India, Jan. 25 -- The implementation of the UK-Mauritius treaty over the Chagos archipelago entered a state of high-stakes political uncertainty in January 2026. Following sharp criticism from US President Donald Trump, who labelled the deal "an act of great stupidity and total weakness," the UK government was forced to withdraw the Chagos Islands Bill from the House of Lords on January 23.

This immediate friction underscores strategic risks originally identified by The Sunday Guardian in December 2022 regarding China looking for naval bases near Diego Garcia. While the 2025 treaty text preserves UK and US operational control of the Diego Garcia base, political resistance in Washington and London highlights concerns over China's deepenin...