KINGSTON, Jamaica – Should there have been need of further evidence that the Caribbean is important to China's global political and economic strategy, we need look no further than Trinidad & Tobago this weekend. Xi Jinping, China's new president, in one of only a handful of trips abroad since assuming the top job, is in Port-of-Spain for a summit with several regional leaders. It is President Xi's second visit to the region in four years. The previous one in 2009, when he was vice-president, also took him to Jamaica. What is surprising in all this is the failure of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – the 15-member regional economic and political bloc – to arrive at a common China policy. Our fear is that in this circumstance, and in the absence of the insulation afforded by their number, these small, poor and vulnerable regional states could find themselves buffeted by powerful geopolitical forces.
