[By Guancha Observer Network, Liu Chenghui]

Truly seizing every opportunity to hype up "countering China." Just at the end of last month when the UK announced the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, on June 8th, the Economic Times of India published an article claiming that this transaction "may trigger a new round of power games between India and China," considering the strategically important location of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, India can counterbalance China's influence in the region by strengthening its relationship with Mauritius.

The report mentioned that the recent agreement between the UK and Mauritius marked a watershed moment in post-colonial geopolitics. The British government has, in principle, agreed to transfer the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

This Indian media outlet believed that although the official stance of India described this move as marking Mauritius' completion of its decolonization process, the impact extends far beyond historical justice or moral diplomacy.

For India, this development opens up new possibilities for its continuous strategic competition with China in the Indian Ocean region. On this broader maritime chessboard, the Chagos Islands may become a key piece.

The Indian media clearly viewed Mauritius as its own "backyard," manipulating geopolitical games.

Geographic location of the Chagos Islands

The report mentioned the "firm diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties" between India and Mauritius, stating that India is not only Mauritius' main trading partner and investor, helping build infrastructure such as metro systems and the Supreme Court building, but also came to the aid of the loss-making Mauritius Airlines. India constructed a simple airport and military infrastructure on another territory of Mauritius to expand its military presence.

Then the Indian media expressed "unease" towards China, claiming that China's rapid expansion of its presence in the Indian Ocean through the Belt and Road Initiative, naval deployments, port construction, and strategic partnerships has grown rapidly. In 2019, China even signed a free trade agreement with Mauritius, "gaining an important economic and legal foothold" on this island nation.

In addition, China has funded infrastructure projects in Mauritius, including smart city projects and port modernization.

The report speculated that these collaborations between China and Mauritius "may have dual purposes," and this expanding influence naturally caused concern in New Delhi. India questioned China's ambitions in the Indian Ocean. The report worried that with current agreements like Gwadar Port (Pakistan), Hambantota Port (Sri Lanka), and the Djibouti base, India urgently needed to build its own strategic pivot points.

With the return of the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the Indian media saw "opportunities."

The report believed that these islands could become India's "strategic chips," thereby changing the balance of influence in the central Indian Ocean. India can use these islands to enhance maritime awareness and patrol capabilities. Controlling the Chagos Islands will improve India's ability to combat non-traditional threats such as piracy and illegal trade, and project hard power if necessary.

However, the Economic Times also mentioned that India needs to carefully avoid escalating tensions with China, which is one of the challenges it faces. Additionally, the sensitivity of issues related to the resettlement of the original residents of the Chagos Islands and human rights requires India to maintain diplomatic precision in its involvement.

An American Air Force B-1B bomber taking off from Diego Garcia Base, Visual China

The Chagos Islands are located about 750 kilometers northwest of Mauritius in the southwestern Indian Ocean. Mauritius was forced to cede the Chagos Islands to the British colonial authorities in 1965. The following year, the UK leased the main island, Diego Garcia, to the US to build an airbase, forcibly removing approximately 2,000 residents.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed the agreement on May 22nd, officially transferring the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, but excluding the US military base on Diego Garcia Island.

Diego Garcia base is called the "unsinkable aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean" by the US and is the most important military base of the US in the region. In March this year, the US deployed a large number of B-2A stealth bombers to the base, which was considered aimed at打击胡塞武装并威慑伊朗.

It is worth noting that those who are obsessed with hyping up the geopolitical confrontation rhetoric involving China are not limited to Indian media. Over the past period, the return of the Chagos Islands sovereignty agreement has been attacked by several of Trump's aides, who claimed that this would benefit China due to its close trade relations with Mauritius.

People like US Secretary of State Rubio claimed that Mauritius might "tear up" the return agreement, "sell" Diego Garcia Island to China, providing a possible military foothold for China in the Indian Ocean, posing a "serious threat" to US national security.

In response to the rhetoric promoted by the US and the UK regarding the Indian Ocean region, China has repeatedly responded previously. China has always believed that national defense and security cooperation should contribute to regional peace and stability and should not target third parties or harm their interests. Relevant countries should do more to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

China's Special Representative for African Affairs, Liu Yuxi, previously stated at the 23rd Ministerial Council Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association that the Indian Ocean is large enough to accommodate all parties working together for development and prosperity. Camp confrontation and zero-sum games have no future in the Indian Ocean region.

This article is an exclusive article by Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514146735963259432/

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