NASSAU, Bahamas — The Minnis administration has not discouraged China from helping this country recover from Hurricane Dorian, Haigang Yin, charge d’affairs of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, said yesterday, The Tribune, one of The Bahamas’ major daily newspapers, reported on Tuesday, October 15.
His comment followed a US media report that The Bahamas does not want China’s help reconstructing Abaco and Grand Bahama.
The Palm Beach Post reported on Friday that Linda Mackey, consul general to Florida, said that when President Donald Trump hosted a summit last March at the Mar-a-Lago resort, Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis pledged to keep China’s influence out of the Bahamas and that this pledge still stands after Hurricane Dorian.
The report alarmed Bahamian government officials over the weekend, eventually prompting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue a statement on Sunday saying Ms Mackey’s comments were taken out of context.
The Tribune obtained a transcript from the Palm Beach Post of its interview with Ms Mackey.
A reporter asked her: “Is there any concern about who does the reconstruction? I remember that President Trump met with the prime minister in the spring and there were some concerns about Chinese influence in the Bahamas.”
According to the transcript, she responded: “Well, in Abaco, locals are doing the actual work, the construction work. The NGO is only supplying the building supplies. So, we are empowering the locals to do the actual work. So, there will be no Chinese with what I’m referring to.”
She was later asked: “But what the prime minister talked about with Trump for keeping Chinese influence out, that still stands?”
She responded: “Yes, yes, yes. I know in Abaco, Baker’s Bay, they’ve gotten some permission to bring in Mexico to help with the rebuild.” http://www.tribune242.com/news/2019/oct/15/chinas-aid-unwanted-nonsense/
