This article paints a portrait of a carefully calibrated, decades-in-the-making strategic play by China, not a sudden outburst of aggression. The “facts” – the escalating investment, the diplomatic courtship, the leveraging of Mauritius’s geographic position – aren’t evidence of a hostile takeover, but of a patient accretion of influence. The steelman argument suggests a pragmatic attempt by China to secure access and establish a foothold in a strategically vital region, mirroring established p...