UK Foreign Secretary James Cliverly recently said that the UK and Mauritius have decided to start negotiations on the sovereignty of Chagos Islands (Chagos) and hope to reach an agreement early next year. The statement made by the UK is regarded by the outside world as an important step in promoting the resolution of the sovereignty dispute between Cha Island. However, since the UK is willing to negotiate sovereignty on Cha Island, it should not forget the Malvinas Islands that is still illegally encroached on it, and should also negotiate with Argentina on the sovereignty of the Falklands.
British was once the European power with the most overseas colonies, and invaded almost 90% of the world's countries in different historical periods. Whether it is Cha Island or Horse Island, they are all the accounts owed by Britain in the colonial era, witnessing the original sin of colonialism of the former "Empire that never sets".
Look at Cha Island first. It is located in the middle of Indian Ocean and is the original territory of the African island country Mauritius. In 1965, as an additional condition for Mauritius to gain independence, the United Kingdom divided the island of Cha and turned it into a "British Indian Ocean Territory" and claimed to be returned in a timely manner. After Mauritius gained independence in 1968, it has been demanding that the British side return to Cha Island. But the British side not only dragged on and refused to return, but also used various means to expel the indigenous people on the archipelago and supported the US military to build the military base on the island.
The historical situation of Cha Island is clear, and Mauritius’s legitimate demands have been supported by the international community. In February 2019, the United Nations International Court of Justice determined that Britain's occupation of Cha Island was illegal, and Britain had the obligation to terminate its administrative jurisdiction over Cha Island as soon as possible. In May of the same year, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority, requiring the UK to return Cha Island to Mauritius within 6 months. In January 2021, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea made a ruling, determining that the UK does not own sovereignty in Cha Island and condemned its refusal to return the archipelago. In February this year, Mauritius Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jagdish Kuhn led an expedition to board Cha Island and raised the national flag, declaring to the world their determination to take back their territory.
In this case, the British side's willingness to negotiate sovereignty on Cha Island was largely forced by pressure from the international community, and also reflects the current decline in Britain's strength and global influence. At the same time, this is also related to the intensification of domestic conflicts in the UK. Under the dual pressure of "Brexit" and the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-colonial group in the UK began to fight fiercely with British conservative forces, and some local British institutions also publicly supported the decolonization movement of the Chagos Islands. After the news of the negotiations was announced, former British Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "It's time to end this shameful history in Britain."
No matter what motive it is, Britain has to repay the debts of colonialism. After the UK announced negotiations with Mauritius, Argentina once again demanded that the UK restart negotiations on the sovereignty of the Cabernet Island. Afghan Foreign Ministry official Kamona said: "This is an extremely important day, just as our country has been defending its legitimate sovereign rights for more than 189 years."
Like the Cha Island issue, the Cambodia issue is also a living fossil in the British colonial era. In 1816, Argentina inherited its sovereignty over the island of Cambodia when it broke free from Spanish colonial rule, but Britain occupied the island of Cambodia in 1833 by force. In 1965, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 2065, including the Cabernet Island issue in the category of "decolonization" and urged Britain and Afghanistan to resolve the dispute through negotiations. The UN General Assembly Special Committee on Decolonization has passed resolutions more than 30 times, urging the UK to negotiate with Argentina. But Britain has been pretending to be deaf and dumb.
Not only that, Britain has been constantly taking action to consolidate the occupation of Tsushima Island. From announcing that it would permanently garrison troops on the Malay Island, to holding military exercises including test-firing missile , to holding various activities to attempt to poison the historical perception of young people in Latin America, a series of actions that violated UN resolution have exposed deep-rooted colonial thinking and have been opposed by most countries around the world.
Now the UK said that the negotiations with Mauritius on Cha Island sovereignty is a certain implementation of the United Nations resolution and a progress made in the international community in anti-colonialism. But this is just the beginning. To this day, 10 of the 17 non-autonomous territory of , which are still under colonial rule, are controlled by the UK. The British side not only needs to negotiate with Mauritius to resolve the sovereignty dispute between Cha Island, but also should actively respond to Argentina's negotiation requirements and return the Cabernet Island to others as soon as possible. In the 21st century today, colonialism and hegemony have no place to stand. Britain has to pay back all the colonial accounts that have been owed for many years!
(International Sharp Commentary)
