Barbados??? Ambassador to China, Dr. Chelston Brathwaite, is promoting Barbados as a good place for investment in an era where so many countries are also competing for a ???piece of that pie???.
He expressed confidence in Barbados as a sound investment domicile, during a television interview with China Daily???s reporter, Don Wei, recently.
Ambassador Brathwaite pointed to Barbados??? third place ranking in the Americas on the human development index, its high per capita income, highly-educated labour force, modern technological infrastructure, modern airport linking to major cities of the West, world-class tourism industry and world-class financial services industry, as among the attributes that make the island a good place to invest.
Emphasising the importance of China as a strategic partner, he said discussions were currently ongoing for support in a number of key areas and sectors.
???We are currently discussing with China a number of initiatives for support in areas such as infrastructure and tourism development. There are also opportunities for private enterprise to collaborate with us in areas such as renewable energy and food production.???
He also noted: ???We also see opportunities for collaboration with our University for the exchange of students, professors, information, research and technology. The???establish[ment] of a Confucius Centre at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, ??? we see this as an important initiative to strengthen collaboration between Barbados and China???for Barbados to learn more about China and for Chinese to learn more about Barbados???We believe that there are great opportunities for investment in Barbados from China.???
On the topic of Chinese tourists travelling to the region, the Ambassador described it as a ???wise decision???, and pointed out that the Caribbean, and Barbados by extension, offered a world-class tourism product, with facilities for sports, relaxation and cultural diversity.
Now in China for the past six months, Dr. Brathwaite described his experiences in the Asian nation so far as overwhelming.
???I am overwhelmed by the reality that is China ??? a country with 1.34 billion people, with an economy that is growing at 7.5 per cent annually, a country that has seen tremendous growth and economic transformation in the last 30 years since reform and opening up, a country that has seen some 300 million people leave poverty and enter the middle class ??? a country that has clearly defined a future where you consider that they must be a balance between economic development and the environment.???
He further stated: ???I am fascinated by your country???I am fascinated by the management, the coordination and the governance of the process of change that has occurred in your country without social or financial crises…this is admirable and I think that this is something that all Chinese should be proud of.???
julie.carrington@barbados.gov.bb