No pressure from China against India: Seychelles President Danny Faure tells WION in exclusive interview

By Amitabh Pashupati Revi

Is China behind the opposition to the Seychelles-India island naval facility?

The Seychellois President, in an exclusive interview, told WION: “China has been present in Africa and China has also been present in Seychelles. China has helped Seychelles in its social-economic development like India has also helped Seychelles in our social-economic development. So, we have looked towards India and China with the same friendship so this is a place where we have welcomed all partners and at no time have we found ourselves under any pressure from the Chinese government, not at all.”

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The Seychelles-India deal was initially reached in 2015 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Victoria.

The deal is for India to build, maintain and operate a maritime facility on Assumption Island. The island is strategically located on key Indian Ocean routes and will give — if and when set up — New Delhi a position on vital lanes.

The deal has to be ratified by the Seychellois National Assembly but it is stuck since the Opposition controls the Parliament.

President Faure also went to great lengths to expain to WION that his country was not part of the so-called Great Game in the Indian Ocean between India and China.

He said: “No, in Seychelles our relationship has been very different. I think the relation is based on respect and I have found that from my interaction with Prime Minister Modi, the leaders of India, and I have seen that from the relationship that I have with the Chinese government. Big countries, the size of your country, size of your population, but both have genuine respect for a small country like Seychelles and our relationship has never been one of being dictated to by a big country . I think it is in this context that I believe that Seychelles, our relationship will grow with both India and China.”

The Seychellois President also denied his country is playing off India and China in what analysts say is China’s encirclement of India in a ‘string of pearls theory’

Answering a WION question on whether smaller countries try to play off bigger countries to gain the most for themselves, President Faure said, “No, I can say that sincerely not from China, not from India.”