India-Mauritius Relations | 12 Sep 2025

Source:HT

Why in News? 

During Mauritius Prime Minister’s visit to Varanasi, India was described as a trusted partner in Mauritius’ socio-economic development and as having steadfastly supported it at all times.

What are the Key Outcomes of Mauritius PM’s Visit to India?

• Development and Economic Support: India announced a Special Economic Package for Mauritius, covering the development of Port Louis, surveillance of the Chagos Marine Protected Area, and support for infrastructure, employment, and healthcare projects.
  • The first Jan Aushadhi Kendra outside India has been established in Mauritius, and India will extend cooperation to set up an AYUSH Centre of Excellence.
• Community Development and Capacity Building: Signed an MOU for Phase 2 of High Impact Community Development Projects to strengthen development partnership.
  • India will provide civil service capacity building for Mauritius using Mission Karmayogi as a reference platform.
• Energy: MoU signed on energy and power sector cooperation to help Mauritius meet energy needs, including a 17.5 MW floating solar power plant.
• Space cooperation: Signed an MoU on space cooperation for satellite telemetry, navigation, remote sensing, and capacity building.

How are India’s Relations with Mauritius?

• Diplomatic and Political Relations: India established diplomatic relations in 1948, before Mauritius’ independence (1968). 
  • The India-Mauritius Comprehensive Economic Cooperation and Partnership Agreement (CECPA), 2021 is the first trade agreement signed by India with an African country. Ties elevated to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership in 2025.
• Trade and Investment: India as a trading partner accounts for 11% of Mauritius’ imports in 2024, ranking third among its top trading partners.
  • Key Indian exports are petroleum, pharmaceuticals, cereals, cotton, shrimps, and bovine meat.
  • Key Mauritian exports are vanilla, medical devices, aluminium alloys, refined copper, and cotton shirts.
  • Mauritius has contributed a cumulative 180B USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) to India from 2000 to 2025, accounting for 25% of total inflows, facilitated by the Double Taxation Avoidance Convention.
    • In FY 2023–24, Mauritius was India's second-largest source of FDI after Singapore.
• Development and Cultural Ties: India supports healthcare, education, and cultural institutions like the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and the Indian Cultural Centre (largest abroad), with over 2,500 Mauritian students benefiting annually.
• People-to-People Links: Around 26,000 Indian nationals and 13,000 Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders live in Mauritius. 
  • OCI eligibility has been extended to Mauritians with Indian ancestry up to seven generations.
• Tourism and Education: Tourism is strong between India and Mauritius, with visa-free entry for Indians and free visas for Mauritians.
• Strategic and Regional Cooperation: Mauritius is key to India’s Neighbourhood First Policy and Vision MAHASAGAR. 
  • India, through exercises like AIKEYME, trains Mauritian personnel, refits coast guard vessels, and strengthens maritime capabilities.

What is the Significance of the Bilateral Relationship Between India and Mauritius?

Significance of Mauritius for India

• Strategic Location: Mauritius’ position in the western Indian Ocean helps India secure sea lanes and maintain regional maritime security under SAGAR/MAHASAGAR.
  • It acts as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence and strengthens India’s regional role.
• Economic Relations: Mauritius is a gateway for India’s trade and investment in Africa, as it is a part of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Significance of India for Mauritius

• Development Partner: India has provided over USD 1 billion in the past decade and  helps protect Mauritius’ Exclusive Economic Zone and trains its personnel.
• Disaster Relief: It acts as first responder during crises such as Wakashio oil spill (2020) Cyclone Chido (2024), and Covid-19.

What are the Challenges in India-Mauritius Relations?

• Dependency on Indian Assistance: Mauritius relies heavily on India for development aid, concessional credit, and grants. Over-reliance may push Mauritius to diversify its partnerships to avoid dependence on a single country for economic and security needs.
  • Domestic policies and balancing relations with China, France, and the US complicate India’s engagement.
• Geopolitical Competition: Rising Chinese investments in Mauritius, including Jinfei Smart City and port projects, challenge India’s strategic influence.
• Limited Private Sector Engagement: Indian public sector enterprises dominate economic activity in Mauritius, while private sector participation remains low, limiting business innovation and trade diversification.
• Maritime Security: Piracy, drug trafficking, and illegal fishing threaten stability in the Western Indian Ocean.
• Trade Barriers: High logistics costs and limited direct shipping routes restrict bilateral trade.

What Should be the Way Forward to Strengthen Ties Between India and Mauritius?

• Trade, and Economic Partnership: Expand CECPA to include services, fintech, and digital trade.
  • Introduce Rupee–Mauritian Rupee payment system and promote Mauritius as India’s financial gateway to Africa and encourage private sector investments, particularly in technology, AI, and financial services.
• Development and Sustainability: Oil spills, and coastal degradation threaten Mauritius’ economy and tourism to contour this prioritize green energy, water security, blue economy projects, climate adaptation, disaster management, and marine conservation.
• Strategic Cooperation: India should enhance Agaléga Island’s infrastructure and surveillance capabilities with Mauritius to boost maritime security, and regional strategic presence under MAHASAGAR.
• Financial and Regulatory Strengthening: Enhance anti-money laundering cooperation and reinforce Mauritius’ role as a global financial hub.
• Cultural and Diaspora Engagement: Promote Indian culture, heritage, Hindi language, scholarships, Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation programs, and establish a Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra to engage the diaspora.

Conclusion

India-Mauritius ties are a strategic, economic, and cultural partnership, with India supporting development and security, and Mauritius playing a key role in MAHASAGAR. Strengthening trade, sustainability, and diaspora engagement will ensure a resilient, mutually beneficial relationship.