna. Another pic shows the two hosting a party, dressed in chic black outfits.

Check out the photos here: