Britain is confident its plan to secure the future of a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia will be ratified, despite being dismissed by the new Mauritian prime minister and an ally of President-elect Donald Trump.

Sir Keir Starmer’s deal to give away the Chagos Islands could allow China to build a rival military base near America’s, a former attorney general has warned. Sir Michael Ellis also said Chinese vessels could be stationed in the water near the strategically important joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia,

The British government says it is confident its plan to secure the future of a U.S.-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia will be ratified after an ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the new Mauritian prime minister publicly dismissed the deal.