WASHINGTON: Amid allegations of China engaging in massive land port in theMaldives, the Pentagon today 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.
Felter said these developments were “a cause of concern” for all statesthat supported the maintenance of a 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.
Other countries in the region have expressed similar concern, includingIndia, he noted.
“We believe the interests of all states- large and small- are best servedby maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific and a rules-based order. Someof China’s activities that we’ve observed give us concern because they donot seem to be consistent with those interests. I suspect India sharesthese concerns as well,” Felter said.
During a recent visit to the US, Ahmed Naseem, a former foreign minister ofMaldives, had alleged that China was meddling in internal affairs ofMaldives and had indulged itself in a massive land grabbing endeavour whichif left unchecked would pose a major strategic threat to both the US andIndia.
China, he alleged, appeared to be keen on building a base in the Maldiveswhich one day may house warships and submarines.