Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Chagos Islands may be little more than specks in the middle of the Indian Ocean, but they are at the center of a looming diplomatic row over a key American military base and the rise of Chinese power.
Lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic have raised fears that the British government’s decision to begin negotiations to hand over the islands to Mauritius could allow China the chance to build its own military facility on the archipelago — right under the nose of American forces at Diego Garcia.
The issue is one of the most important strategic locations in the Indian Ocean, from where U. S. B1 and B52 bombers can reach maritime chokepoints, vital sea lanes and even potential Chinese bases everywhere from Djibouti to Pakistan. The British government says any deal will protect the U. S. operation at Diego Garcia.
But British MP Daniel Kawczynski is warning his American counterparts that handing sovereignty to Mauritius – with its deepening economic ties to Beijing – offers no guarantee that China won’t soon have its own base on the island chain.
‘If you look at the amount of investment the Chinese have in Mauritius, I would argue that for all intents and purposes they control Mauritius,’ he told DailyMail.
com. ‘They have a policy of hoovering up all of these islands in the South China Sea. . . the idea the Chinese are not going to take advantage of us giving up these islands is wrong.
‘ He said he was writing to American colleagues to sound the alarm, and has called a debate at parliament’s Westminster Hall next week. Rep. Mike Waltz, ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness, demanded an immediate review.
‘Since the Biden Administration gave away Bagram – a strategic airbase only a few hundred miles from the Chinese border and our only base situated between Iran, Russia, and China – the base in Diego Garcia is absolutely critical,’ he said.
‘These reports are very concerning and something the readiness subcommittee should look into.
‘ Diego Garcia is the biggest island in the Chagos Archipelago. Its position in the center of the Indian Ocean gives it a crucial strategic location and it is the site of a U. S.
naval support facility, hosting nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, and staging special operations forces Diego Garcia is the biggest island in the Chagos Archipelago.
Its position in the center of the Indian Ocean gives it a crucial strategic location and it is the site of a U. S. naval support facility, hosting nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers, and staging special operations forces
A B-2 Spirit takes off from Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia during the Iraq War. Negotiations to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius have raised fears that China could try to muscle in on such a strategic location in the middle of the Indian Ocean
A B-2 Spirit takes off from Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia during the Iraq War. Negotiations to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius have raised fears that China could try to muscle in on such a strategic location in the middle of the Indian Ocean
Conservative Member of Parliament Daniel Kawczynski says China is waiting in the wings to build its own base Republican Rep. Mike Waltz, ranking member of the sSubcommittee for Readiness, has called for an urgent review
Lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic have issued warning. Conservative Member of Parliament Daniel Kawczynski says China is waiting in the wings to build its own base, while Republican Rep.
Mike Waltz has called for an urgent review The Chagos Islands have been uninhabited since the U. K. removed its residents in order to lease a military base to the U.S.
That could be about to change The Chagos Islands have been uninhabited since the U. K. removed its residents in order to lease a military base to the U.S.
That could be about to change The fate of the Chagos Islands and their former inhabitants has been a source of diplomatic tension for decades. Three years before granting independence to Mauritius the British government severed the islands from the rest of the country.
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