WASHINGTON, D.C., August 14, 2024 – Bahamas Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell, Member of Parliament for the Fox Hill constituency, today posted a collection of photos on his Facebook page that I absolutely had to share with readers of my online publication, BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States. Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean.
Minister Mitchell posted the photos with this brief narrative: “Fred Mitchell hosted Chinese Ambassador Yan Jiarong visit to the Fox Hill Day festivities. 14 August 2024.”
BAHAMAS CHRONICLE EDITOR’S NOTE: Since she replaced her predecessor DAI Qingli as the People’s Republic of China’s Ambassador to The Bahamas in July of 2024, Ms. Yan Jiarong has impressively used social media to strengthen ties between China and The Bahamas.
The importance of the close ties between The Bahamas and China were highlighted internationally decades ago when a Hong Kong-based company invested approximately $3 billion developing and expanding a deep-water container port. In Grand Bahama, some 55 miles off the coast of the United States.
Today, the Freeport Container Port, which is operated and managed by the Grand Bahama Port Authority, is the Caribbean’s deepest and biggest container handling port and an important transshipment port of containerized bulk and general cargo. The container port is equipped with the latest technologies such as modern terminal management and storage planning systems along with GPS tracking of containers to provide efficient and reliable container handling services.
Of course, with The Bahamas being just 50 miles off the southern tip of Florida, the relationship between China and The Bahamas most certainly is closely monitored by the United States, especially given the fact that China has over the years invested heavily in expanding its influence in the Caribbean.
