This week, China hailed its growing relations with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), noting the dramatic increase in trade in the past decade and its ongoing fight for hearts and minds with the US in the region.
In remarks celebrating 28 years of diplomatic relations with The Bahamas, Ambassador Yan Jiarong used the opportunity to reply to recent comments from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had warned Caribbean Community nations to be careful about their growing relations with China.
In remarks interpreted as a direct reply to Rubio, the envoy suggested that no harm can flow to any nation because of trade and other relations with Beijing.
“As the world’s second-largest economy and also a key engine of the Global South, China does not coerce, does not threaten, does not sanction or invade others, and China was not and is not a colonizer but a trustworthy friend and long-term cooperating partner for LAC countries,” she said.
“This kind of relationship harms no one, and I think that whether it’s The Bahamas or China, we have the right, and we also have the wisdom to choose with whom to be our friends and with whom to be our trading partners,” she said.
In meetings with three different sets of Caribbean leaders in the past six weeks, Secretary Rubio has doubled down on Washington’s fear of China’s increasing influence in its geopolitical backyard, warning about security and other risks.
Most leaders say they foresee no harm and plan to ensure their nations do not end up amid the US-China Cold War.
And pointing to growing trade between the LAC states and China, the ambassador rolled out figures showing trade volumes reaching $518 billion in 2024 and growing yearly.
“It’s doubled in the past decade and an increase of over 40 times from the beginning of this century,” she noted, detailing various forms of assistance from Beijing to hemispheric nations in recent years.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the region, China was among the first to offer assistance to LAC countries, providing over 300 million doses of vaccines and nearly 40 million units of medical supplies and equipment and sending multiple teams of medical experts,” she said.
From all appearances, China is investing heavily in the Bahamian economy, with investors owning two of the most prominent tourist resorts in the Caribbean- the Baha Mar and Margaritaville.
In the coming months, it is also processing a nearly $300 million loan to build a state hospital on New Providence Island.
