If there were any doubts that China has its eyes on Latin America and the Caribbean, just look at the latest statements emanating from Beijing about its plans to assist the Caribbean trade bloc.
The current regional chairman and prime minister of Antigua, Gaston Browne, is on an official state visit to China, lobbying for increased aid for his economically troubled Eastern Caribbean mini-state, but also looking out for the interest of a bloc that he will oversee until his term ends this year.
Browne and his delegation reported this week that China—which has major projects in nearly every bloc member state, barring a few that prefer to do business with Taiwan—has promised to dish out additional aid to the region to help them adapt to climate change, tap into cheap energy, build highways and other infrastructural projects and boost the lifeline tourism industry.
Browne met with Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang for more than an hour during his official state visit, which also touched on additional areas such as agriculture and airport construction.
“We understand the island nations such as Antigua and Barbuda in that regard, and we will provide necessary assistance to help you cope with climate change and protect the interests of developing countries,” Keqiang told Browne and his delegation.
Browne, on the other hand, said that relations with China are “central” to Antigua’s foreign policy, as it looks to reverse years of negative growth and recover from the 2008–2009 global economic crisis.
A decade ago, that statement would have involved the U.S. rather than China. Diplomats and foreign policy experts say this is the new reality, given the greater level of American attention being placed on the Middle East and Asia, to the neglect of the region.
Browne’s visit comes as labor unions and civil society groups in many bloc member states are stepping up their level of monitoring China’s role in individual countries, especially its habit of completely shutting out the local work force on mega-projects involving the state or private sector agencies.
Governments that have persistently blamed the U.S. for neglecting the region are increasingly turning to the Asian giant for aid and economic assistance, and China appears only too willing to extend a helping hand.
Last year, most of the leaders of the 15-nation bloc traveled to Trinidad for a summit with the Chinese head of government and walked away with more than $2.5 billion in concession aid loans.
Many countries like Guyana are investing in mega-projects, such as the construction of new airports and highways, while pointing to the fact that the U.S. helped to destroy the region’s crucial banana industry, despite the fact that it was responsible for a mere 2 percent of global production, and other policy decisions that threaten the region’s economic well being.