China hails ‘massive achievement’ for Mauritius in Chagos deal

China eyes further investment with Mauritius under its belt and road initiative after Chagos Islands deal with the UK.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s has been lauded by China. Picture: PA via AP

China has described Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to surrender sovereignty of the Chagos Islands as a “massive achievement” for Mauritius – despite a claim by the UK government that the deal was opposed by Beijing.

In a speech earlier this week, Huang Shifang, Beijing’s ambassador to Mauritius, said that China “fully supports” the country’s attempt to “safeguard national sovereignty”.

Huang also confirmed that Mauritius would soon join Beijing’s “belt and road” initiative, which would increase Chinese investment in the island.

She said China wanted to “further enhance co-operation” with Mauritius in areas including “economy and trade, investment, finance and infrastructure”.

Huang’s warm welcome of the Chagos deal comes despite claims by Starmer that the agreement had been welcomed by UK allies but opposed by countries such as China and Russia.

Under the terms of the agreement, the UK has ceded sovereignty over the Chagos Islands but retained Diego Garcia, which is home to a joint US-UK air base.

The deal allows the joint US-UK air base of Diego Garcia to be retained. Picture: DoD/AFP

This will be held on a 99-year lease costing the taxpayer billions of pounds.

The government defended the agreement as critical to the UK’s future security needs, warning that failure to reach a legal agreement with Mauritius could empower hostile forces in the region.

Starmer told a press conference that opponents of the deal were in a “column” with Russia, China and Iran, who he said had all opposed it.

“In favour are all of our allies: the US, Nato, Five Eyes, India,” he said. “Against it: Russia, China, Iran.”

However, according to Le Mauricien newspaper, Huang told party guests at a reception on Tuesday that China offered “massive congratulations” to Mauritius for securing the disputed territory with the UK.

She is said to have added that China “fully supports” the deal, which was a “massive achievement” for Mauritius.

Her comments were seized on by the Tories who claimed that Starmer had been “caught peddling a lie”.

Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “He [Starmer] claimed that those who opposed his mad plan to surrender the Chagos Islands were in league with hostile powers – whilst himself handing over control of our own sovereign territory to a nation firmly in China’s grasp.

“And now China itself has welcomed the deal – knowing that Labour weakening our national security is at their benefit – Keir Starmer must apologise, and retract his baseless slander.”

Ministers insist that the deal will protect western security on Diego Garcia. It will prevent China or other countries building installations on the outlying islands without the UK’s consent. It will also give the UK control of the seas around the base.

THE TIMES