How can India regain footing in Maldives? Keeping China out is the Great Game at Delhi event

The small but engaged audience of about 30 people, which included students, former civil servants, and businesspersons, heard panellist Frank Rausen Pereira, founder of digital knowledge platform Bharata First and consultant anchor with Doordarshan, describe the maritime situation in the Indian Ocean and India's strategic approach to its relationship with the Maldives. And it was the audience that brought Beijing to the discussion, asking why Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and his country are silent on China's repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. They also suggested New Delhi should work with Islamic countries to regain its footing in the Maldives. New…