WASHINGTON – Top US Diplomat has said Chinese developments in the regionwere “a cause of concern” for all states that supported the maintenance ofa rules-based order.
“If you look at similar activities across the region, it gives us somecause for concern. From Djibouti to, Gwadar put to Hambantota port in SriLanka, and now potentially the Maldives and then extending further east,it’s of concern,” he said.Amid allegations of China engaging in massive land grabbing in theMaldives, the Pentagon on Friday said it was a cause of concern for the US.
Asserting that the US was “committed to a free and open” Indo-Pacificrules-based order, the Pentagon said anything else would cause the USconcern.
“The US is committed to a free and open Indo-Pacific rules-based order. Wehave seen concerning developments in Maldives as far as the Chineseinfluence is concerned,” Joe Felter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defensefor South and Southeast Asia, told PTI in interview.
“It’s in India’s backyard. We know it’s of concern to India. So, yes, (thesituation in Maldives) is a concern. We will see how it plays out. Itemphasizes some of our priorities identified in our National DefenceStrategy,” the top Pentagon official said.
He was responding to a question on the allegations of a Maldivianopposition leader and a former foreign minister, on the Chinese landgrabbing activities in the island nation with the potential of developingthem into a military outpost.