Fishing boats with 'Chinese spyware' discovered near key UK-US military base on Chagos Islands
Fishing boats loaded with 'Chinese spyware' have been discovered near a joint UK-US military base on the Chagos Islands, it has been claimed.
Labour has faced mounting criticism for its deal to surrender the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius - a close ally of Beijing - earlier this year.
As part of the deal Britain will rent back the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, as it is home to a key British and American military base.
But there are growing fears that Beijing will lean on Mauritius and seek to undermine the strategically important base by spying on its operations.
And on Thursdsay night, a representative of Friends of the British Overseas Territories claimed that already 'Chinese spyware has been found aboard fishing vessels near Diego Garcia'.
Spokesman Robert Midgley told GB News: 'Chinese diplomats did turn up to Port Louis [the capital of Mauritius] on the day the deal was announced to congratulate the Mauritian government.'
He added: 'Chinese spyware has been found aboard fishing vessels near Diego Garcia, but of course the [Foreign Office] didn't want to say anything because they didn't want to cause a diplomatic storm.'
Sir Keir Starmer used his massive majority to pass the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill by 149 votes in the Commons
Sir Keir has claimed the 'net cost' of the agreement to British taxpayers will be £3.4billion, but critics have said the true cost is closer to £30billion
In a Commons debate shadow Foreign Office minister Wendy Morton warned that Mauritius was having discussions 'in secret' with China and Russia
Shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said: 'It is already obvious that the Chagos-China surrender deal puts our national security at risk and now we hear claims that Chinese spyware has been found on fishing vessels near the islands.
'If true, this news is yet more confirmation that Starmer is prepared to throw Britain's safety aside in his desperation to kowtow to China.'
The handover of the islands to Mauritius will open the door for the fishing rights around the archipelago to be offered commercially to other countries, including China.
Beijing's use of fishing boats to spy on its neighbours is not without precedent. Known as the 'maritime militia', for decades China has used genuine fishing ships as an extension of its navy.
Operating out of ports across the South China Sea, the ships operate as commercial boats to provide plausible deniability, but secretly provide the location of submarines or the activities at ports to Beijing.
Their use has expanded under President Xi Jinping and they have previously encroached on military vessels or entered the waters of rival countries such as India.
The Foreign Office said it does not comment on security matters, but it is understood that officials are not aware of the basis for the claims.
An FCDO Spokesperson said: 'The base at Diego Garcia is continuing to operate exactly as it has done in the past, and there will be no change to the UK’s control of the base.
'That is why the US and our other allies have supported our agreement with Mauritius, which includes a 24 nautical mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia and a ban on foreign security forces anywhere in the archipelago.'
