The Tribune

By DAI QINGLI,

Chinese Ambassador to The Bahamas

THIS is one of the best times to be in The Bahamas. Celebrations for the 50th Independence have been in full swing, building up to the magic moment of July 10, 2023. From Clifford Park to Government House, from Junkanoo parades on Bay Street to cheering crowds across family islands, from smiling faces to tears of joy, the sea of happiness and pride immersed not just from every Bahamian, but also all those who were on this historic scene.

There’s every reason for Bahamians to be proud of what this country has achieved over the past half century, from slavery to a bloodless revolution, and to remarkable political stability. Its economic transformation is stunning, “from a sleepy fishing village to the buoyant tourist mecca of the Americas and the Caribbean”, as a letter to the editor writes.

This nation is also made proud by its talented sons and daughters in numerous areas such as arts, music, and sports.

These achievements are a credit to the hard work, ingenuity and sacrifices of generations of Bahamians.

China was represented at the celebrations by Mr Xiao Jie, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, who was the highest ranking official to visit The Bahamas in more than a decade. The delegation travelled half the world to convey sincere congratulations from the Chinese government and people to the government and people of The Bahamas.

Apart from official meetings with Bahamian leaders, the delegation was deeply impressed by The Bahamas’s global leadership in cruise tourism and tourism infrastructure. They also enormously enjoyed their cultural experiences at the Junkanoo Museum and the National Art Gallery.

The vice chairman’s visit is testimony to a strong and growing diplomatic relationship between China and The Bahamas based on equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.

As The Bahamas’s founding Prime Minister Lynden Pindling noted at the United Nations in September 1973, “We wish to enjoy the friendship and benefit from the association, wisdom and experience of those who wish to be our friends and respect our freedom as we want and know it.”

China respects the choices and way of life of the Bahamian people. We never passed judgement, imposed our will, or attached political conditions to bilateral cooperation, which led to a range of flagship projects such as the Thomas Robinson Stadium, the Airport Gateway, the North Abaco Port, the Freeport Container Port, the Pointe, and the Baha Mar resort which would not have been completed without Chinese investment.

At times of need, China is always ready to help, such as the 13 batches of medical supplies delivered to The Bahamas during the pandemic. We believe that’s what friends do.

Our relationship has also been made stronger by the growing friendship and mutual cultural appreciation between our peoples. The latest example of this was the successful acrobatic performances by Hunan Province as a special gift for the 50th Independence of The Bahamas.

Above all, the crucial political foundation of our relations lies in The Bahamas’s adherence to the one China principle.

Taiwan has been an integral part of China since ancient times. The island was colonised by Japan for 50 years since 1895, and restored to China after Japan’s surrender in 1945. After civil war broke out in China, the Kuomintang group retreated to Taiwan in 1949, perpetuating the separation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait till this day.

Taiwan is a profoundly emotional issue for any Chinese. No other aspiration unites the 1.4 billion Chinese more strongly together than achieving complete reunification of the motherland, and no government in China would ever be able to bear the cost of losing Taiwan.

The Bahamas, being an archipelago of more than 700 islands, understands the importance of national unity. This country, who re-enacts the lowering of the Union Jack and the raising of the Bahamian flag at midnight on July 10th every year, could well imagine the emotions of every Chinese about Hong Kong’s handover, which was marked by exactly the same ritual of Union Jack being lowered and the Chinese flag hoisted at midnight on July 1st, 1997.

In the communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations signed with China in May 1997, The Bahamas recognised that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is a province of the People’s Republic of China. Such commitments have enabled healthy and stable development of bilateral relations for the past 26 years.

Recent years have witnessed both further strengthening of the international community’s consensus on one China and rising separatist adventurism by Taiwan aided by the United States.

More countries, including those in Central America, are setting up diplomatic relations with China. Only 13 countries in the world now maintain so-called diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The root cause of recent tensions in the Taiwan Straits lies in the Taiwan authorities’ unscrupulous drive for independence and the United States’ attempt to use Taiwan for containing China.

While the US pays lip service to one China, it has moved to upgrade official exchanges and substantive relations with Taiwan; while saying no to Taiwan independence, the US has kept selling sophisticated weapons to Taiwan and engaged in a dangerous show of military muscle in the Taiwan Straits. While constantly challenging one China, the US tried to spin the narrative by labeling China “assertive” and accusing China of changing the status quo.

China has every right to protect its own sovereignty and territorial integrity. How can China be the provoking party when it was the US who came all the way to create trouble on China’s doorstep?

Some in the United States and the West got China’s strategic intentions fundamentally wrong. Chinese leaders have on many occasions stated that China has no intention to challenge or replace the United States.

China’s development is to fulfill people’s aspirations for a better life and increase their well-being through a Chinese path to modernisation.

Instead of pursuing hegemony, China’s foreign policy aims to create an enabling regional and global environment for China’s development at home, safeguard China’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity, and contribute to global peace and development.

China is not a threat, but an economic opportunity. Even with severely strained relations, China-US trade reached a record 700 billion dollars last year sustaining over a million jobs in the US.

China’s pursuit of “Belt and Road” cooperation for the past ten years has mobilized close to a trillion dollars in investment, created 420,000 jobs and lifted almost 40 million people out of poverty in participating countries.

Sadly, some in the United States still cling to a zero sum, black-or-white mentality and are driven by emotion rather than reason, fear rather than self-confidence. They fail to see that given the complementarity and interdependence between China and the West, no amount of pressurising will change the larger historical trend and decoupling and de-risking will only end up harming their own interests.

China has no geopolitical agenda in developing relations with The Bahamas. Like any other country, The Bahamas has the right and the capacity to develop its relations with China and with its neighbours at the same time.

We have no doubt in our mind that beautiful Bahamaland will march on Forward Upward Onward Together to an even brighter future. China will remain a friend to The Bahamas as the country sets sail for the next 50 years.