The UK’s Guardian newspaper has released more of the leaked US cables obtained by WikiLeaks that mention The Bahamas.
The leaked state department cables indicate that American diplomats were somewhat alarmed over the massive Chinese investments in the Bahamas, including the investment in Baha Mar. There apparently was some concern that the Bahamas-Chinese relationship could destabilise US influence in a post-Castro Caribbean.
Chinese banks have promised an investment of $2.5bn in the 1000-acre Baha Mar hotel complex, one of several Chuinese-Bahamian deals which the cables suggest the US embassy closely monitored.
The Guardian reports that:
Diplomats were frightened the investment would leave the Bahamian government “indebted to Chinese interests for years to come”, a cable from September 2009 reveals. They also repeated Bahamian politicians’ fears that “China is using this investment solely to establish a relationship of patronage with a U.S. trading partner less than 190 miles from the United States.”
The embassy had been concerned for several years about China’s involvement in the Bahamas. They previously worried that Chinese activity in the Bahamas constituted “a strategic move [in preparation] for a post-Castro Caribbean”, and questioned China’s interest “in a country where apart from geography, there would seem to be few mutual cultural, tourist, economic, or political interests”, according to cables from 2003 and 2004.
Follow the links below to read the entire cables posted on The Guardian’s website.
