Politics

18 September 2025
President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu has ratified a new media law, which could lead to fines of up to $1,620 against journalists and up to $6,485 against media companies for infringements.
Members of Elections Commission empty a ballot box to count votes during the second round of a presidential election in Male, Maldives, in September 2023.
Opinion

Maldives can sustain progress with access to FDI, affordable financing

Commitment to sustainable growth will shape future through regeneration

26 October 2024
Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, left, shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Oct. 7.
International relations

India approves currency swap deal, will start FTA talks with Maldives

President Muizzu meets Prime Minister Modi, seeks to repair strained ties

7 October 2024
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, third from left, attends Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in New Delhi on June 9.
International relations

Maldives pushes to mend relations with India, eyeing tourism and aid

President thanks New Delhi for financial support; tourism minister visits India

3 August 2024
These days, most Israeli travelers to the Maldives are young surfers. With its foreign reserves falling, the archipelago is relying more than ever on its tourism sector.
International relations

Maldives weighs ban of Israeli passports but fears for tourism sector

Public anger in the Muslim-majority nation pressures government to act

15 June 2024
India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, right, on May 9 met his visiting Maldivian counterpart, Moosa Zameer, in New Delhi. (Photo from Zameer's X account)
International relations

Maldives FM meets Indian counterpart at frosty time in relations

India's Jaishankar says better ties depend on 'reciprocal sensitivity'

9 May 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, met with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in Beijing in January.
20 March 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 10. (cnsphoto via Reuters)
International relations

Maldives president meets Xi, woos Chinese tourists amid India spat

Bollywood stars, other Indians urge boycott over island ministers' remarks on Modi

10 January 2024
Mohamed Muizzu, the new president of the Maldives, speaks during his inauguration ceremony in Male on Nov. 17.
International relations

Maldives President Muizzu gets down to work, ups ante on India

New administration exposes details of New Delhi's military presence

24 November 2023
Mohamed Muizzu, the Maldives' president-elect, will inherit a heavy sovereign debt burden when he takes office on Nov. 17.
Economy

Maldives' new president set to take office as debt alarms intensify

World Bank, Fitch greet Muizzu with grim warnings on bills due in next few years

30 October 2023
An "India Out" flag in the Maldives last year. Rather than building goodwill, New Delhi's investments and security support for its South Asian neighbors have largely fueled resentment.
Comment

Maldives exposes India's backfiring China containment strategy

Why New Delhi struggles to win friends and influence neighbors

22 October 2023
Mohamed Muizzu, winner of the Maldives' presidential election, smiles after a news conference in Male on Sept. 30.
Politics

Maldives' Muizzu marches to victory on anti-India drumbeat

Some expect new pro-China president to work with both Beijing, New Delhi

3 October 2023
Maldives electoral workers prepare to count ballots during the first round of the presidential election on Sept. 9.
Politics

Maldives' ex-President Nasheed plays kingmaker in election runoff

Pro-India Solih, China-friendly Muizzu set for final showdown on Saturday

29 September 2023
The Maldives' incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, right, now faces an uphill battle to keep his job and beat challenger Mohamed Muizzu, left. (Photos by Reuters) 
Politics

Maldives election runoff could turn tide in India-China contest

Pro-Beijing Muizzu takes page from jailed ex-President Yameen's playbook

12 September 2023
A motorcyclist takes photos of a decorated wall in Male on Sept. 6, ahead of the country's presidential election. Incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is the favorite, while Male mayor Mohamed Muizzu is considered his top challenger.
Politics

Maldives' Solih eyes historic second term in Saturday election

Candidates' carrots raise debt worries in South Asia's smallest democracy

8 September 2023
Parliamentary voting in Male in 2019: The Maldives' electoral democracy is limited while rising religious intolerance has increased the stakes of the upcoming polls.
Opinion

For the Maldives, this election season has only brought worries

Outcome could bring friction with India and pressure on democratic rights

6 September 2023
The annual Semicon Taiwan -- one of the most important events for the semiconductor industry -- will take place from Wednesday to Friday.
Your Week in Asia

ASEAN summit, Semicon Taiwan, Biden visits Vietnam

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

3 September 2023
The Maldives flag flies over the capital of Male. The Indian Ocean nation is known as a tourist destination but is also a key shipping point. (Nikkei photo)
Semiconductors

Maldives: Small island nation with big role shipping chips to Russia

$53m of chips transited Indian Ocean country 1 year after invasion, data shows

21 July 2023
From left: The Maldives' former presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Abdulla Yameen, who is currently in jail, are aiming to unseat incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in September. (Source photos by AP and EPA/Jiji)
Politics

Maldives' nascent presidential race keeps India and China on edge

Jailed ex-President Yameen pushes anti-New Delhi message as party loyalties shift

19 July 2023
A resort on the Maldives' Gaafu Alifu Atoll: The idyllic islands are enjoying a tourism rebound, thanks in part to Russian travelers.
Travel & Leisure

Maldives leads tourism recovery, buoyed by Russian travelers

Several Asian destinations benefit from limited choices after war

29 May 2023
Multilateralism is “the only guarantee for peace, security and development” for small states, says Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Interview

Maldives stresses pro-India stance while maintaining China ties

Foreign minister says regional cooperation, dialogue crucial to stability

28 May 2023
Diego Garcia, the site of a major U.S. military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean: The U.K. has begun negotiating the return of the archipelago to Mauritian control. (Handout photo from U.S. Navy)
Opinion

U.S. should accept that its Indian Ocean base belongs to Africa

Recognition of Mauritian sovereignty would not affect access to Diego Garcia

6 February 2023
The Maldives' then President Abdulla Yameen attends a meeting in Beijing in 2017. He brought the strategically located Indian Ocean nation closer to China, while his successor has adopted a pro-India approach.
Politics

Conviction of Maldives' pro-China Yameen overshadows election

Ex-president and current candidate's corruption appeal has high geopolitical stakes

5 January 2023
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, left, insists the four-party coalition is needed for stability, while Mohamed Nasheed favors a pure MDP government that could better tackle corruption.
Opinion

The Maldives risks following in Sri Lanka's footsteps

Cracks in ruling coalition may allow strongman Yameen to return to power

26 July 2022
From a Maldives bond payment to India's central bank meeting and Pakistan's upcoming budget, South Asia's economic strain is in focus.
Asia Insight

Beyond Sri Lanka, economic cyclone bears down on South Asia

From Pakistan to Maldives, forex and debt risks grow as inflationary headwinds build

7 June 2022
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, hosts Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba in New Delhi on April 2.
International relations

India offers carrots to 'pro-China' neighbors Sri Lanka, Nepal

Political instability in South Asia opens diplomatic doors for New Delhi

24 April 2022
The Maldives, South Asia's smallest nation, is returning as an important actor in the regional power struggle between China and India. (Source photos by Reuters)
International relations

Maldives scrambles to silence anti-India campaign

Bill in parliament looks to 'criminalize' acts that harm foreign relations

12 February 2022
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, tours the Colombo Port City project during his visit to Sri Lanka on Jan. 9.
Belt and Road

China presses economic buttons to deepen Indian Ocean clout

Wang Yi's tour of Sri Lanka, Maldives and others sends message to India and U.S.

12 January 2022
The Maldivian government now expects to attract 1.5 million vacationers by the end of this year, nearing the 1.7 million tourists it received in 2019.
International relations

Russian tourists make big splash in the Maldives

Island nation's gamble to open despite pandemic could draw near-record visitors

29 July 2021
The Maldives' capital, Male. The archipelago of 400,000 people is being divided by a religious dispute.
Politics

Hate crime bill widens Islamic divisions in the Maldives

'Irreligious' or not? Debate splits ruling party, fuels instability in South Asia

22 July 2021