Land sale isn't for military purpose, says Maldives

India has no need to worry about Chinese military expansion under the Maldives' new policy that allows foreigners to buy its land, observers have said, after the islands vowed to keep the Indian Ocean a demilitarized zone.

The Maldives ratified legislation on Thursday to allow foreigners with investment of more than $1 billion to own land within a specified site, on condition that at least 70 percent of the area they develop is reclaimed from the sea.

Maldives President Abdulla Yameen has dismissed concerns over possible foreign military expansion under the amendment, assuring India and other neighbors that his government would keep the Indian Ocean a demilitarized zone.