US ANXIOUS OVER CHINESE PROJECT IN T&T

THE United States authorities are reacting with deep concern to the launch of the China-funded Phoenix Park Industrial Estate.

A report is being prepared for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the likely impact of the commissioning of the 145-acre industrial park, financed with a Chinese loan of almost $700 million.

The Americans are expected to increase their presence in Trinidad and Tobago with “soft power” projects and the deployment of the Southern Command, which handles security and humanitarian operations.

The ventures would be coordinated by US Ambassador Candace Bond.

Almost 50 Chinese manufacturers are due to set up shop at the state-of-the-art park at California, off Couva, the first project of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in T&T.

T&T is now the tenth Caribbean country to undertake ventures of the BRI, a global enterprise of the Chinese Government designed to spread its economic and diplomatic influence.

The American authorities, including President Joe Biden, have warned BRI recipients that they could get caught in the Chinese debt trap and in the political orbit of that Asian powerhouse.

Before the Phoenix Park loan, T&T’s debt to China was more than US $6 billion.

Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Zambia and several other countries are under severe financial stress because of their inability to repay huge BRI loans.

At the launch of Phoenix Park, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley hailed the “strong and blossoming relationship” between T&T and China.

Rowley said the “milestone marks the inauguration of the most modern industrial park in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.’

He stated that five more industrial estates are planned for Central Trinidad.

The American authorities claim that China’s Xi Jinping administration is using BRI in the Caribbean, Latin America and elsewhere to grow its presence for economic and military purposes.

American critics say China is looking to upstage the US in this part of the world with trade in minerals and agriculture, investments exports of mechanical, electrical and high-tech products.

China has also reportedly been pressing the region for political and diplomatic support.

The US authorities are anxious about China’s growing power in America’s backyard and the expected bearing on trade, security and other important matters.

The Southern Command had previously reported to the US Congress on the major critical projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, including in the vital Panama Canal.

The US agency would undertake several official ventures in T&T, in cooperation with locals, a diplomatic source confirmed.

In the past, the Southern Command was involved in military training, medical support, disaster preparedness, and humanitarian projects.

There are several BRI projects in the Caribbean, including a massive 12,000-square metre port in St. John’s, Antigua, built at a cost of US $87 million.

The BRI funded Jamaica’s US $730 million North-South Highway, which was completed in 2016.

Several Chinese companies are carrying out multi-million-dollar infrastructure development, hotel construction, energy and security contracts in Guyana.

The Chinese are also venturing into wind, solar, and telecommunications projects in Georgetown.

There are several BRI operations in the Bahamas, including a US $3 billion deep-water containment port and a four-lane highway.

Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Suriname also have BRI projects.

There are also undertakings in Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

T&T joined the BRI in 2018, when Rowley visited China.