There are two kinds of Chinese community in the Indian Ocean islands. Mauritius has mostly long-established Sino-Mauritian families, concentrated in Port Louis and Curepipe and working in commerce, import-export and restaurants. Madagascar has both old Cantonese families with roots in Shunde and a large group of recent arrivals, concentrated in Antananarivo and Toamasina and working in wholesale and retail, restaurants and construction. Seychelles and Comoros have small Chinese communities, mostly traders, project staff and aid workers.
On security: as of October 2026, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) rates all four countries blue (low risk). Even so, a Chinese-owned mall in Antananarivo was looted and burned during protests in September 2025, so unrest that targets shops can happen in low-risk countries too.
Main sectors and cities
| Country | Main cities | Main sectors for Chinese residents |
|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | Port Louis (Chinatown), Curepipe | Retail and wholesale, import-export, restaurants; newer PRC arrivals work mainly on construction projects and in textile factories [1] |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo, Toamasina and other east-coast towns such as Fenoarivo Atsinanana | Newer migrants: wholesale and retail of textiles and daily goods, restaurants, construction and mining projects. Old families: retail and exports of vanilla, cloves and sea cucumber [2] |
| Seychelles | Mahé (Victoria) | Trade and shops, construction, tourism, seafood processing [3] |
| Comoros | Moroni, Mutsamudu | Aid and contracting projects, medical teams; a few people make cigarettes or household chemicals, run clinics or buy cloves [4] |
For details, see the Mauritius guide and the Madagascar guide. Population estimates for each country are in the table below this text and on the Chinese population in Africa page.
Flights from China
MOFCOM’s 2025 Madagascar guide lists these routes, as of September 2025 [2]:
- Guangzhou–Antananarivo nonstop (Madagascar Airlines, with a stop in Réunion, about 13 hours): not yet resumed;
- Shanghai or Hong Kong to Antananarivo via Mauritius (Air Mauritius, about 13 hours): not yet resumed;
- Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai or Guangzhou to Antananarivo via Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines, about 16 hours).
For Mauritius and Seychelles, check current routes with the airlines.
Regional organisations and trade arrangements
- Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles and Comoros are all members of SADC [5] and of the Indian Ocean Commission (COI), which has five member states, the fifth being France [6]. According to MOFCOM’s Madagascar guide, COI members have removed tariff barriers among themselves and trade freely, with some exceptions [2].
- China and Mauritius signed a bilateral free trade agreement in October 2019. It entered into force on 1 January 2021 [7]. Companies exporting from Mauritius to China, or manufacturing there, should look at its rules of origin.
- Since 1 December 2024 China has applied zero tariffs on 100% of tariff lines for 33 African least developed countries it has diplomatic ties with, and from 1 May 2026 it applies zero tariffs to the other 20 African countries it has ties with, for two years [8].
None of these arrangements changes visa rules for Chinese citizens; entry, residence and work permits are handled country by country.
Security overview
| MFA risk level (as of October 2026) | Countries |
|---|---|
| Blue (low risk) | Madagascar [9], Mauritius [10], Seychelles [11], Comoros [12] |
On 25 September 2025 a Chinese-owned mall near the protest area in Antananarivo was looted and burned. Traders estimated their losses in goods at 50–60 million yuan. The Chinese embassy told citizens to monitor the situation, close their businesses and limit outings [13]. For emergencies, see Consular protection and the 12308 hotline.
References
- Country (Region) Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: Mauritius (2025 edition) (Ministry of Commerce of China, 2025)
- Country (Region) Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: Madagascar (2025 edition) (Ministry of Commerce of China, 2025)
- Country (Region) Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: Seychelles (2025 edition) (Ministry of Commerce of China, 2025)
- Country (Region) Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: Comoros (2025 edition) (Ministry of Commerce of China, 2025)
- SADC Member States (SADC Secretariat, accessed October 2026)
- Indian Ocean Commission (Indian Ocean Commission, accessed October 2026)
- China–Mauritius relations (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, 2026)
- China to apply zero tariffs to all African countries with diplomatic ties from 1 May 2026 (Xinhua / gov.cn, 2026)
- China Consular Service Network: Madagascar country profile and travel risk level (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, accessed October 2026)
- China Consular Service Network: Mauritius country profile and travel risk level (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, accessed October 2026)
- China Consular Service Network: Seychelles country profile and travel risk level (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, accessed October 2026)
- China Consular Service Network: Comoros country profile and travel risk level (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, accessed October 2026)
- Madagascar protests: Chinese mall looted, 60 million yuan in losses (The Standard, Hong Kong, 29 September 2025)
Countries in this region
| Country | Chinese population (est.) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Madagascar | ~50,000 (about 40,000 new migrants, 10,000 old diaspora) | 2025–2026 |
| Mauritius | ~20,000–30,000 of Chinese descent; ~3,000 PRC nationals | 2022–2025 |
| Seychelles | ~400 | 2025 |
| Comoros | ~300 | 2025 |