Trade between China and the Bahamas has seen a “huge increase over the past three years, Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell has reported.
The annual trade between the two countries is now pegged at US$120 million, marking a “significant” increase, according to Mr. Mitchell.
“(The figure) is now three times the size of the trade that existed between the countries, as recently as three years ago,” said Mr. Mitchell.
The minister was speaking on Monday at the Office of the Prime Minister, during the Chinese government’s presentation of a $50,000 cheque to help in The Bahamas’ hurricane relief efforts.
Mr. Mitchell also noted that earlier this year China designated The Bahamas as a destination for Chinese tourists, and provisions were underway to concretise the agreement and set up mechanisms for travel for Chinese tourists to The Bahamas.
China has a population of 1.3 billion people, and according to tourism officials, at least 50 million can afford a vacation to far-flung destinations like The Bahamas. Only a fraction of Chinese visitors travel to the region annually, and most of them go to Cuba.
Mr. Mitchell said that the development of an Embassy in Beijing, China is also on stream.
Foreign Affairs undersecretary, Philip Miller, has visited China for two weeks and the next step is to refurbish a space and make provisions for staff, said Mr. Mitchell.
He said that all provisions should be completed by the end of January and at that time the whole issue of consular matters will be transferred from the British over to The Bahamas’ own Embassy in China.
Earlier on Monday, during the annual honorary consular corps lunch, Mr. Mitchell said that the “remarkable” trade relations between China and The Bahamas were “likely to increase.”
“This is significant. With The Bahamas listed as a designated tourist destination that trade is likely to increase. The Bahamas has agreed to purchase two high powered scanning machines for cargo at our ports. This is a significant purchase and we look forward to the installation of the equipment in the new year,” said Mr. Mitchell.
China’s trade with the Caribbean in 2003 was almost $1.5 billion, with a Chinese surplus of more than $1 billion. Jamaica and Cuba are the biggest trading partners in the region because of their mineral resources. But The Bahamas is a big export market in the English-speaking Caribbean, made up mostly of clothing, toys and souvenirs.
The minister also announced at the luncheon that The Bahamas’ embassy in Havana, Cuba is scheduled to open during the first week of January 2006, and that some interim measures were being taken to assist students trying to obtain British visas to attend school in the United Kingdom next year, since the closure of the British High Commission in The Bahamas has prevented students obtaining visas here.
Mr. Mitchell also reported that during 2005, The Bahamas has successfully established diplomatic relations with 10 countries, including Latvia, Egypt, Pakistan, Hungary, Czech Republic, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Ghana, Mozambique and Estonia.
From: The Bahama Journal
