During the trip, Prime Minister Holness met with Chinese leader … It was not until China began showing up in the Caribbean that U.S. attention gradually refocused on a region often referred to as Washington’s “backyard” or “third border.”  While part of China’s drive into the Caribbean was motivated by the search for markets and commodities, it also required a string of ports to facilitate broader hemispheric trade with both North and South America. Tapia should be given a message about where Jamaica’s foreign policy is formulated, which oughn’t be Foggy Bottom.” The editorial also suggested that under the current world order, where new centers of power—such as China—are rising as a result of global realignments, small countries like Jamaica are increasingly interested in “maintaining a viable system of multilateral partnerships.”Ambassador Tapia’s reaction to Prime Minister Holness’ visit—and The Gleaner’s editorial response—exemplify the shifting tides in Caribbean international relations, a region where the United States risks losing influence over players like China. In the meantime, His Excellency Dr. Yang said Jamaica and China are key development partners. From November 3 to 9, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness led a delegation to attend the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. There are countries which are now realizing that the rose that they saw in China is nothing but thorn bush.”In December, following the aftermath of the uproar over Ambassador Tapia’s comments, the U.S. government announced the launch of its (Growth in the Americas), described to be “an innovative approach to support economic growth by catalyzing private sector investment in energy and infrastructure projects across Latin America and the Caribbean, including telecommunications, ports, roads, and airports.” Jamaica figured prominently at the launch, joining the U.S. Caribbean Energy Security Initiative, a loan guarantee program that will help to mobilize $25 million in private finance for energy projects in the region in cooperation with the National Commercial Bank of Jamaica, under the umbrella of the Growth in the Americas project. With China’s economic penetration into the Caribbean, the U.S. now has a rival for the hearts and minds of people in the region. Diplomatic relations between China and Jamaica were established on 21 November 1972. Jamaica later established a formal embassy in Beijing, and the current ambassador is Courtenay Rattray. Although Ambassador Tapia’s warnings were perceived as rude by many Jamaicans, his concerns are echoed by U.S. national security thinkers. Although U.S. interests in the Caribbean never entirely left in the aftermath of the Cold War, Washington’s engagement faded considerably without the catalyst of an external aggressor.It was not until China began showing up in the Caribbean that U.S. attention gradually refocused on a region often referred to as Washington’s “backyard” or “third border.” While part of China’s drive into the Caribbean was motivated by the search for markets and commodities, it also required a string of ports to facilitate broader hemispheric trade with both North and South America.The strategically located Caribbean offers a number of harbours that sit between China and one of its major customers of consumer goods, the United States. It's about creating a new…The recent agreement of the Trans-Pacific Partnership is about far more than trade. It is the geopolitics of Sri Lanka’s situation that concerns the U.S., where poor debt management gave Beijing a strategic access point into India’s sphere of influence, and begs the question of whether the same could happen in the Caribbean. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete.The article reflects the author’s opinion only, and not necessarily the views of editorial opinion of Belt & Road News.This website uses cookies to improve your experience.