India stepped up its development assistance to the Maldives after the two leaders held talks in New Delhi on Monday in a bid to repair strained ties that saw the president of the Indian Ocean archipelago forging closer relations with China.

India has stepped up its development assistance to the Maldives after the two leaders held talks in New Delhi in a bid to repair strained ties that saw the president of the Indian Ocean archipelago fo

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu was given a red carpet welcome on his first state visit to India on Monday, a trip Prime Minister Narenda Modi said marked a "new chapter" to reset troubled ties. Pro-China Muizzu came to power a year ago on a promise to evict dozens of Indian troops deployed in his small but strategically located archipelago.