FOREIGN MINISTER ON THE FOREIGN POLICY OF THE BAHAMAS
The Bahamas finds itself in a funny place today. Fifty miles off the coast of the United States of America is The Bahamas and yet there are some elements in the US in the new administration who insist on trying to plunge or position our country in the midst of a geopolitical tug of war between China and the United States. Do they think we are stupid? Such is the era in which we live. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fred Micthell, following a statement made by the U S Charge in Freeport at the Business Outlook Seminar in which she said that the United States wanted to be the partner of choice and warned our country about China’s malign influence:
17 February 2025
In light of recent reported comments about The Bahamas, the United States and China, I wish to state the following:
We are not involved, nor do we see ourselves as engaged in or part of any ideological war or geo political brinksmanship.
To state the obvious, we are fifty miles off the coast of the United States with an import based economy, where for example 90 per cent of the food we eat is sourced by the United States.
We have significant cultural and family ties with the people of the United States. Almost every Bahamian has a family member who is American.
We have diplomatic relations with China just as the United States does. We do not interfere in China’s internal affairs and they do not interfere with ours.
There is no evidence to support the view that this country is being used as a platform by China to attack the United States.
We would not be party to any such effort.
The relations with China are based on mutual respect. The investments in The Bahamas are on purely commercial terms. There is no ideological quid pro quo.
We are committed by agreement when we recognized the Peoples Republic of China in 1997 to the “One China ” policy. We adhere to it just as the United States does.
We welcome all legitimate investment to our country and each is scrupulously examined to ensure that when approved it will enure to the benefit of the Bahamian people and to the security interest of our neighbours.
We are in active search for inexpensive capital to continue with our infrastructural agenda. If American capital is available, then there is a list of studied projects that we have to be funded.
It is important for both the media and the public at large to appreciate these facts.
End