China has opened an embassy in the Maldives in a move seen as another step to increase its influence across a South Asian region that India has traditionally dominated. The Maldives says the embassy in the Indian Ocean archipelago was opened Tuesday. That was two days before the Maldives began hosting a summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation that is being attended by the leaders of India and Pakistan.
Maldives Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem said China has also sought observer status in the regional body. China has been working to expand its influence in the region in a strategy that has been dubbed the 'string of pearls.' India has expressed concern over China's moves.