The United Kingdom government appears to be on a collision course with Donald Trump following the decision to transfer control of the Chagos Islands, the location of a crucial U.S. military base, to Mauritius. Mark Rubio, the choice for Secretary of State by President-elect Trump, expressed concerns about the agreement boosting China and cautioned that it could pose “a serious threat” to U.S. national security. There are even suggestions that Trump’s new team might attempt to block the deal.
On the domestic front, the British government is facing growing pressure from allies of Trump and advocates for a tougher stance against China over the handover, which it has upheld as being in line with international law and marking the end of a long-standing injustice. The move to transfer sovereignty of the disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius was lauded as a landmark occasion by the government in London. These islands, often referred to as Britain’s final African colony, host a joint U.S. and U.K. military base in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius has argued that it was coerced into relinquishing the Chagos Islands in exchange for its own independence from Britain in 1968.
Over 1,000 islanders were forcibly relocated at the U.S.’ request, and some of them repeatedly took the U.K. government to court. As per the agreement, Diego Garcia, the island housing the joint military base, will remain under U.K. and U.S. jurisdiction for at least the next 99 years. The decision stemmed from a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which mandated that the U.K. should “put an end to its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as expeditiously as possible.” Nevertheless, critics in both the U.K. and the U.S. contend that Britain was not bound to abide by the advisory opinion and argue that the government has made a significant tactical blunder that will only strengthen China’s position.