US concerned Chinese loans to Pakistan, Sri Lanka may be used for “coercive leverage”

Washington (US), February 25 (ANI): US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu on Friday said the US is deeply concerned that Chinese loans to countries in India’s immediate neighbourhood may be used for coercive leverage.

Lu was addressing a special press briefing previewing Secretary Antony Blinken’s upcoming travel to India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
“Concerning Chinese loans to countries in India’s immediate neighbourhood, we are deeply concerned that loans may be used for coercive leverage. And we are talking to India, talking to countries of the region about how we help countries to make their own decisions and not decisions that might be compelled by any outside partner, including China,” Lu replied to a question on Chinese loans to Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Blinken will on March 1 travel to New Delhi to participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which will focus on strengthening multilateralism and deepening cooperation on food and energy security, sustainable development, counter-narcotics, global health, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, gender equality and women’s empowerment, the US State Department recently said in a statement.

US Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs Ramin Toloui during the Friday briefing with Lu said: “Secretary Blinken looks forward to going to Delhi as part of India’s G20 presidency year. We look forward to doing everything we can to support India’s work to make its G20 presidency a success. There is no shortage of common challenges, and we want to deepen our partnership with other G20 countries to address these challenges.”

Lu during the briefing said: “The Secretary will be meeting, while in New Delhi, with his counterpart, the Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar. They’ll talk about our strategic partner partnership but really focus on how we’re working together in the Asian Quad, in the G20, what we’re doing on defense cooperation, and the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies that is being run out of the White House and the prime minister’s office.”

“On March 3rd, the Secretary will also participate in a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Asian Quad, which is the United States, India, Japan, and Australia,” Lu said according to the US Department of State.

“What will be even more interesting is immediately following that ministerial meeting, the Secretary will participate in a panel at the Raisina Dialogue,” Lu added.

Lu during the briefing also expressed the US viewpoint on India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The top US diplomat for the region emphasized that the US doesn’t think India is going to end relations with Russia anytime soon and hopes India will use its influence with Russia to end the Ukraine conflict.