US concerned that Chinese loans in Pakistan, Sri Lanka may be used for 'coercive leverage'

The US is deeply concerned that the loans being given by China to India's immediate neighbourhood - Pakistan and Sri Lanka - may be used for coercive leverage, a senior State Department official has said. "Concerning Chinese loans to countries in India's immediate neighbourhood, we are deeply concerned that loans may be used for coercive leverage," Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, told reporters ahead of the India trip of Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The top American diplomat is travelling to New Delhi on a three-day official visit from March 1 to 3. Lu…