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China Backs Chagos Islands Sovereignty Transfer, Undercutting Starmer’s Opposition Narrative

Beijing’s ambassador publicly congratulated Mauritius for securing the £30 billion, 99-year lease of Diego Garcia, prompting Tory demands for the prime minister to retract his assertion that China opposed the agreement.

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Huang Shifang, the Chinese ambassador to Mauritius, with the country’s president, Dharambeer Gokhool
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Overview

  • On 22 May, the UK handed sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius under a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia military base worth up to £30 billion.
  • Chinese ambassador Huang Shifang praised the deal as a “massive achievement” and pledged full support for Mauritius’s bid to safeguard its national sovereignty.
  • Sir Keir Starmer had claimed that China, Russia and Iran opposed the treaty, placing critics of the handover in a “column” with those states.
  • Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge and other senior Tories have written to Starmer demanding a formal apology and retraction of his remarks.
  • The agreement includes clauses preventing any foreign power from establishing installations on the outlying islands without UK consent to protect the strategic security of Diego Garcia.