US visit to Sri Lanka aimed at anti-China alliance, former senior diplomat says

COLOMBO (News1st): US State Secretary Mike Pompeo's visit to Sri Lanka is aimed at forming an alliance against China, a former senior diplomat has said. "The purpose of his visit to Sri Lanka is to push Sri Lanka to ally itself with the US against China," Sri Lanka's former permanent representative to the UN Tamara Kunanayakam told News 1st. She pointed out that Pompeo had previously announced the formation of a new anti-China alliance in Asia. Pompeo, accompanied by defence secretary Mark Esper, arrived in India on Monday, and are expected to visit Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia as well. "The US duo began their global tour soon after Mike Pompeo formally announced America's new China policy," Kunanayakam pointed out. The former diplomat said that the visits are aimed at strengthening or neutralizing US allies in the region "in preparation for a war against China" or to win new allies.