Beijing has dismissed accusations from the former leader of the Maldives that it is attempting to effectively buy up the Indian Ocean island state and eliminate its sovereignty, AP said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Chinese economic assistance came without political strings and called recent remarks by Mohamed Nasheed “totally groundless.” Geng added that Chinese aid made “great achievements in promoting bilateral pragmatic cooperation.” Nasheed told reporters in neighboring Sri Lanka that the current president has opened the doors to Chinese investment without regard for procedure or transparency.