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1 1 (May 29, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/govepeg0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service nfo~mug I m Ie~isIThve debate since 1914 Updated May 29, 2024 Maldives: Background and Issues Facing Congress ackground The Republic of Maldives is an archipelagic nation of approximately 515,000 people located in the Indian Ocean near strategic sea lanes southwest of Sri Lanka. About 188 of Maldives' 1,192 low-lying coral islands are inhabited. Maldives has been extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and sea level rise. Approximately 41% of the population lives in the capital of Mald. Since 2020, the United States has increased its engagement with Maldives in response to challenges in the Indo-Pacific, including strategic competition between the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) and India, and the PRC and the United States. Congress has enacted legislation supporting the United States' increased diplomatic presence in Mald. Po t cs Maldives is a unitary presidential republic with a unicameral legislature, the People's Majlis. Between 1978 and 2008, the country's political scene was dominated by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. During his presidency, Maldives experienced periods of instability and repression before embarking on a process of political reform in 2004. Maldives adopted a new constitution in 2008 and has since held multiparty presidential and parliamentary elections. Some parts of civil society have expressed concerns about the integrity of the democratic process. In September 2023, Male Mayor Mohamed Muizzu of the People's National Congress Party (NCP) defeated incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party in a presidential election assessed positively by the European Union Election Observation Mission. President Muizzu assumed office in November 2023 for a five-year term. In April 2024, Muizzu's NCP won a parliamentary majority. Economy Maldives is an upper-middle-income country with a robust growth trajectory according to the World Bank. In 2022, the most recent year for which confirmed data are available, Maldives had a gross domestic product (GDP) of $6.17 billion. The Maldivian economy is concentrated in the service sector (73%), followed by industry and manufacturing (11%), and agriculture (5%). Tourism accounts for approximately 30% of economic activity. Maldives registered over 1.8 million tourist arrivals in 2023, including from India (11%), Russia (11%), and China (9%). In 2023, the largest sources of goods imports into Maldives were India (16%), Oman (15%), and United Arab Emirates (13%). Its largest goods export destinations were Thailand (54%), the United Kingdom (14%), and Germany (8%). In May 2024, the International Monetary Fund assessed that Maldives remains at high risk of external and overall debt distress without significant policy changes. According to Maldives' official figures, the Export-Import Bank of China owned roughly $555 million (25%) of Maldives' external debt and was the country's biggest creditor as of June 2023. Substantial portions of the country's external debt are owned by external bondholders (23%) and the Export- Import Bank of India (13%). Figure I. Maldives in Brief Sources: Maldivian Census 2022, Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, U.N. Comtrade. Foregn elations Since 2013, some analysts have noted intensifying competition between India and China for influence in Maldives. Maldives shares extensive ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious, and commercial links with India. In 1988, India intervened militarily to thwart an attempted coup in Maldives. Under former President Abdullah Yameen Abdul Gayoom (in office 2013-2018), half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, popular sentiment grew critical of India's military presence in Maldives. The resulting India Out campaign has since become a rallying point for some political groups. One day after taking office in November 2023, President Muizzu-who has sought to diversify Maldives' partnerships away from India- officially requested India withdraw military personnel stationed in the archipelago. India complied with the request and replaced military with civilian personnel in Maldives. Diplomatic rows between Maldivian and Indian officials have strained bilateral ties further. Relations between Maldives and the PRC deepened during Yameen's presidency (2013-2018). Under Yameen, Maldives and the PRC agreed to several infrastructure and

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