Answer:

The strategic location of the Maldives along vital maritime routes underscores its significance for India, particularly in securing global trade and energy flows. During current Indian External Affairs Minister recent visit, India and the Maldives signed an agreement on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), strengthening financial ties and highlighting the growing importance of their economic and strategic partnership in the region.

Geopolitical and Geostrategic Importance of Maldives for India with a Focus on Global Trade and Energy Flows

Geopolitical Importance:

• Major Trade Route Security: Ensuring the safety of critical maritime routes that facilitate global trade is crucial for India’s economic and strategic interests, especially since 70% of India’s oil imports transit through these waters.
  For example: Monitoring shipping lanes near the Eight Degree Channel, located between the Maldives and India, is critical for securing India’s oil imports from the Middle East.
• Energy Security: Stability in the Maldives is crucial for safeguarding energy transit routes essential for India’s economic stability.
  For example: India has been collaborating with the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to enhance maritime surveillance, ensuring the protection of vital energy shipment lanes from the Middle East.
• Influence on Regional Trade Policies: Stability in the Maldives contributes to promoting favourable trade policies and regional economic integration, helping India maintain its influence in the South Asian region.

Geostrategic Importance:

• Counter to Chinese Influence: India’s strategic engagement with the Maldives is essential to counterbalance China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean region, particularly through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
  For example: India has invested in key infrastructure projects like the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) to strengthen its foothold in the Maldives and counter China’s influence.
• Surveillance and Monitoring: The geographic proximity of the Maldives enables India to enhance its maritime surveillance capabilities, especially in the Southern Indian Ocean, crucial for tracking trade routes and security threats.
  For example: India helped set up radar systems on the Maldivian islands as part of the Coastal Surveillance Radar System (CSRS), allowing better monitoring of maritime traffic and potential threats.
• Access to Deep-Sea Resources: Collaborating with the Maldives offers India opportunities to explore and exploit underutilised deep-sea resources, including fisheries and oceanic minerals.

Ways in which This Relationship Affects India’s Maritime Security and Regional Stability Amidst International Competition

Maritime Security:

• Enhanced Naval Capabilities: Strengthening naval cooperation with the Maldives enhances India’s maritime defence.
  For example: Joint naval exercises like Ekuverin have been conducted annually since 2009 between India and the Maldives.
• Intelligence Sharing and Joint Exercises: Sharing intelligence and conducting joint military drills helps India and the Maldives enhance their ability to respond quickly to security threats in the maritime domain.
• Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA): By enhancing MDA with the Maldives, India gains better insight into the region’s maritime activities, enabling faster response times to any emerging threats.
  For example: India’s integration of Maldivian coastal surveillance data into its national coastal security network improves real-time monitoring of maritime movements across the Indian Ocean.

Regional Stability:

• Deterrence Against Non-State Actors: Collaborative security measures between India and the Maldives help deter piracy, smuggling, and terrorism in the Indian Ocean, securing maritime trade routes.
  For example: India and the Maldives regularly coordinate joint patrols to intercept illegal activities in the Indian Ocean, reducing risks posed by non-state actors.
• Balancing Regional Power Dynamics: India’s proactive engagement with the Maldives allows it to maintain influence in regional power dynamics and mitigate the rise of external powers, such as China.
  For instance: Diplomatic engagements during the 2021 Maldivian political crisis demonstrated India’s commitment to ensuring regional stability and supporting democratic governance in the Maldives.
• Economic Stability through Regional Cooperation: India’s economic cooperation with the Maldives boosts regional resilience and ensures economic stability through development projects in key Maldivian sectors like tourism and fisheries.
  For example: India invested and assisted with the Addu Tourism Project, supporting the Maldives’ critical tourism sector.

Ways to further strengthen ties:

• Strengthening Multilateral Regional Frameworks: Strengthening regional cooperation platforms like IORA ensures collective maritime security and economic growth, enabling all members to benefit from regional stability.
• Sustainable Development Cooperation: Promoting sustainable development in the Maldives through joint initiatives can foster long-term stability and resilience against climate change and energy insecurity.
• Enhancing People-to-People Ties: Strengthening educational and cultural exchanges between India and the Maldives fosters goodwill, which further strengthens the diplomatic relationship.
• Technological and Infrastructural Investments: Investing in technology and infrastructure development enhances both countries’ connectivity and strategic capabilities, benefiting economic and defence sectors.
  For example: India’s $1.4 billion assistance package (2018) for infrastructure in the Maldives focuses on building airports, roads, and ports to improve connectivity and trade.

India’s proactive engagement with the Maldives remains crucial for ensuring regional stability and fostering mutual growth, especially in maritime security and economic collaboration. As the Prime Minister emphasised, “A strong, prosperous, and stable Maldives is in the interest of every nation in the Indian Ocean region,” reflecting India’s long-term vision of cooperation and stability in the region.