It seems as if we are getting alot of gifts from the Chinese lately... am just curious as to what this is all about:dgi: mind you i have no problems with the gifts....I just have a suspicious mind seeing that people of suspicious character control a lot of businesses from that country.... consider this some one always giving you gifts:rip: they might be setting you up for something in return

With the Bahamas cozying up to Cuba and chiina.....both being communist countries.... i am wondering if they are using us as a means of having their operations in the back door of the USA:dgi: :dgi: :raw:

maybe am just paranoid:cry:

come on let me hear your views:raw: :raw:

:wipe:
It seems as if we are getting alot of gifts from the Chinese lately... am just curious as to what this is all about:dgi: mind you i have no problems with the gifts....I just have a suspicious mind seeing that people of suspicious character control a lot of businesses from that country.... consider this some one always giving you gifts:rip: they might be setting you up for something in return
With the Bahamas cozying up to Cuba and chiina.....both being communist countries.... i am wondering if they are using us as a means of having their operations in the back door of the USA:dgi: :dgi: :raw:
maybe am just paranoid:cry:
come on let me hear your views:raw: :raw:
you are pretty smart, why do you think they are giving us gifts? first they need us in those UN meetings and also to use us as most Countries do, give us couple little gifts and we are their puppets. They are NOT Greek, but you know the old saying, beware of Greeks bearing gifts! but on the other hand, some of those gifts are needed, so maybe we liked to be used.:wipe:

Of course they want a foot-hold in the West! I have said it before, and I say it again - if you don't like the U.S. lording it over us, wait until the Chinese get in the driver's seat! You will really hate that! Ask the folks in Tibet! :hot:

It seems as if we are getting alot of gifts from the Chinese lately... am just curious as to what this is all about:dgi: mind you i have no problems with the gifts....I just have a suspicious mind seeing that people of suspicious character control a lot of businesses from that country.... consider this some one always giving you gifts:rip: they might be setting you up for something in return
With the Bahamas cozying up to Cuba and chiina.....both being communist countries.... i am wondering if they are using us as a means of having their operations in the back door of the USA:dgi: :dgi: :raw:
maybe am just paranoid:cry:
come on let me hear your views:raw: :raw:

I don't think they are using us directly since we don't have enough power or influence in the world sphere to really effect any real change. So I don't think we offer them the advantage you are thinking about. Right now the Chinese have lots of money and nothing to do with it, so they possibly see the Bahamas as a decent place to invest since our economy is fairly strong, being so close to the US. Investing in the Bahamas also allows the Chinese the get their hands on US dollars, which in world economics, gives them quite a deal of power in influencing world economic conditions in their favor.

Most economists see China as the next leading world power in the world, so it would make sense for them to be nice to everyone until they finally take the reigns of power. They are just biding their time and making all the friends they can, so when they do make a move to take the helm they have some support.

Come to think of it, maybe we should not accept gifts from China, or be very careful that there are no strings attached.

Dealings with communist and dictatorship countries would not sit too well with Uncle Sam. I believe it is still against U.S. Export Regulations for certain sensitive military equipment/computers to be shipped to those countries. And unscrupulous persons could use us as a transit area.

So this is something our authorities should be very careful about in order to avoid problems with the U.S.

I don't think they are using us directly since we don't have enough power or influence in the world sphere to really effect any real change.
Geographic location is important for a lot of reasons. There is the monetary positive to be so close to the US in a bank secret country. Tactically, there is no better place to lob a nuke from as the Soviets learned in Cuba. The Bahamas could end up sanctioned by the UN if we cozy up too much too quick. In terms of having power, the Bahamas is the #2 register for shipping at the Int'l Maritime Org, a division of the United Nations. This small democratic country has a pretty big voice right now, thanks to Mr. Mitchell. That voice could get a lot louder we let the US think that we like the Chinese.
So I don't think we offer them the advantage you are thinking about. Right now the Chinese have lots of money and nothing to do with it, so they possibly see the Bahamas as a decent place to invest since our economy is fairly strong, being so close to the US.
They're currently the #1 consumer of steel, aluminum and oil. They're doing something...
Investing in the Bahamas also allows the Chinese the get their hands on US dollars, which in world economics, gives them quite a deal of power in influencing world economic conditions in their favor. Truth, but at what cost?

Most economists see China as the next leading world power in the world, so it would make sense for them to be nice to everyone until they finally take the reigns of power. They are just biding their time and making all the friends they can, so when they do make a move to take the helm they have some support.


I fear that The Bahamas, the place we hold near and dear to our hearts could be badly damaged by a close association with the Chinese.

1. The pace of business is exponentially faster in China than it is here. Aside from the financial sectors, there is a huge industrial sector using low grade labor for mining and production.
2. The work ethic of a typical Chinese citizen is incredible. All for the company, work-for-life type dedication, even to the detriment of the worker.
3. The productivity of the typical Chinese citizen would be overwhelming to the Bahamas. What they do in a day, we do in a week and they do it cheaper. At this point there are two options. a) learn from them, thereby forever changing the Bahamian culture, or b) take them to the labor board and deport them.
4. When the Chinese government commits to something, they really commit. Right now its a stadium for PM Sportsfan and some souvenier plant in Grand Bahama. Soon after that it will be some light industry, followed by some heavy mining. They will emigrate from China to fill very specific positions that require fluent Cantonese, or working knowledge or finite element analysis to act as simple plant managers.
5. The Chinese commit atrocities against the environment at an alarming rate. A million workers die every year in mining and industrial accidents. Chemical plants leak and explode, forests are cleared with no mind to renewing the resource. Smoke stacks belch nastiness...

Some see this as 'the future' and 'progress', but I fear that many Bahamians will fall through the cracks and get left behind as the Bahamian way of life gets caught up in the wave of industrialism.

I don't mean to be disparaging to our Oriental brothers from another hemisphere,:p but we must temper any decision with a view to the long term repercussions. A quick buck isn't always the answer.

Some of the discussion concerning the Chinese remind me of how some folks treat each other on a daily basis: On the local level, some Bahamians don't want to associate with other Bahamians because they differ in political association. It seems, to me at least, as if this is the same attitude a few folks suggest we take toward the Chinese.

So the attitude of some is the following: "don't associate with the Chinese because the United States will get upset." The last time I check we were an independent country. Of course we need to be careful; this is true of our dealings with any country, including the United States.

However, I don't think we should make our decisions about who we make friends with based solely on whether the US will approve.

If we believe that the Chinese can help us at this time then why not . . .

Very good points here. I too feel that there's something *fishy* in the air. From a trade stand point, I think that having a closer relationship with China can help lower our already stratuspheric cost of living. Besides that, I really would not be comfortable getting in closer relations w/ China, unless we are prepared to play limbo (between U.S. and China) when it's time to go to the U.N.

Very good points here. I too feel that there's something *fishy* in the air. From a trade stand point, I think that having a closer relationship with China can help lower our already stratuspheric cost of living. Besides that, I really would not be comfortable getting in closer relations w/ China, unless we are prepared to play limbo (between U.S. and China) when it's time to go to the U.N.

I don't see why this point keeps coming up. The UN is quite useless to be honest. It is rendered quite ineffectual by the US, UK, and other world powers that do what they want. The UN only serves to keep small nations like us in check. When it comes to the UN, the Bahamas can simply decide to keep quiet and not take a stance on the issue. More importantly, we don't have voting rights on any critical committees. So we can't do anything pro or con in this matter.

Very good points here. I too feel that there's something *fishy* in the air. From a trade stand point, I think that having a closer relationship with China can help lower our already stratuspheric cost of living. Besides that, I really would not be comfortable getting in closer relations w/ China, unless we are prepared to play limbo (between U.S. and China) when it's time to go to the U.N.
right! we will be big dummies soon playing limbo limbo at the U.N!

Some of the discussion concerning the Chinese remind me of how some folks treat each other on a daily basis: On the local level, some Bahamians don't want to associate with other Bahamians because they differ in political association. It seems, to me at least, as if this is the same attitude a few folks suggest we take toward the Chinese.
So the attitude of some is the following: "don't associate with the Chinese because the United States will get upset." The last time I check we were an independent country. Of course we need to be careful; this is true of our dealings with any country, including the United States.
However, I don't think we should make our decisions about who we make friends with based solely on whether the US will approve.
If played properly by the gov't, then it could be a very valuable leverage tool for getting more 'something' from the US.
If we believe that the Chinese can help us at this time then why not . . .


eyes wide open, that's all I'm saying

Most economists see China as the next leading world power in the world, so it would make sense for them to be nice to everyone until they finally take the reigns of power. They are just biding their time and making all the friends they can, so when they do make a move to take the helm they have some support.


i know as soon as my kids are old enough to talk i'll be sending them to learn cantonese and mandarin... i don't want my family to get lost in the shuffle....

Geographic location is important for a lot of reasons. There is the monetary positive to be so close to the US in a bank secret country.
Thanks to recent legislation in this post 9/11 era, our banks are not so secret anymore. That is part of the reason why we were blacklisted, because we gave too much power to the depositor. The banks are much less clandestine now.

Tactically, there is no better place to lob a nuke from as the Soviets learned in Cuba. The Bahamas could end up sanctioned by the UN if we cozy up too much too quick.
I agree. Somehow I doubt the Bahamas or even the US would allow us to get to the point where we have Chinese nukes here. In fact, we are so close to the US that if we even tried that, they could and probably would invade or bomb us in less than 12 hours. But I agree we could possibly be a good military point.

In terms of having power, the Bahamas is the #2 register for shipping at the Int'l Maritime Org, a division of the United Nations. This small democratic country has a pretty big voice right now, thanks to Mr. Mitchell. That voice could get a lot louder we let the US think that we like the Chinese.
We are the #2 register, big deal. The IMO just sets policy around safety and security for shipping. The only thing we need them for is to stop ships dumping in our waters. Being a member there would be pointless if the US placed an embargo on us. Then no container leaving our ports could enter their country or vice versa.

They're currently the #1 consumer of steel, aluminum and oil. They're doing something...
Yes they are. They are an industrialist nation going through their post industrial revolution.

Truth, but at what cost?
I fear that The Bahamas, the place we hold near and dear to our hearts could be badly damaged by a close association with the Chinese.
1. The pace of business is exponentially faster in China than it is here. Aside from the financial sectors, there is a huge industrial sector using low grade labor for mining and production.
2. The work ethic of a typical Chinese citizen is incredible. All for the company, work-for-life type dedication, even to the detriment of the worker.
3. The productivity of the typical Chinese citizen would be overwhelming to the Bahamas. What they do in a day, we do in a week and they do it cheaper. At this point there are two options. a) learn from them, thereby forever changing the Bahamian culture, or b) take them to the labor board and deport them.
4. When the Chinese government commits to something, they really commit. Right now its a stadium for PM Sportsfan and some souvenier plant in Grand Bahama. Soon after that it will be some light industry, followed by some heavy mining. They will emigrate from China to fill very specific positions that require fluent Cantonese, or working knowledge or finite element analysis to act as simple plant managers.
5. The Chinese commit atrocities against the environment at an alarming rate. A million workers die every year in mining and industrial accidents. Chemical plants leak and explode, forests are cleared with no mind to renewing the resource. Smoke stacks belch nastiness...
Some see this as 'the future' and 'progress', but I fear that many Bahamians will fall through the cracks and get left behind as the Bahamian way of life gets caught up in the wave of industrialism.
I don't mean to be disparaging to our Oriental brothers from another hemisphere,:p but we must temper any decision with a view to the long term repercussions. A quick buck isn't always the answer.

I agree that we should look to the future. While the gifts are nice, it is up to the government to prevent the Chinese bringing companies here that would require massive influxes of their workers. The government should encourage the present scholarships allowing Bahamians to study in China. We have several of these and they should be taken advantage of. If they are allowed to construct a facility here, make it a requirement that it must be 70% Bahamian staffed. We need to make it harder for them to enter our country. Provisions need to be put in place that properly regulate the levels of pollution that are acceptable.

I agree we should be a little cautious accepting gifts. But I am the kind of person that would take the gift, say thank you, but feel no obligation in the future unless you have something in writing.

i know as soon as my kids are old enough to talk i'll be sending them to learn cantonese and mandarin... i don't want my family to get lost in the shuffle....

LOL...that would be smart...

i know as soon as my kids are old enough to talk i'll be sending them to learn cantonese and mandarin... i don't want my family to get lost in the shuffle....
smart! throw in some karate lessons also.