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Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is of geopolitical significance to India that cannot be overstated in today’s world of shifting alliances and rising threats
PM Narendra Modi with his Mauritius counterpart Navin Ramgoolam pays tribute at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden, in Mauritius on March 11. (Image: PMO via PTI)
Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar and off the southeast coast of Africa, is celebrating its National Day on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chief guest and has already landed in the country.
Modi’s celebrity status in Mauritius is unparalleled as ever as 70 per cent of the population draw their roots and heritage from India. Not only that, diplomatic ties between the two countries have only strengthened in the last 77 years.
They established diplomatic ties 20 years before Mauritius gained independence from the United Kingdom. With the same colonial history, there is a shared trauma and understanding that has created a strong foundation for the ever-growing relationship.
The island nation is of geopolitical significance to India that cannot be overstated in today’s world of shifting alliances and rising threats.
A BOND FORGED IN SHARED STRUGGLE
The ties between India and Mauritius stretch back centuries, rooted in the painful legacy of colonialism. Under French and later British rule, Indian indentured labourers were brought to Mauritius to work on sugar plantations with many permanently settling there.
Today, nearly 70 per cent of the island’s 1.2 million population are of Indian origin, with communities tracing their ancestry to Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and beyond. The fact that the country chose March 12 – marking Mahatma Gandhi’s Dandi March – as its National Day is a powerful symbol of this shared heritage. It is a reminder that history is not just the past, but the foundation on which this partnership stands.
The shared colonial trauma – British exploitation, forced migration, and the struggle for independence – has created a mutual understanding that goes beyond rhetoric. The first prime minister of Mauritius, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam worked closely with Indian freedom fighters like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, even proofreading his book, The Indian Struggle. His son, Navin Ramgoolam, now in his third term as PM, continues this legacy by inviting Modi as the chief guest for National Day – this is a signal of trust.
India has navigated the country’s complex political landscape with finesse, maintaining strong ties regardless of who is in power. That is rare in today’s world, where alliances can shift overnight.
TRADE AND ECONOMIC TIES
India is one of the largest trading partners of Mauritius, and the numbers speak for themselves. In FY 2023-2024, India’s exports to Mauritius reached $778.03 million, while Mauritian exports to India were $73.10 million with total trade hitting $851.13 million.
In addition, Mauritius is the second-largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India after Singapore, thanks to a favourable double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) that has made it a hub for financial flows.
The comprehensive economic cooperation and partnership agreement (CECPA), signed in February 2021, was a game-changer for trade ties. It was India’s first such deal with an African nation, and it is paying off dividends.
Mauritius, with its bilingual population (English and French) and well-developed financial sector, is a gateway to Africa, especially Francophone Africa. With China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) making inroads in Africa, India cannot afford to be left behind. Mauritius is the bridge India needs.
But Mauritius does not want to just be a gateway, it has its own needs and ambitions. Navin Ramgoolam wants to reduce his country’s debt-to-GDP ratio from 83 per cent to 60 per cent, and India is a key ally in this effort.
India’s support – through lines of credit, grants, and investments – is helping Mauritius diversify its economy, from sports to healthcare. For India, this is strategic as a stronger Mauritius means a stronger partner for India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). And with China’s economic clout growing, India needs to double down on this relationship.
DEFENCE AND MARITIME SECURITY
Since 2008, Chinese warships have patrolled the IOR and, since 2017, China has maintained a naval base in Djibouti. To say that the region is turning into a complex battlefield of sorts will not be an understatement.
Mauritius, with its strategic location and vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 2.3 million sq km, is critical to India’s maritime security. It can even be akin to a sentinel that India cannot afford to lose.
India’s investments in the maritime infrastructure of Mauritius are partly a direct response to China’s expansive economic aggression in Africa and even in Mauritius, with anti-India protests, possibly fuelled by Beijing in 2020. Former PM Pravind Jugnauth dismissed these claims, but the optics were damaging.
Agaléga, located 1,100 km north of Mauritius, is closer to India’s southern coast and sits at the crossroads of key maritime routes. It is a frontline asset in the fight against piracy, drug trafficking, and illegal fishing – all threats that China’s presence exacerbates.
When India, therefore, helped upgrade the airstrip and jetty on Agaléga – inaugurated in February 2024 – it made complete sense. These facilities allow India to station larger aircraft like the P-8I, previously based in French Reunion Island, and enhance maritime surveillance.
In addition, the technical agreement on sharing white-shipping information, expected during Modi’s visit, is a step in the right direction, but is it enough? India needs to ramp up joint patrolling, capacity building, and intelligence sharing. China is not waiting for us to make moves.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVELOPMENT: BUILDING TRUST, INFLUENCE
India’s development assistance to Mauritius is nothing short of staggering. Over the past decade, it has pumped nearly $1.1 billion into the island nation, with $729 million in lines of credit and $427 million in grants.
Projects like the Metro express, civil service college, and area health centre are transforming the landscape of Mauritius. These are not just bricks and mortar, buildings developed, for the sake of development. They are symbols of India’s commitment to the progress of Mauritius.
And in a region where China’s infrastructure projects often come with strings attached, India’s approach is a breath of fresh air. In addition, out of the 96 agreements signed in 2022 for small, people-oriented projects, 51 have already been inaugurated. Moreover, India has trained nearly 5,000 Mauritians under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme since 2002-2003. We can call it capacity building, or enhancing our soft power, but it works.
Scholarships, cultural exchanges, and joint research initiatives have deepened this connection. There are approximately 2,316 Indian students currently pursuing higher education in Mauritius, studying fields like medicine, hotel management, and business studies. Around 300 to 400 students come to India in search of higher education.
CHINA’S RED FLAG
China is the biggest threat to India’s influence in the IOR, and Mauritius is ‘ground zero’. And then there is the Maldives, where India’s influence has hit rock bottom after the government signed a military assistance deal with Beijing and asked Indian forces to leave. Though some issues have been resolved, we are still far off from where we were at the start of 2023, making Mauritius even more crucial to India’s IOR strategy.
China’s playbook is clear: economic coercion, infrastructure projects, and strategic partnerships. Mauritius, with its strategic location and economic potential, is a prime target. The anti-India protests in 2020, possibly backed by Beijing, are a stark reminder of China’s tactics.
India needs to counter this narrative, and fast. The Agaléga projects are a start, but India needs to go further. Enhanced joint naval exercises, intelligence sharing, and economic incentives look like the best bet.
For India, it is also much bigger than Mauritius. It is about the security of the IOR and the ability to thwart China in its own backyard. India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policy, announced in Mauritius in 2015 needs to be put into overdrive. We cannot have another Maldives on our hands. Mauritius is a cornerstone of this strategy, and India needs to double down.
TRUST AND ENDURANCE
This partnership is critical to India’s ambitions in the IOR. Trade, defence, infrastructure, maritime security – every pillar matters. The historical bond is a strategic asset, plain and simple. It gives India a natural ally in the IOR, a region where influence is fiercely contested.
Mauritius as a partner, with deep people-to-people connections, understands India’s concerns. And with China circling, this trust is worth its weight in gold. The question is not whether history matters, it is how India can leverage it to secure its future.
