U.S. must better engage Bahamas, where our competitor, China, is making major investments | Opinion
The competition between the United States and China will be one of the most important national security issues confronting the Biden administration.. In an article in Foreign Affairs, President-elect Biden wrote about the special challenge China presents. In an article for the same magazine, Jake Sullivan, the president-elect’s national security advisor, along with Asia-expert Kurt Campbell wrote, “China today is a peer competitor that is more formidable economically, more sophisticated diplomatically and more flexible ideologically than the Soviet Union ever was.”
Competition is one approach, but confrontation is also part of the discussion. There must be a comprehensive and sophisticated approach toward China.
It should include engaging with nations close to home where the United States should have an historic, competitive advantage. Specifically, there needs to be a focused and sustained effort for the United States to strengthen its relationship with the Bahamas, where China, for a number of years, has invested. The problems with the dynamic in U.S.-Bahamian relations represent a microcosm of the issues the United States must address if it is to push back against China’s global engagement efforts.
The United States and the Bahamas traditionally have had a close relationship. Tourism, which is the biggest industry in the Bahamas, is largely driven by U.S. tourists. In addition, the Bahamas rely on trade with the United States to keep its economy going, particularly food and fuel. Unfortunately, the Bahamas have fallen on tough times recently. Hurricane Dorian, which devastated the island nation in 2019, destroyed 50 percent of housing there. Dorian and the coronavirus pandemic are estimated to have cut 60 percent of the Bahama’s GDP. The situation is made more acute by the fact that tourism produces 50 percent of the Bahama’s GDP, and the pandemic has had a dramatic impact on tourism there and globally.
In response to these crises and, more generally, to ensure the viability of the economy in the future, the Bahamas government has looked to two principal sources of support: China and developing a domestic oil industry. Regarding the oil industry, drilling is beginning, which will initially determine the size and volume of the oil reserves available. It could be as much as 2 billion barrels.
While this could have an immediate impact on the Bahamian economy, it will have a negative impact on the environment there and regionally. Environmentalists say that the project is being rushed and a comprehensive environmental impact assessment has not been undertaken. What safeguards are in place if there is an oil spill also are a concern. In addition, there are questions about how this could affect Florida and other nations in the region.
Environmental groups and businesses are petitioning the Bahamian government to stop the drilling, indicating they will take legal action if necessary. The government has struggled economically, particularly during and after Hurricane Dorian, facing challenges of recovery and development issues. This struggle has created an opening for China to play a larger role in the Bahamas.
China has been increasing its investment in the Bahamas for a number of years. It is poised to take further advantage of the recent setbacks of the hurricane and pandemic, establishing an economic beachhead where the closest Bahamian island is less than 60 miles off the coast of Florida, closer than Cuba. For example, China has provided $3 billion in loans to build a port and provided $54 million in loans to construct a four-lane highway and another $3 billion in loans to build a resort. The Chinese technology firm Huawei has been involved with upgrading digital infrastructure.
The concern is not that China is about to take over or colonize the Bahamas, but that the important U.S.-Bahamian connection is eroding and, over time, could be permanently hurt. This would certainly have an impact on U.S. standing in the region. A case in point is that there has been no U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas since 2011. That sends the wrong signal to the Bahamian government, particularly post-Dorian and during the pandemic.
The issue of competition with China in places such as the Bahamas is not about ideology. It is about engagement. The Chinese have resources they are willing to invest to establish a connection to a region, whether it is in the Caribbean, Latin America or Africa. Their development tools are an extension of their foreign policy. The United States might not have the development-assistance dollars it once did, but there are other ways to let nations like the Bahamas know they matter. Trade, technical assistance, working through NGOs and encouraging private-sector involvement would show that the US wants to strengthen its relationship with the Bahamas.
A positive first move would be to send an ambassador who wants to work with the Bahamian government and people as they rebuild from the dual tragedies of the hurricane and the pandemic. This could also be a useful step in meeting the challenge the Chinese pose in the Bahamas and globally.
Patrick Griffin, a professor at American University, worked as an assistant to President Clinton He was secretary to the Democratic Conference in the U.S. Senate. William Danvers is an adjunct professor at George Washington University’s Elliott School and worked on national security issues for the Clinton and Obama administrations.
