British media disclosed that the United States plans to bypass the UK's "purchase" of the Chagos Islands.

According to British media reports on the 7th, US officials have drawn up a plan to bypass the UK and directly reach an "acquisition" agreement with Mauritius for the Chagos Islands. According to the British Telegraph, citing informed sources, the plan is one of several drafted by the US government, with the aim of replacing the UK's plan to transfer sovereignty of the island to Mauritius. The sources also said that US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has informed President Trump about this "acquisition" plan. The Chagos Islands are located about 750 kilometers northeast of Mauritius in the southwest Indian Ocean, and were ceded to the British colonial authorities in 1965. The following year, the UK leased the main island of the group, Diego Garcia Island, to the United States to build an air force base.