Barbados and China recently celebrated their decades of connections at the cultural, diplomatic and economic levels.Some of the landmark structures which were the result of Chinese financing and labour are dotted across the island and they have been undertaken under both major political parties.Some of these landmarks include the Barbados Tourism and Investment Inc (BTII)-operated multi-level carpark and office complex now housing the Immigration Department.Other projects include the Wildey Gymnasium and the Warrens Office Complex, while more recent Chinese funded initiatives include the new Wyndham Sam Lord’s Castle hotel and major road rehabilitation in the rural parishes of St Joseph and St Andrew.The Chinese government has also been a key partner in the supply of electric buses for the state-operated Transport Board. Despite the strong relationship, most Barbadians are still puzzled, if not latently suspicious about the Chinese government’s benevolence. Why has the Asian powerhouse been so generous, even noble in its gifts to the people of Barbados?We refer to the Chinese government in this editorial simply because it is extremely difficult to distinguish what is genuinely Chinese private sector, state-sponsored or just outright government actors.
