A highly visible example of China’s strategy in taking over the Caribbean is the new $35 million nation stadium recently completed in the Bahamas. At the entrance of the stadium, built by Chinese crews augmented by local workers, is a prominent “China Aid” plaque. When the stadium begins to attract regional sporting events, visitors will help fill up the $3.5-billion Baha Mar megaresort also being built mostly by Chinese capital and Chinese crews with some local participation. Baha Mar is the largest single-phase resort development in the history of the Caribbean and broke ground in February of 2011 and is expected to open in late 2014. A Chinese state bank has also recently agreed to provide $41 million to build a port and a bridge. Beijing is also investing in an impressive Chinese Embassy. When American tourists visit the Bahamas, they will leave with the impression that China’s power stretches to America’s doorstep. What China has done in the Bahamas is being replicated in a dozen other tiny, impoverished Caribbean and Central American nations to make sure they turn their backs on Taiwan while providing opportunities for spreading China’s economic footprint into the western hemisphere which was once the exclusive domain of US foreign policy and business expansion. Taiwan is struggling to fight back with aid and joint ventures in Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Lucia. But Taiwan can’t match the scale of China’s business interests and government control over funding. And the US is stretched too thin with two wars and efforts to revive the domestic economy to do much to counter China’s influence.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 23:14:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015