Yameen tried to play India against China as a "puppet master": Maldives foreign minister

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid Monday alleged that former president Abdulla Yameen had tried to play India against China as a "puppet master" and said the new government was looking into the deals made with China to assess the debt accumulation.

Maldives knows the importance of India as it was an "important" partner, said Shahid who was on his first visit to India after assuming charge as the foreign minister of Maldives.

The visit assumes significance as the ties between both the countries were severely strained under the previous government in the island nation.

Maldivian Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, who is also part of a delegation of minister visiting India, also said the new government had identified a number of projects undertaken with China that were bought at an "inflated price" and it was in the process of assessing how much debt was accumulated.

The remarks of both the foreign and finance ministers of Maldives assume significance as reports suggest that China had been trying to expand its influence over the island nation.

Ameer said, "The Chinese portion of investment is taking long in assessment because all these deals took place in secrecy."