Chinese High Ranking Delegation Touring US Neighbours - Increasing Influence in region

Bahamas PM, Hubert A Ingraham (right) greets His Excellency Yikang Jiang, during a Courtesy Call on November 16. Pictured centre is Wei Qi, interpreter. (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

About two months after a visit to Cuba and the Bahamas by Wu Bangguo, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of The People’s Republic of China, both countries have once again welcomed high ranking officials from the PRC. This week Yikang Jiang   Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Secretary of the CPC Standing Provincial Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of Shandong Provincial People’s Congress, headed a delegation on a three-nation tour to Mexico, Cuba and The Bahamas - all sharing territorial borders (land in the case of Mexico and Sea with Cuba and The Bahamas) with the United States of America. The purpose of his visit was stated as being to enhance relations and a better understanding between the countries diplomatically and politically.

As the officials were making rounds in the Western Caribbean it was announced in Guyana that Chinese engineers will be headed to that South American nation in the coming weeks to conduct detailed investigations and technical studies before beginning construction of a new electricity power network in the second quarter of next year that can take 30 months. The new network is expected to help solve major power supply problems in that country.

During their visit to Nassau, the Bahamas Government announced that like other Caricom nations, it will participate in Shanghai Expo 2010, which will feature the culture of Caribbean nations. The Expo is slated to run from May 1 to Oct 31, 2010 and is expected to attract as many as 70 million visitors.

In September 2009, the Chinese concluded several bilateral agreements; one dealing with a 20-year concessionary loan of 400 million RMB (US58.6 Million) for the construction of a new four (4) lane highway leading from the Lynden Pindling International Airport to the College of The Bahamas in New Providence, and another, a 50 million RMB (US$7.3 million) Grant for the construction of a 15,000-seat “state-of-the-art” stadium scheduled to be completed in early 2011.