Is India's embrace of Mauritius aimed at countering China's Indian Ocean goals?
India 's move to upgrade its ties with Mauritius is seen as a bid to counter China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean and reinforce New Delhi's role as a key security and economic partner in the region.
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During his two-day visit to Mauritius as a chief guest of the country's national day celebrations last week, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his counterpart Navinchandra Ramgoolam announced the two countries' 'enhanced strategic partnership' and reaffirmed their commitment to a free, safe and open Indian Ocean.
The two nations also signed eight agreements in areas such as currency settlement, diplomat training, and cooperation between small and medium enterprises and pledged to collaborate on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.
Antoine Levesques, a senior fellow for South and Central Asian Defence, Strategy and Diplomacy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said India had strong reasons to cooperate closely with Mauritius given the Indian navy's increasing focus on the western Indian Ocean and China's ambition to cooperate with littoral and island states there.
'Since India knows it cannot prevent China from being more present in the region, strategic balancing is the prime inspiration for India's approach,' Levesques told This Week in Asia.
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According to a joint statement issued after the meeting between Modi and Ramgoolam, India will continue to provide defence and maritime assets to Mauritius, apart from deploying ships and aircraft for joint maritime surveillance and hydrography surveys.
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