‘It is critical that the United States retains unimpeded access to this facility’
By Francis Kapper, Daily Caller News Foundation
The U.K. government is considering the transfer of a key strategic outpost sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, an island nation with deep Chinese ties, as the Trump administration reportedly considers purchasing the territory.
Downing Street is contemplating the possibility of giving the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, even though it contains a joint U.K.-U.S. military base, Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia. China has close economic ties to the island nation through the Mauritius-China Free Trade Agreement, according to the Mauritius Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The South China Morning Post claimed the Trump administration was attempting to buy the islands, but Reuters reported that Mauritius hasn’t received any proposal from the U.S. government. The British government has paused the deal in response to opposition from President Donald Trump.