Mauritius at the crossroads between the West, the East and the Global South

By Hartmut Sieper, CEO of pro-mauritius.com

In geopolitical terms, Mauritius is standing at the crossroads. The Western world is increasingly getting involved in the Ukraine conflict and even prepare for a big war against Russia which easily can become the starting point for World War III. The economic and financial situation of many European countries is dire. On the other side, the BRICS+ World is rapidly expanding.

There are two predominant power blocks: On one side the United States with its European allies and the OECD countries in the Asia-Pacific region (Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand), and on the other side Russia and China and their allies (some Central Asian countries, Belarus, North Korea, Iran). The US hegemon wants to remain the number one power in the world, while the People’s Republic of China wants to become the number one power – a position which China held many centuries ago.

The world is getting split more and more. The division is not only between countries, but also within societies. In the Western countries, there is an existential conflict between left-wing, green-socialist forces which include most governments, the mass media and almost the entire education sector. Along with it comes censorship, distorting the truth, and cancellation of all opponents. Freedom and liberty as we know it for decades is at risk. Conservative opinions, for instance that there are only two genders-men and women, and any critical stance with regard to the Corona measures and vaccines, the LGBTQ agenda, the theory of anthropogenic global warming, and any other narrative which is against the ‘official’ narrative, are no longer tolerated by those in power. The very foundations of Christian belief and our core Biblical values are under immense attack.

Let’s now take a look at the BRICS+ world and what they stand for. The leading protagonists which are China, Russia and India, promote a multipolar world where economic collaboration and development between nation states is encouraged while governments will not interfere with other governments regarding interior politics. In a nutshell, the Multipolar World model offers more freedom and opportunities than the so-called rule based international order. The countries of the Global South are clearly favoring the Multipolar World. Important decisions have been made and announced during the BRICS summit which took place in the fourth week of October in Kazan, Russia.

The Republic of Mauritius is somewhere between those two spheres of influence. There are strong ties to Europe, but also to India.

What if the global conflict between these two opposing world orders reaches a point where each nation has to decide which one to belong to or to follow? What would be the position of Mauritius?

The island is a prime destination for tourists, mainly from Europe. The US has strong and permanent interest in keeping their naval base on Diego Garcia. The Mauritian law has elements of the French law (Code Napoleon) and the British Common Law. These factors are favoring a strong Western bias in geopolitics.

On the other hand, Mauritius is positioning itself as a preferred gateway to Africa. For cross-border transactions with African legal entities, Mauritius is by far the best Financial Center in all of Africa. Due to many Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (IPPA), Mauritius is the jurisdiction of choice for setting up holding companies, trusts, foundations and Special Purpose Vehicles. Furthermore, Mauritius has signed a great number of free trade agreements which are very beneficial for us. Its geographic location between Africa and Asia represents a strategic advantage that we need to utilize and to further develop in the future. It is clear that these regions will have the highest economic growth rates in the world for the next ten to twenty years.

I strongly suggest that Mauritius should position itself toward the BRICS World and the Global South while trying to stay neutral as long as possible. Smart entrepreneurs and investors, both local and international, should embark on this trajectory on time and should explore the Global South via Mauritius.

We Christians should play a vital role in this development by building strong networks to fellow Christians in other countries of the Global South, especially in Africa. We should not shy away from being business-minded and from actively pursuing opportunities in this coming favorable environment.

Africa is the continent of the future. Europe is the continent of the past. Mauritius and Mauritians: Choose wisely and get prepared!

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