Understanding PRC Commercial Engagement and People-to-People Relations in the Caribbean

PRC engagement in the Caribbean is broad-based, including an array of investments and commercial projects, political engagement, people-to-people interaction, and security engagement. PRC Commercial Engagement in the CaribbeanIn the commercial realm, engagement by PRC-based companies is larger than commonly recognized. Chinese firms are reportedly also interested in emerging new petroleum potential offshore in Suriname, where Chinese firms are already established in other areas. PRC relations with the Caribbean are generally positive, even by comparison to PRC relationships with other parts of the Western Hemisphere. With respect to shaping Caribbean perceptions of the PRC more broadly, in April 2018, the PRC opened a Caribbean press center which conducts outreach programs—bringing journalists from Caribbean and other developing countries—to the PRC.