US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Washington will open an embassy in the Maldives for the first time, during a five-day Asia trip attempting to counterbalance the rise of China in the region.
"Getting this facility open won't happen overnight but it's worth it," Pompeo told a news conference on an island resort near the archipelago's capital Male.
"It's the right thing to do. Your role here in the Indo-Pacific and in the international community is increasingly important."