Tanzania maintains relations with various countries around the world. Its closest ties are with its fellow Swahili-speaking neighbors in the African Great Lakes region. Relations with Kenya and Mozambique are generally strong, as the three nations work toward economic and social integration through common membership in the East African Community. Tanzania's relations with other states vary. The government of Ethiopia established political links in the colonial period with Tanzania's then British administration, and today it is one of several national bodies with a diplomatic presence in Dar es Salaam. Relations with Mozambique have historically been tense, although there has been some military co-ordination against insurgents. Elsewhere, the Tanzanian government has political ties with China, India, Russia, and Brazil. It also maintains relations with Western countries, particularly the United Kingdom, although political and economic instabilities are often blamed on Western activities (e.g. colonialism, paternalistic engagement, and post-colonial resource exploitation).