<\/p>\n
The Maldivian president on Sunday told India to withdraw its nearly 100 troops by March 15, a day after returning from China where he signed a raft of deals.<\/p>\n
New Delhi considers the Indian Ocean archipelago to be within its sphere of influence but the country has shifted to China\u2019s orbit<\/a>, the Maldives\u2019s largest external creditor.<\/p>\n The March deadline was set during talks with Indian officials in the Maldives on Sunday, a top aide to President Mohamed Muizzu said, honouring the leader\u2019s long-standing election pledge.<\/p>\n \u201cThe president put forth this request at the meeting of the high-level committee between the two nations\u2026 the proposal is currently under consideration,\u201d Muizzu\u2019s Public Policy Secretary Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim told reporters.<\/p>\n India has a deployment of about 89 personnel, including medical staff, to operate three aircraft to patrol the archipelago\u2019s vast maritime territory.<\/p>\n Muizzu came to power in September after pledging to evict Indian forces.<\/p>\n On Saturday, after arriving in the capital Male, the president said that while the Maldives may be small, the country will not be bullied.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not a country that is in the backyard of another country. We are an independent nation,\u201d Muizzu said.<\/p>\n \u2018Independent nation\u2019<\/h2>\n