As Pompeo campaigns against China, a growing welcome in India
Washington (AFP) - When the United States tried to seal a defense deal seven years ago with the Maldives, a sprawling and strategic archipelago, its plans were quietly torpedoed by a friend -- India, which considers the Indian Ocean its sphere of influence. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit the Maldives this week after top-level talks in India -- which offered open support when the Pentagon finally went ahead with a defense pact with the island nation in September.What brought about the change, analysts say, is a deepening concern in New Delhi about China, which engaged in a deadly ...