Foreign relations of Mauritius

Trade, commitment to democracy, and the country's small size are driving forces behind Mauritian foreign policy.

Mauritius also maintains close ties with the United Kingdom, a former member EU state and the colonial power until 1968.

Mauritius coordinates much of its foreign policy with the Southern Africa Development Community and the Organisation of African Unity.

Mauritius is also a member of the International Criminal Court with a Bilateral Immunity Agreement of protection for the US-military (as covered under Article 98).

Under the President of the People's Republic of China Hu Jintao in 2010, an investment package of $750m was allocated to Mauritius to develop the Jinfei Special Economic Zone which consists of 211 hectares (521 acres) of land.

Buildings of infrastructure and services primarily serving interests of Chinese companies operating the African region but would also eventually open up to foreign parties.

The proposed investment package also includes development of advance logistic operations in Mauritius, construction of a university and an oceanographic research centre.

[106] France has remained one of its biggest trading partners; in addition, the two countries share close cultural ties in language, media and literature.

In recent years, the spectacular development experienced by Malaysia has seen a steady increase in the number of Mauritian visitors to the country.

[citation needed] While this is four times less than the number of Mauritians travelling to Singapore, the trend remains highly positive.

[citation needed] Another recent trend has been that of Mauritian youngsters going to Malaysia for higher studies, encouraged by the affordable fees and quality of life.

In 2002, Mauritius recalled its ambassador to the United Nations for not accurately conveying his government's pro-American stance in the Security Council debate.