“winning without fighting”: China

China’s handling of the paradisiacal Indian Ocean nation the Maldives, into which Beijing has poured money as part of its “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative. A Chinese naval task group has been in the Indian Ocean while Beijing’s ally, the Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen, wrestles with a political crisis, prompting speculation the Chinese are propping up Mr Yameen by warding off India from intervening.
Such drama unfolding in the Indian Ocean on Australia’s maritime doorstep provides a glimpse into how China might marry its ostensible economic and infrastructure programs with its strategic aims, experts say.