An international judge who ruled against Britain on the Chagos Islands used to be a Chinese government official who supported Putin's invasion of Ukraine, it has been revealed.
While she served as vice president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Xue Hanqin ruled in 2019 that Britain should hand over the archipelago to Mauritius "as rapidly as possible".
In the written document submitted to the ICJ, China declared that it backed the "decolonisation" of the territory. Her support for such a stance was considered controversial given her previous support for Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
She supported the majority verdict that led the UK to start up negotiations over the islands, which is home to a joint base shared between the UK and US.
Last October, Labour announced that it would "surrender" the territory to Mauritius and has drafted a handover deal
ICJ; GETTY
Last October, Labour announced that it would "surrender" the territory to Mauritius and has drafted a handover deal.
China has consistently supported Mauritius' claim over the islands and those slamming Starmer's deal have suggested that Beijing is hoping to gain a foothold in the region.
Xue used to work as a Chinese Communist Party official and was director general of the department of treaty and law in the nation's foreign ministry.
The judge later became China’s ambassador to the Netherlands and to the Association of South-east Asian Nations further on in her career.
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Mauritius has never had sovereignty over the islands and, since its independence in 1968, has been entirely separate from the country.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump's advisers have warned individuals that surrendering the archipelago would let China spy on the West more easily from the strategic location.
Xue previously attracted media attention when she voted against an ICJ ruling that Russia should pause its "special military operation".
Shadow armed forces minister Mark Francois said that her history as a Chinese official was "of concern".
The deal will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to MauritiusGettyHe said: "For months, we have been warning about growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific, so this news is a further source of concern.
"We are only in this position because of the Government’s total obsession with international law, even advisory judgments, which are not legally binding in any event. The Chagos chaos continues."
The ICJ ruling on the islands was not binding but influenced the way British Government lawyers that having sovereignty over the archipelago had legal risk.
Attorney General Lord Hermer is believed to have backed this view that keeping control over the islands held legal risks.
