US-Mauritian Relations - Bilateral diplomatic relations between the United States of America (USA) and Mauritius .
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History
Relations between countries are dominated by trade and sovereignty over the island of Diego Garcia , the British possession of which is the US military base. In 1965, Mauritius ceded control of the Chagos archipelago (including Diego Garcia) to Great Britain in exchange for £ 3 million. Despite UN objections to British control of the archipelago, in 1966, London leased the island of Diego Garcia to the United States for fifty years. The United States has created a military base on the island, including one capable of receiving a large number of warships and an airfield to service the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress . Since the late 1980s, the government of Mauritius began to urge London and Washington to regain its sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, but to no avail.
In 1968, the United States established diplomatic relations with Mauritius after it gained independence from Great Britain. At present, relations between the countries are friendly: they cooperate on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues. Mauritius is a leading beneficiary of the American African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and a US ally in the fight against maritime piracy in the Indian Ocean [2] .
Trade
Exports of goods from Mauritius to the United States (mainly textiles) grew from $ 28 million in 1982 to $ 120 million in 1987. However, US quotas have limited exports from Mauritius. Exports of goods from the United States to Mauritius increased from 11 million US dollars in 1986 to 48 million US dollars in 1991. Between 1982 and 1987, the United States provided Mauritius with $ 56.2 million in development assistance [1] .
Mauritius is entitled to preferential trade with the United States under the AGOA. US exports to Mauritius: agricultural and industrial equipment, precious stones and jewelry, as well as optical and medical instruments. US imports from Mauritius: textiles and clothing, gems and jewelry, processed fish, primates, sunglasses and sugar. More than 200 US companies are represented in Mauritius. About 25 of them have offices in Mauritius serving the domestic and / or regional market, mainly in the field of information technology, renewable energy, textile, fast food and courier sectors [2] .