BASSETERRE St.Kitts, February 7th, 2012 -- The St Kitts and Nevis Chamber of lndustry and Commerce notes the growing concern of Manufacturers and Traders within the OECS, regarding the influx of Chinese businesses within the Economic Union, and joins them in their call for OECS Governments to protect their own against this great threat to local individuals and businesses.
Speaking on Antigua's OBSEVER Radio recently, President of St Lucia Manufacturers Paula Caldron said the influx of Chinese businesses is a direct threat to the region. She argued that OECS governments should protect its people the same way China protects its own.
Caldron said the Chinese government makes it difficult for foreign businesses penetrate and dominate. She added that few global companies have succeeded China where government policies favour local giants.
"So we would not be the only ones protecting our people; China is also doing that. So why is it we can't find the tools, despite the beauty of trade negotiations, to protect ourselves?" to in Additionally, past vice president of the Commerce Michael Astaphan believes the retarding development.
Caribbean Association of lndustry and region's relationship with China is actually Astaphan said it seems as if the political parties, and not the nation, are the ones that are really benefiting and he thinks that this is something that the people should look at very closely.
"A lot of them feel that we should be very much grateful to the Chinese for their investment of the capital projects that they put in our countries. Now this is a serious problem for us," Astaphan said yesterday.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Chamber goes on to say that even though St Kitts and Nevis does not formally have diplomatic relations with the Peoples Republic of China, the concept of one economic space within the OECS makes the threat of trans-border infiltration very real and even more easy for these new arrivals into the sub-region.
The Chamber supports the call of the OECS Private Sector that OECS Governments need to protect our own - same as China does.
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