Fact check: China has made only one public statement on Chagos Islands deal
Claims have circulated around international support for the Government's deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands and its implications for the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia.
The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the deal had 'secured the base for the long term' and that 'has been opposed by our adversaries' including China.
The Conservative Party has claimed it is 'pure disinformation' that critics of the deal are siding with China.
There is limited information on what Beijing thinks about the deal.
Certainly the only known public statement from a Chinese official on the deal applauded the agreement in the context of safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It did not mention China's view on the continued presence of the military base on Diego Garcia.
China abstained on the UN vote which was a key stage in the road to the deal, and one expert the PA news agency spoke to said he believes that Beijing 'privately views the agreement … somewhat as a setback', citing a variety of reasons.
How long have the Chagos Islands been in UK hands?
Britain took control of Mauritius from 1810 when it was seized from the French. Between 1814 and 1965 the Chagos Archipelago was administered by the UK as a dependency of the Mauritius colony.
In 1965 the UK detached the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius and several Islands from the Seychelles and created the new British Indian Ocean Territory. Three years later Mauritius became an independent country.
Between 1967 and 1973 the UK removed the population of the Chagos Archipelago.
What has China said about the UK-Mauritius deal?
On May 26 the new Chinese ambassador to Mauritius, Huang Shifang, gave a speech at a reception attended by the Mauritian Prime Minister, the Vice President and others.
The official text of the speech – which was sent to the PA news agency by the Chinese embassy in Mauritius – does not directly mention the Chagos deal.
A release from the Mauritian Prime Minister's office the next day said of the ambassador's speech: 'Acknowledging Mauritius's firm adherence to the One-China Policy, she commended the recent achievement regarding the Chagos Archipelago.'
The closest that the official text of the speech comes to this is a section where the ambassador says: 'China highly appreciates Mauritius's adherence to the One-China Policy, and fully supports Mauritius in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.'
However, a short video excerpt from the speech, posted to YouTube, shows that immediately afterwards the ambassador added: 'In particular we applaud loudly for the historical achievement on the Chagos agreement. Massive congratulations.'
What might Beijing think behind closed doors?
It is difficult to say what policymakers in the Chinese capital might be thinking about the deal behind closed doors.
The prime minister's statement appears to claim that China opposed the part of the deal which allows Diego Garcia to remain open.
When the ambassador's speech supported Mauritius's work on its territorial integrity she linked that to the country's One China Policy.
The One China Policy is Beijing's claim that 'Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory'.
So the ambassador's statement – if an accurate representation of Beijing's thinking – could show that China supports the handing over of Chagos to Mauritius because it reinforces the principle of territorial integrity which the Chinese leadership thinks supports its claim to Taiwan.
But this does not rule out Beijing being disappointed about the part of the deal which allows the Diego Garcia base to remain open.
When quizzed on Sir Keir's claims, his official spokesperson pointed towards the deal's support from the US and other allies. This included a post from US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth who said the deal secures 'key US national security interests in the region' and added: 'We are confident the base is protected for many years ahead.'
Benjamin Sacks, a professor of political geography at the RAND School of Public Policy in the US, told PA: 'I contend that Beijing privately views the agreement, even if modified to ameliorate some Chagossians' outstanding demands, somewhat as a setback. In practical terms, it gains little if any advantage from it.'
He said the deal resolves the question as to whether the UK, 'a major state actor supporting existing rules-based orders (RBOs), was violating them in respect to the Chagos'.
He added: 'The Chagos issue constituted a perennial problem for British foreign policy; one that China could simultaneously exploit to demonstrate its supposed adherence to existing RBOs and undermine the UK's traditionally important role in maintaining it.'
The deal 'deters Port Louis (Mauritius) from becoming an effective client state of Beijing' while allowing it to balance a strong economic relationship with China while continuing its close relationships with Beijing's competitors, India, the UK and the US, he said.
Dr Sacks added: 'Analysis … suggests that China prioritises decolonisation so as to replace European and American influence with its own. For this reason, Beijing will applaud the agreement as a 'win' against the major Western powers.'
As for the base at Diego Garcia: 'Beijing will have to contend with its continued presence for at least the next 99 years, and likely longer.'
He said it can also be argued that the base's deterrence effect 'is stronger now that the agreement has secured and clarified its future within international laws and norms'.
What has China said about the Chagos Islands in the past?
In 2017 China abstained on a UN General Assembly vote which asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to deliver an advisory opinion on the dispute between the UK and Mauritius. This ICJ opinion was ultimately cited in the UK-Mauritius agreement.
At the time the Chinese representative to the General Assembly said: 'China calls upon the countries concerned to continue to make efforts in good faith and to continue to carry out bilateral negotiations and consultations, so as to seek an appropriate solution to the question of Chagos archipelago as soon as possible.'
The court opinion that followed in 2019 was that the UK is 'under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as quickly as possible'.
In the wake of this opinion, in 2019 the General Assembly adopted a resolution which welcomed the court's decision. At this point China was one of the 116 votes for the resolution. Six countries voted against and 56 abstained.
The Chinese representative said at the time: 'The Chinese Government is a consistent and firm supporter of the decolonisation process.'
More recently in a China-Mauritius meeting on August 1 last year – according to a Mauritian press release – the Chinese representative 'reiterated China's aid to Mauritius in its quest for sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago'.
UK Parliament – Hansard for June 11 2025, Engagements (archived)
Video on YouTube (archived page and audio)
ICJ advisory opinion (archived)
Government Information Service – Reception marking assumption of office (archived)
Ambassador's speech – text (archived)
YouTube video of speech (archived page and audio)
MFA – Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China (archived)
Pete Hegseth statement (archived)
UNGA – Thursday, 22 June 2017, 10 am (archived)
UK-Mauritius agreement (archived)
UNGA – Adopts Resolution Seeking International Court's Advisory Opinion (archived)
UNGA – Welcomes International Court of Justice Opinion (archived)
UNGA – Vote in 2019 (archived)
UNGA – Wednesday, 22 May 2019, 3 pm (archived)
Government of Mauritius – The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (archived)
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Economic data: Retail sales (May); Industrial production (May); NAHB housing market index (June); Import price index (May) Earnings: La-Z-Boy Incorporated (LZB) Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Investor optimism has squashed another downbeat catalyst Trump: EU not offering fair trade deal, Japan being 'tough' too Trump says he wants 'real end' to conflict, not just ceasefire Anne Wojcicki's 23andMe bid may not end DNA data lawsuit How a prolonged Israel-Iran conflict could speed up Fed rate cuts US solar stocks slammed after Senate changes to tax bill Trump says he will probably extend TikTok deadline again SoftBank sells T-Mobile stake for $4.8 billion to fund AI push Here are some top stocks trending on Yahoo Finance in premarket trading: T-Mobile US, Inc. (TMUS) stock fell 4% in premarket trading on Tuesday, after SoftBank Group Corp. (SFTBF, SFTBY) managed to raise $4.8B via the sale of T-Mobile US Inc. shares. The move is set to help fund Softbank's plans for artificial intelligence. Microsoft (MSFT) stock fell over 1% before the bell today following reports that the Big Tech's relationship with OpenAI has become "strained." Per The Wall Street Journal, OpenAI executives are weighing the option of whether to accuse Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior, according to people familiar with the matter. Solar stocks dropped in premarket trading Tuesday after Senate Republicans released a bill that would end tax credits for wind and solar earlier that other sources. The news caused SunRun Inc. (RUN) stock to drop by 28% and SolarEdge Technologies Inc. (SEDG) by 21%. US solar stocks have tumbled after a Senate panel released proposals for an early and full phase-out of solar and wind energy tax credits on Monday. The plan to remove credits by 2028 are among the several changes put forward by a Republican-controlled panel to President Trump's "big beautiful" tax and spending bill. Shares of Enphase Energy (ENPH), which makes solar inverters, dropped 17% before the bell. Meanwhile, solar panel seller Sunrun (RUN) tumbled 26%, while its peer SolarEdge Technologies (SEDG) sank more than 20%. First Solar (FSLR) pulled back 11%. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Iran's nuclear sites have not suffered damage since Friday, says energy chief
Iran's key nuclear sites have not suffered any further damage since Friday, the first day of Israel's attack on the country, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced at a governors' meeting on Monday. Rafael Grossi, the director general of the nuclear watchdog, said while buildings above ground at Iran's principal uranium enrichment site at Natanz had been destroyed, strategic locations underground had not been struck. 'There has been no additional damage at the Natanz fuel enrichment plant site since the Friday attack,' Grossi said. 'There has been no indication of a physical attack on the underground cascade hall containing part of the pilot fuel enrichment plant and the main fuel enrichment plant.' That contrasts with claims made by Israel's military on Friday after its air force bombed the Nantaz site that said the underground area of the site was damaged. Experts from the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, Darya Dolzikova and Matthew Savill, said while it was not clear how much damage Israel had inflicted on Iran's nuclear programme, 'the attacks carried out thus far are not sufficient to deal a decisive blow'. A second Iranian enrichment site, at Fordow, which is hidden 80 to 90 metres below a mountain, is not thought to have been affected, Grossi said in the update, though it had been attacked by Israel on Friday evening. 'No damage has been seen,' the director general said. Israel launched its attack on Iran on Friday to pre-empt a secret Iranian programme to build a nuclear bomb, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said, which would require uranium to be enriched to 90% to produce warheads. The country runs two principal enrichment sites, at Natanz and Fordow, and has already accumulated 408.6kg of 60%-enriched uranium – enough, the regulator said last week, to make nine nuclear bombs if the enrichment continued. Another expert, David Albright from the Institute for Science and International Security, said on Sunday that if Fordow alone remained intact and Iran had access to its stock of 60%-enriched uranium, it may be possible to produce enough weapons-grade uranium for 'nine nuclear weapons by the end of the first month' after production is stepped up. The Fordow site is generally considered to have been built so deep below ground that it could be destroyed only by US GBU 57/B bunker buster bombs, which are so heavy they can only be launched from B-2 bombers. There are two facilities at Natanz. The main site, the fuel enrichment plant, is estimated to be between 8 and 12 metres below ground. Military analysts believe it can withstand bombing with all but the heaviest weapons available to Israel, and to destroy it would likely require multiple strikes with the 1.8-tonne Rocks missile or 1.6-tonne Air Lora missiles. A lesser site, the pilot fuel enrichment plant, was based partly overground and vulnerable to attack. Satellite imagery confirms there is serious damage to buildings overground, including the pilot fuel enrichment plant – but it is not possible to assess the impact to the underground hall from the imagery above. Electricity infrastructure – a sub-station and power supplies had also been destroyed at the Natanz site, Grossi said, which is also confirmed by satellite imagery – and the resulting 'loss of power to the cascade hall may have damaged the centrifuges there'. Naturally occurring uranium contains only 0.7% of the fissile isotope uranium 235. It has to be enriched to 90% uranium 235 before it can be used in a warhead. Uranium is converted into a gas, uranium hexafluoride, and spun in centrifuges to separate the uranium-235 from the heavier, stable uranium-238. There was also 'both radiological and chemical contamination' at the Natanz site that could potentially include a dangerous uranium leak. Speculating, Grossi said it was possible that uranium isotopes were dispersed inside the facility. If so, the radiation would consist primarily of alpha particles that would pose 'a significant danger if uranium is inhaled or ingested' – but the IAEA chief said this risk could be effectively managed with respiratory devices or other protective measures. Some other Iranian nuclear sites, such as the Bushehr civil nuclear reactor, had not been attacked, the IAEA said. Four buildings were damaged at a research site at Isfahan, including a central chemical laboratory and a conversion plant, which produces uranium hexafluoride for enrichment, it added.
Yahoo
an hour ago
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Trump departs G7 early due to Middle East conflict
President Trump departed the Group of Seven (G7) summit on Monday night, a day earlier than planned, because of the growing conflict in the Middle East. 'President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on the social platform X. 'Much was accomplished, but because of what's going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State.' The White House announced Trump's altered schedule shortly after a series of posts he made on Truth Social that struck an ominous tone toward Iran, including one calling for everyone in the capital city of Tehran to 'immediately evacuate.' 'AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,' Trump wrote in a separate post. Spokespeople for both the Pentagon and the White House on Monday night said U.S. forces were maintaining a defensive posture in the region. 'American Forces are maintaining their defensive posture & that has not changed. We will protect American troops & our interests,' Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X. Israel and Iran have exchanged strikes since Friday, when Israeli missiles targeted Iranian nuclear facilities and killed multiple top military leaders. Trump has been peppered with questions in the days since about potential U.S. involvement in the conflict. While the Trump administration said Israel's initial strikes were a unilateral action, the U.S. assisted Israel in intercepting retaliatory strikes from Iran last Friday. The president shortly after Israel's first strikes indicated Iran may have a 'second chance' at reaching an agreement to limit its nuclear program. But his posts on Monday night, paired with his decision to return to Washington a day earlier than planned, could signal the conflict is about to significantly escalate. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day declined to rule out targeting Iran's supreme leader, something Trump had reportedly cautioned him against doing. Israeli forces have also said they have crippled Iran's air defense systems, giving Israel air superiority and the ability to essentially strike at will. Trump arrived in Kananaskis in Canada late Sunday for the G7 summit. He met on Monday with the leaders of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Commission. Trump was supposed to hold additional meetings on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and hold a press conference before departing in the evening. Updated on June 17 at 5:46 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
