A presidential election in the Maldives on Saturday could be decisive in determining whether China or India wins a competition for influence over the tiny Indian Ocean island chain.
Home to about 521,000 people, the Maldives is famous for its sun-kissed atolls and luxury tourist resorts but the rival Asian giants have both invested millions of dollars in infrastructure in the islands as they seek to build goodwill and influence.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who promotes close ties with his country's huge neighbor with an "India-first" policy, appears to be slightly ahead in the polls.