Investment, security and the Chagos Islands: India and Mauritius boost ties
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an “enhanced strategic partnership” with Mauritius during a state visit to the Indian Ocean nation, with investments, maritime security agreements, and Indian support for Mauritian sovereignty over the UK-administered Chagos Islands. The visit is part of India’s competition with China for influence in the Indian Ocean.
Port Louis (AsiaNews) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India and Mauritius have strengthened their bilateral ties, now raised to the level of an “enhanced strategic partnership”.
The Indian leader made the statement during an official, two-day visit to the small insular nation in the Indian Ocean, where he met with Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam.
The move is part of New Delhi's efforts to consolidate its influence in the region and contain China's expansion. The two Asian giants have been quietly vying for control of the maritime routes in the western Indian Ocean.
India is historically linked to Mauritius on cultural grounds since about 70 per cent of all Mauritians can trace their roots back to modern India, arriving in the country as indentured labourers during the British Raj.
The two countries recently inked eight bilateral agreements, with particular focus on maritime security and economic cooperation.
Stressing the need for a “free, open, secure and safe” Indian Ocean, Modi said that 500 Mauritian civil servants will be trained in India, and Hindu travellers will receive assistance for religious pilgrimages.
India also plans to invest US$ 11 million in development projects, including the construction of a new parliament, described by Modi as a gift "from the mother of democracy".
For his troubles, the Indian prime minister received Mauritius’s highest civilian honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.
To underline the importance of maritime security operations, the Indian Navy participated in Mauritius National Day celebrations on Wednesday, with the INS Imphal, a stealth guided-missile destroyer, paying a visit to the capital, Port Louis.
Last year, India completed an airstrip and pier on the Agaléga, two outer islands, north of the main island of Mauritius. Although not earmarked for military use, the new facilities are part of attempts to boost ship monitoring in the region and establish a strategic outpost.
India is stepping up its presence in the country to counter China’s growing influence. Beijing signed a free trade agreement with Port Louis in 2019 (that went into effect 2021) and has a well-established a strong economic presence.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, bilateral trade between China and Mauritius topped US$ 1 billion in 2024, up 10.1 per cent over the previous year.
“China’s rise in the island has been quite phenomenal and it is now one of the most important economic players in Mauritius,” said Harsh Pant, vice president of studies at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi.
“So, to offset that, it is necessary for India to have constant engagement with Mauritius and help them build capacities in areas such as health, education, and maritime capabilities”.
Another key issue touched during the visit was India's support for Mauritius's sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, an archipelago administered by the United Kingdom. Since 1970, Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, has been home to a joint UK-US military base.
Recently, the UK agreed to return the sovereignty of the Chagos to Mauritius, but leased the island of Diego Garcia for 99 years, thus guaranteeing a permanent UK-US military base.
Between 1968 and 1973, the Chagossians were forcibly removed from the island and transferred to Mauritius and the Seychelles to allow the construction of the military facility.
“We support Mauritius in its stance on its sovereignty over Chagos, and this is obviously in keeping with our long-standing position with regard to decolonisation and support for sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries,” said Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Despite its stance on sovereignty, analysts note that India is in favour of maintaining the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, as key to strategic stability in the Indian Ocean.
“From New Delhi’s standpoint, it helps if there is some American presence there because it balances out the strategic realities of the region,” Pant explained.
India and Mauritius also signed some economic agreements, including a deal to use local currencies in trade, with the aim of promoting the direct use of the Indian rupee and the Mauritian rupee in bilateral transactions. For Misri, the goal is to encourage trade, tourism and other economic activities, extending “an Indian rupee clearing centre to COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) countries.”
The two sides also signed agreements to combat financial crimes, share maritime navigation information, and create a National Information Sharing Centre to improve trade route security, which, according to Misri, will lead Mauritian authorities to “greater maritime domain awareness”.
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