Abstract
Amid great power competition in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and ongoing geopolitical turmoil related with the US-Iran war, the Maldives archipelago has surfaced as a critical arena for Beijing’s strategic vision through Maritime Silk Route (MSR). Since formation of pro-China government under President Dr Mohamed Muizzu in Nov 2023, Maldives is subtly repositioning the archipelago with Chinese geopolitical interest and is now emerging as hub for its Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations, through public diplomacy. This article analyses how Beijing leverages its Four Global Initiatives (4GIs) i.e. the Global Development Initiative (GDI), Global Security Initiative (GSI), Global Civilisation Initiative (GCI) and Global Governance Initiative (GGI), launched between 2021 and 2025 in quick succession, as calibrated tools to expand its clandestine intelligence footprint, while eroding New Delhi’s influence. Looking from the prism of recent Maldives development by China through 4GIs, this study deciphers how apparently benign looking Beijing’s recent global initiatives conceal a deliberate fusion of soft power and HUMINT. The article argues, how Beijing utilises benevolent looking 4GIs facade to consolidate its position in the archipelago through pro-China government, secure strategically located Maldives, stabilise the Muizzu government, normalise Pax Sinica norms and ultimately alter the archipelago into a China-centric intelligence hub that challenges U.S. containment effort in Indo –Pacific region and India’s regional primacy in its backyard.
