From PRIDE

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Mar. 22, (CMC) – Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have told China that they are serious about implementing the internationally agreed commitments on climate change, adopted during the United Nations Conference on the Environment (COP) 21 in Paris, last December.

Barbados Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs Minister, Maxine McLean, addressing the sixth Caribbean Round of Consultations with China here, today, said, the region remains focused on addressing the issues of climate change.

She said, Caribbean countries are also calling on Beijing to follow suit, as regards the implementation of the agreement reached in Paris.

The meeting, here, was preceded by discussions among representatives from CARICOM countries that have diplomatic relations with China, and a statement issued afterwards said, that it discussed “priority issues for the region”.

China’s Vice Foreign Minister, Wang Choa, acknowledged that climate change is a major issue threatening the Caribbean and underscored the need for closer cooperation to address the matter.

“Now it is the more important for China and Caribbean countries to step up their cooperation,” he said, noting, that Beijing is promoting economic restructuring.

He said, Caribbean countries are advancing their own economic development and laying out new paths for economic growth.

“Building synergy between our two sides is very important for strengthening our cooperation,” he told the meeting that is being attended by representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, Suriname, Jamaica and the host country, Barbados.

In her address, McLean said, that the consultations provide an excellent opportunity for Caribbean countries and China to explore ways in which they could cooperate to address various challenges.

She said, many of the countries in the region had not yet recovered from the “catastrophic” economic crisis, which started in 2008, and were still experiencing slow or negative economic growth.

“Among these new challenges confronting our economies are the issues of de-risking and correspondent banking, as well as the debt burden. These issues constitute an existential threat to our economies. These consultations provide an opportunity for us to raise these concerns and to explore the possibilities for cooperation,” she said.

McClean, who is co-chairing the meeting, also outlined shared concerns between the Caribbean and China.

“In spite of the disparity in size, population and economy, the Caribbean and China share a number of concerns. Each side is affected by the impact of climate change and takes, seriously, the implementation at the national level of internationally agreed commitments with respect to climate change, as well as to the Sustainable Development agenda as a whole.

“As Small Island Developing States, the Caribbean side is only too well aware of the effects of climate change which negatively impact our national economies and threaten our very physical existence. The area of climate change adaptation and mitigation is certainly a priority issue for consideration in our cooperation with China,” she said.

The Barbados Foreign Minister said, that Beijing has been a good partner to the region, funding a number of projects in a wide range of sectors, including tourism, education, education and agriculture.

“China’s support for the development efforts of the region has not been restricted to ‘bricks and mortar’ investments alone. Indeed, the gains derived from people-to-people contact have been immeasurable, and have helped to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our peoples,” McClean noted, adding, that China had also provided humanitarian assistance to Dominica after Hurricane Erika devastated that country.

IMAGE: Barbados Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs Minister, Maxine McLean. Photo credit: Barbados Foreign Ministry.

For more on this story go to: http://pridenews.ca/2016/03/22/caribbean-seeking-chinese-support-on-climate-change/