Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of China's Gray Zone activities in (a) Mauritius, (b) the African continent and (c) the Indo-Pacific region on UK interests; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of those activities after UK-Mauritius Treaty comes into effect.

We are well aware of the tactics China have deployed in various regions, and these were taken into full consideration when the UK-Mauritius Treaty was being negotiated. This is one of the reasons that we ensured robust security provisions in the treaty. Both parties have committed to cooperate to prevent the base at Diego Garcia being undermined and to close consultation on any security concerns.