Barbados - China Relations
On May 30, 1977, China and Barbados officially established diplomatic relations, which marks Barbados one of the very first English-speaking Caribbean countries to forge diplomatic ties with China. Barbados and China have been working together since 1977 when Barbados established diplomatic relations, to build a relationship based on mutual trust, cooperation and shared values. In recent years, the relationship has been strengthened by Barbados’ participation in national and regional initiatives and in efforts to forge greater cooperation between Latin America and the Caribbean. Our recent participation in the China/Latin America and Caribbean Year of Cultural Exchange is an expression of a resolve to forge people-to-people partnerships with China in culture and in other fields.
Prime Minister Thompson's 7-9 May 2008 visit to China was well received by the media, with days of headlines on his meetings and visits, including his audience with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his visit to the Great Wall of China. Newspaper headlines highlighted the strengthened ties between the burgeoning Asian power and Barbados. For his part, PM Thompson was able to secure promises of roughly 4 million dollars in new aid projects and soft loans over the existing monies already pledged by China. The media focused exclusively on increasing economic and cultural ties, instead of more uncomfortable issues like human rights or Tibet. One prominent editorial writer who accompanied the PM on his trip wrote an article explaining that after his visit to China, he felt the country should be considered a democracy, like any other democracy, just with a different system. Another commentator, who had visited China, said he saw no evidence of human rights problems worse than that in the U.S. or Canada.
The PM's visit so soon after his successful election bid was necessary in order to squelch the rumors from the election campaign that, if elected, the DLP would switch recognition to Taiwan. The major take away for the Chinese side was Barbados, concurrence that CARICOM should adhere to the One-China Policy.
Concerns over recognition and the tightly contested elections in the Eastern Caribbean in recent years have led the Chinese government to provide direct election funding to major candidates in regional elections. In the 2008 election the Chinese gave money to both of the major parties in Barbados, in order to assure continued recognition.
The visit of the President of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Mr. XI Jinping to the Caribbean in 2013 where he met with Caribbean leaders in Trinidad and Tobago was a particularly significant event in China- Caribbean relations. The Barbados Prime Minister attended this meeting and fruitful discussions were held to increase cooperation between Barbados and China.
Barbados was among the first group of Englishs-peaking Caribbean countries to establish diplomatic ties with China in 1977, and since then, mutual trust has been continuously enhanced, economic cooperation steadily expanded, educational and cultural cooperation increasingly strengthened. Especially in recent years, thanks to the support of the two countries’ leaders and joint efforts, new breakthroughs and progress have been achieved in bilateral cooperation.
Barbados became the first English Caribbean country to sign the Treaty on Extradition and Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with China. Sam Lords Castle Hotel Project was contracted and commenced utilizing China EXIM Bank’s Preferential Export Buyer’s Credit Loan. China-Barbados Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for Holders of Diplomatic and Service (Official) Passports has come into effect.
Chinese Navy hospital ship Ark Peace successfully paid its inaugural port call to Barbados. The first group of Chinese doctors and nurses worked at Queen Elizabeth Hospital to offer medical services to local patients. The first HSK Test (Chinese Language Proficiency Test) center in the Caribbean has been set up at Confucius Institute of University of West Indies, Cave Hill Campus. “Fish and Dragon Festival” and “Happy Chinese New Year Festival” has been successfully celebrated for two consecutive year in Barbados.
Since establishing diplomatic relations, Barbados has pursued a policy of cooperation with the Peoples Republic of China based on mutual respect and the pursuit of shared values with people and the Government of China.
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