CARICOM official urges region to promote tourism and rum in China
22 May 2023
Ambassador Wayne McCook delivered remarks at the third Confucius Institute Lecture
The long-standing relationship between China and the Caribbean provides a basis on which Caribbean countries can seriously pursue strategic trade opportunities especially in the areas of tourism and spirits.
This is the view shared by H.E. Ambassador Wayne McCook, Assistant Secretary-General, CARICOM Single Market and Trade (CSMT) Office as the featured speaker of the Third Confucius Institute Lecture marking The University of the West Indies 75th anniversary and the 60th anniversary of The UWI Cave Hill Campus. The ambassador expounded on the dynamic partnership between the Caribbean and China in a changing world during his presentation.
Ambassador McCook shared that the most far-reaching collective engagement between China and Caribbean countries in the areas of trade, investment and economic cooperation is ‘perhaps’ the China-Caribbean Trade and Economic Forum.
“At the third China-Caribbean Trade and Economic Forum in 2013, China committed its support for efforts by Caribbean countries to expand export to China including their participation in major exhibitions, and promotion of products in China. At the forum China also committed to strengthening cooperation with Caribbean tourism counterparts and provide support for Caribbean tourism promotions in China,” said Ambassador McCook.
According to the Ambassador, this provides the basis for Caribbean countries to “work in partnership with China to fulfil these promises and pursue serious trade opportunities in tourism, spirits and more”.
While conceding that market penetration in China presents challenges in spite of its large size and significant increase in spending capacity, Ambassador McCook advised that the Caribbean already has a strong foundation on which to sustain and deepen its relationship with China.
“Cooperation and partnerships with China could be maintained and strengthened on the basis of mutual interest and on the basis of sovereign choices made by the countries of the Caribbean,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The UWI Cave Hill Campus Professor Clive Landis ad earlier noted that the Confucius Institute at Cave Hill plays an important role in helping to deepen understanding and cooperation between the Caribbean and China, particularly in the areas of language and culture.
“The initiatives of The UWI Cave Hill campus through The Confucius Institute and through our Minor in Chinese, reflect the alignment of the Cave Hill Campus with the Government of Barbados in fostering a productive relationship with The People’s Republic of China, which is playing an expanding role both in the global economy and here in the Caribbean,” said Principal Landis.
He also highlighted the work in progress at the Agricultural Research Park in Dukes, St. Thomas, which is being constructed through a generous bilateral grant between the People’s Republic of China and the Government of Barbados to underpin agricultural research and innovation.
“This and many similar development initiatives in conjunction with the People’s Republic of China across the Caribbean Region place a burden of responsibility on regional institutions, such as The UWI, to help train a cadre of persons equipped with the Mandarin language skills along with competency in their specific fields of expertise to make best use of the development opportunities that are afforded by the growing economic and diplomatic influence of China in the Caribbean,” said Professor Landis.
The third installation of the Confucius Institute lecture followed the inaugural lecture in 2018 given by Dr. DeLisle Worrell, former Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados on the topic “How China’s economic success contributes to Caribbean prosperity”, and the second lecture in 2019 delivered by Professor Hongsheng Ren, Associate Dean, School of Politics and Public Administration, of the China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) – Cave Hill’s partner university in China – on the topic “One Belt One Road and the Development of the Caribbean Region”.
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