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Chagos handover to Mauritius has a message for China
Britain found itself increasingly isolated as it fought hard to cling on to its claim to the islands.
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In the overall scheme of American global power projection, Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean would be as important as Guam in the Pacific.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Speaking in the House of Commons recently about the announcement that Britain will – finally – hand back sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago to its rightful owner, Mauritius, Foreign Secretary David Lammy framed it in terms of respecting international law, partnering with the Global South – and “strengthening our arguments when it comes to issues like Ukraine and the South China Sea”.
Prodded by MPs, Mr Lammy went on to admit that “we found ourselves with no one supporting our claim in the family of the United Nations and the rules-based order”.
