British officials have confirmed that the government will review the agreement returning the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Taiwan's Central News Agency and the Liberty Times reported on the 23rd.

The islands lie in the Indian Ocean some 2,000 kilometres northeast of Mauritius, a former British colony. Under the deal, Britain would hand sovereignty to Mauritius and then pay to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island and site of a strategically important joint UK-US base.

Trump's Change of Position

President Trump initially backed the deal but later reversed himself, calling the British plan an act of total weakness and extremely foolish, and repeating at his recent first meeting with the new prime minister that it was a bad deal.

Britain's defence secretary was quoted as saying the deal had to be looked at again because the United States did not support it. The transfer process may now be shelved indefinitely.

Between Decolonization and a Base

Mauritius has long pressed for the return of the Chagos as a matter of decolonization, and the International Court of Justice sided with it in an advisory opinion. Washington and London, by contrast, prioritize operating a key Indian Ocean base. The review shows how allied security calculations collide with international law and decolonization.