China has never attached any political conditions to aiding the Maldives, and the aid has done no harm to the country's sovereignty and independence, let alone jeopardized the Indian Ocean area's security, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said February 8.

Geng made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to an article written by the Maldives' former president Mohamed Nasheed.

The Indian Express on February 7 published an article written by Nasheed. In his article, Nasheed criticized the Maldives' President Yameen, saying that in "his endless quest to enrich himself, he has sold off the nation's sovereignty."

Nasheed also said that foreign powers, China among them, were engaged in a "land grab" of Maldivian islands' key infrastructure and even essential utilities.

"This land grab not only undermines the independence of the Maldives, but the security of the entire Indian Ocean region," Nasheed said.

"Nasheed's words are nonsense," said Geng, pointing out that China's aid to the Maldives already existed in Nasheed's presidential term and had made substantial achievements.

"I wonder whether Mr. Nasheed put all the cooperation on the list as a 'grab,'" Geng said.

Geng said that China had continued to facilitate infrastructure construction and livelihood cooperation with the Maldives on the basis of mutual respect and equal treatment.

He said that friendly cooperation between China and Maldives was in line with the common interest of the two countries and their peoples.

(Xinhua News Agency February 9, 2018)