U S Ambassador Designate Promises To Fight China In The Bahamas
William Douglas, the grandson of the founder of now defunct Pan American airways, Juan Trippe, and a frequent visitor and donor to causes in Eleuthera appeared before the U S Senate on 6 August 2020. He was there to say what he would do as U S Ambassador. This time it appears that unlike the previous Trump designee, he did not run into rough water. He knows the country The Bahamas and was well briefed. He kept it short and his statement did not contain any obvious gaffes. The last one that was nominated claimed that The Bahamas was a protectorate of the United States. Mama used to say even if you think some things, you should keep quiet. The Democrats had him for mincemeat and Papa Manchester, bit the dust and withdrew. The one thing that stuck out in the new nominee’s testimony after all the sweet nothings was that he is bringing the war between the United States and China to The Bahamas. We hope this is just chat to get himself approved by the right wing Senate but that business of warring with China in The Bahamas has no place in this country. If you read carefully what he said, while that is the U S narrative, the facts do not bear out the narrative. Here is what he said:
“I have been visiting the Bahamas for more than 50 years. Over the past decade I have witnessed first-hand China’s increased interest in gaining a foothold in The Bahamas. This has been a concern of many Bahamians and should give us concern. China’s presence is evident —- and has included multiple road projects, a port facility in North Abaco, mega-resorts and hotels across New Providence, and large-scale development grants for economic and technical cooperation. I recently saw the Chinese build a port facility near Cooperstown, Abaco three years ago, which cost the Bahamians more than 40 million dollars and is still not operational. In addition, many Bahamian telecommunications industry platforms utilize Huawei hardware. If confirmed as Ambassador, I will not only seek to increase American investment and promote our countries’ shared values, but also clearly communicate the risks of opaque Chinese deals that so often come with strings attached and limited employment value for Bahamian citizens.”