China’s increasing aggressiveness in the Global South has been causing alarm in many circles. Puerto Rico legislator Rep. José Aponte Hernández joined the chorus with a recent statement as reported in the San Juan Daily Star.
“The creation of dual infrastructure on the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, because the docks and, in particular, the airport, are being developed for the purpose of being used for the landing and take-off of Communist Chinese bombers, is the greatest threat to our nation since the Soviet Union established a robust military presence in Cuba in 1961,” Aponte Hernández said.
“Puerto Rico, as it did in the 1960s, plays a crucial role in stopping the advance of communism in the Caribbean,” he continued. “Leaders of our nation, both in Congress and in the Executive Branch, know about this and know that Puerto Rico is the democratic enclave that is needed to stop these advances of an ideology that enslaves its people, that does not allow freedom of expression and that oppresses its opponents.”
Antigua and Barbuda
Aponte’s remarks remarks came in response to Chinese construction in Antigua and Barbuda. While China has been cooperating with the islands for some years, recent investments represent a major step up. According to Newsweek, the new construction will be “a Chinese-run special economic zone” with its own customs and immigration regulations. The zone will issue passports and be a home to Chinese state-run businesses. Some observers also believe that it will be a center for espionage.
The Global Times reported in January that Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne visited with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the representative of “one of the first countries in the Eastern Caribbean to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China.” The article emphasized that Antigua and Barbuda “firmly believes that Taiwan was, is and will always be a province of China, and Antigua and Barbuda will continue to firmly abide by the one-China principle and firmly support China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Statehood as a solution?
China has been accused of colonization by stealth through enormous loans throughout the world. In nations like Laos, China’s investment in the form of essentially unpayable debt has put China in the position of ownership. Antigua and Barbuda may be in a similar position, with loans and investments totaling an estimated one billion dollars, according to the Foreign Affairs Committee. The Guardian describes the new economic zone as “a Chinese colony.”
Aponte Hernández suggested that admitting Puerto Rico as a state could provide a bulwark for the United States in the Caribbean. In a message to his political party, he said, “I call on all New Progressives to incorporate this new geopolitical reality to take the message and raise awareness among congressmen, state legislators, governors and other elected officials, both federal and state, to talk about this in their messages about the need for statehood for Puerto Rico. We have to be active and move on this issue quickly, because it is a matter of national security that, whether we like it or not, places us at the center of this new political reality in the Caribbean, and we must capitalize positively to finish solving the problem of the territory.”
