Caribbean–China relations
Caribbean regional relations with China are mostly based on trade, credits, and investments, which have increased significantly since the 1990s. For many Caribbean nations, the increasing ties with China have been used as a way to decrease long time over-dependence on the United States. The Overseas Chinese population, in this case Chinese Caribbeans, help make the connections with trade and political links.
Additionally, China's policy in the region has been the use of "dollar diplomacy" or the attempts to switch several nations from recognizing Taiwan as an independent nation, towards the recognition of the "One China" policy, in exchange for Chinese investment. Outside of China's stated position on where it stands about Taiwan, trade between China and the Caribbean region has been steadily increasing.
China has also expanded several levels of cooperation with the Caribbean region. China and the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago were said to have formed an agreement where asphalt from Trinidad and Tobago would be exported to China during its construction boom in preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[1][2] In exchange, China has led several construction projects in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean region via Chinese owned construction companies. Trinidad and Tobago has also[clarification needed] mooted the idea of starting direct shipments of oil and liquid natural gas direct from Trinidad and Tobago to China, to fuel the later's growing need for resources to fuel their economy.
As the Caribbean political heads of government have had several messy run-ins[which?] with the Bush administration in the United States with respect to recent demands, China has been more sympathetic to the Caribbean position globally and has stepped up military training exercises in the Caribbean for example in direct response to several sanctions placed on governments in the Caribbean region for not following the wishes of the Bush administration.
Several capital-works or infrastructural projects across the Caribbean region have also been financed by the Chinese government.
See also
- Foreign relations of the People's Republic of China
- Barbados–China relations
- China–Cuba relations
- Chinese Caribbean
- Sino-Pacific relations
References
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- ↑ http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business_mag?id=161210725
External links
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the People's Republic of China - Department of Latin American Affairs (Covering regions of Latin America and the Caribbean)
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- China in Latin America and the Caribbean - November 1, 2006: Jamaica Observer daily news
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- China likely to buy sugar, bananas from English-speaking Caribbean - September 24, 2005: Jamaica Observer daily news of the Caribbean
