POND ISLAND–China has been courting St. Maarten for more than two years now, albeit via private sector push such as the still stalled Pearl of China resort. This push has not been as strong as seen in neighbouring islands, but it is there with most recently the hosting of an entrepreneurs forum.
St. Maarten working with the China government or its partners is in the hands of the local government, said Dutch State Secretary for Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops on Tuesday while in the country for a working visit. He, however, added the caveat that any relationship between St. Maarten and the Asian economic giant must be beneficial to the Dutch Caribbean country.
It is the responsibility of the St. Maarten government to always pose this question about benefit, Knops said. That question is: “What’s in it for us and if we, the people, really benefit long term in working together. That’s the question you should always ask when working together,” he said.
Asked about the Dutch government’s take on St. Maarten possibly pursuing closer economic ties with China, Knops said in a joint press conference with St. Maarten Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin: “I am not here to say St. Maarten is able to do or not. My only message would be always ask yourself … if the outcome is beneficial for everybody to work together with the Chinese or other economic partners.”
Any relationship must have solid ground. “It’s all about quality, about sustainability. It is about reliable partners and, of course, integrity. All these elements you have to balance and then draw a conclusion,” Knops said.
St. Maarten as a country in the region where a lot of activities take place and where the Chinese are also very active, he noted. “You have to be aware of all these players in this economic atmosphere.” Awareness is key for the local government, Knops pointed out.
“I think so far this is a discussion which has been done in a good way, in a good manner. One we can support with foreign affairs,” Knops said on the already in-progress relationship building the China is attempting with St. Maarten. He was, however, very keen to point out that the Dutch government is the entity responsible for foreign relations in the kingdom.
In May 2017, then Prime Minister William Marlin attended the One Belt, One Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, China on invitation of the Chinese government. This came after the announcement in September 2016 of the multimillion dollar China public-private sector resort and conference project called the Pearl of China that was to come on Belair beachfront.
St. Maarten was to host the 2018 Belt and Road Forum for Latin America and the Caribbean. This did not take place. In its place the “Seminar on Entrepreneurship, Post-disaster Recovery and Industrial Upgrading and 2018 China-Caribbean and Latin America Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition was held by the Caribbean-China People Foundation.
There was some talk that the originally planned forum did not get the support of the current St. Maarten government due to pressure from the Dutch government on the platform of foreign relations responsibilities.
Knops’ statements on Tuesday may be seen as an indication that St. Maarten is allowed to plot its own course to China.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/80284-knops-sees-no-barrier-to-st-maarten-working-with-china-but-urges-caution
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