China is dwarfing India's sphere of influence in Maldives and rest of Asia

In Bangladesh, China rolled out $24 bn in loans; nowhere is China's dramatically enlarged presence more visible than in Sri Lanka

Is India still top dog in its neighborhood? This is the question raised by a political crisis in the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island chain known for its luxury beach resorts. Unless New Delhi swiftly restores democracy, it risks looking ineffectual in the face of Chinese inroads into India’s traditional zone of influence.

The crisis began earlier this month when President Abdulla Yameen’s government declared a state of emergency and arrested two Supreme Court judges as well as a long-serving former president who is Yameen’s half-brother. The arrests followed a Supreme Court ruling that declared the terrorism conviction of exiled