Stronger Economic Ties
No one seems to be quite sure of the reason China has increased its participation in the Caribbean. With the exception of the few resource-rich members of the Caribbean Community and Single Market Economy, most Caribbean countries do not fit the trade profile, in particular, of China. Trade between China and the countries of the Latin American and Caribbean region has grown significantly over the last 10 years. With a focus on mineral and agricultural commodities, China has done quite a bit to convince the region that it is serious about the economic interests that it has been pursuing. Between 2008 and 2011, trade between China and Latin America and the Caribbean jumped 71 per cent from $110 billion at the end of 2007 to $188 at the end of 2011. In the process of developing stronger economic ties with the region, China has surpassed the USA as the largest investor and trading partner of Brazil. Brazil now accounts for 40 per cent of the region’s trade with China.
In addition, China joined the Inter-American Development Bank and its many trade and investment facilities. More specific to the Caribbean, China has held three trade and investment initiatives with it, the most recent being in Trinidad and Tobago in September last year. While it
