US embassy cable - 03NASSAU1635

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NASSAU 001635 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2013 
TAGS: PREL, ECON, EINV, PINR, PGOV, CH, JA, BF, China 
SUBJECT: BAHAMIAN OFFICIALS VISIT TO CHINA -- COURTESY OR 
CONFIDANTS? 
 
Classified By: CHARGE ROBERT WITAJEWSKI FOR REASONS 1.5 (B) AND (D). 
 
 
SUMMARY 
 
1.   (C)  On August 20, the Charge, and Economic Officer met 
with Mrs. Patricia Rogers, the Permanent Secretary at the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Leonard Archer, the Bahamian 
Ambassador to CARICOM, and Mr. Marco Rolle, Under Secretary 
in the International Division of the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs to discuss the upcoming visit of Bahamian officials 
to China.  Although the Bahamians were extremely reluctant to 
provide information regarding the visit to China, Dr. Rogers 
promised the Charge, that she would give him a briefing upon 
their return on September 9th.   Despite deliberate attempts 
at ambiguity in describing the agenda for the Foreign 
Minister,s trip, it appears that The Bahamas will accede to 
a Chinese request to close their consulate in Hong Kong and 
open an embassy in Beijing.  We urged that the GCOB also 
raise the issue of Chinese alien smuggling operations through 
The Bahamas to the United States.  Rogers claimed the China 
visit was simply to express gratitude for Chinese technical 
assistance to The Bahamas.  End Summary. 
 
OFFICIAL VISIT TO CHINA BY GCOB OFFICIALS 
 
2.   (C)  At a meeting with Mrs. Patricia Rogers, the 
Charge, inquired about the upcoming Bahamian high-level 
visit to China from August 22nd - September 9th.  Mrs. Rogers 
said that Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fred Mitchell, and 
herself amongst others planned to travel to Beijing, 
Shanghai, Shenyang, plus Japan on their whirlwind tour to 
Asia. Bahamian Ambassador to Japan, Sir Sidney Poitier, is to 
accompany the Bahamian contingent on the Japanese segment of 
the trip since it is coinciding with his annual trip to 
Japan.  Rogers laughingly noted that he was to be the "star 
attraction", and the rest of them, including the Foreign 
Minister, were merely along for the ride. 
 
3.    (C)  Framing it as simply a "follow-up to an 
invitation", Mrs. Rogers attempted to minimize the 
significance of the official trip.  But after further 
probing, she admitted that one of the purposes of the trip 
was to reassure China of The Bahamas commitment to their 
bilateral relationship.  Rogers indicated that the Government 
felt that it needed to continue to solidify Chinese 
confidence due to "lingering distaste" left from the fact 
that The Bahamas maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan, 
including permitting a Taiwanese Embassy in Nassau, until 
1999. 
 
4.    (C)  Mrs. Rogers and Ambassador Leonard Archer both 
made a point of expressing gratitude towards the Chinese for 
their technical assistance in The Bahamas. When questioned 
further about the precise details of this assistance, the two 
responded by citing Chinese support for Bahamian handicraft, 
agriculture and their offer to assist in the 
remodeling/rebuilding of the National Center for Performing 
Arts located in Nassau, not Mrs. Rogers insisted a new 
convention center for The Bahamas.  (A Chinese offer to build 
a massive convention center in the Cable Beach area of New 
Providence Island has been widely rumored to be on the 
table.)  Mrs. Rogers also mentioned that Bahamian officials 
were to participate in a christening and launch of one of the 
Clipper Group ships.  The company, she obliquely noted, had 
decided to register many of its ships on the Bahamian ship 
registry, and this would be a reciprocal gesture of 
appreciation. 
 
"NO" AGENDA WHILE IN CHINA 
 
5.    (C)  When asked by the Charge, as to what the Bahamian 
officials had arranged with their Chinese counterparts for 
the visit, Mrs. Rogers paused and said that the visit was to 
be very informal and denied that any agenda of discussion 
topics had been agreed to.  Responding to the Charge,s 
skepticism that a major visit beginning in only two days 
remained so unfocused, Mrs. Rogers reluctantly admitted that 
it was "feasible" 
that some trade and cultural agreements might be signed, but 
insisted that the Bahamian delegation only planned to speak 
about general bilateral issues. 
 
SMUGGLING CHINESE TO THE US VIA THE BAHAMAS 
6.    (C)  The Charge, specifically questioned the Bahamian 
government officials about whether the issue of smuggling 
Chinese aliens into the United States through The Bahamas 
would be raised when Mrs. Rogers and Minister of Foreign 
Affairs Fred Mitchell visit China.  Mrs. Rogers, again 
reluctantly, responded by saying, "it,s a tricky one, but 
one that will have to be brought up".  The Bahamians would 
not provide further details. 
 
CLOSING HONG KONG; OPENING IN BEIJING 
 
7.    (C)  During the conversation, Mrs. Rogers did reveal 
that The Bahamas would discuss with Chinese officials the 
possibility of "deactivating" their consulate in Hong Kong 
with the intention of establishing an Embassy in Beijing. 
She did not indicate if Foreign Minister Mitchell and his 
Chinese counterpart would make an announcement to this effect 
while on the upcoming trip. 
 
8.    (U)  Currently, the Bahamian Consulate in Hong Kong 
does not process visas for CARICOM members, only for Bahamian 
citizens.  Only the embassies of Guyana and Suriname in China 
have that ability presently. 
 
NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR TO BAHAMAS 
 
9.    (C)  Dr. Rogers mentioned that the new Chinese 
Ambassador to The Bahamas, Dongcon Jiao, will be formally 
presenting his credentials on August 21st.  She made a point 
of noting that "he speaks perfect English."  (Note: The 
former Chinese Ambassador, Changsheng Wu, had limited English 
skills and was always accompanied in public by an 
interpreter.  Changsheng was, however, proficient in 
Spanish.)  The Charge, noted that the Embassy had not been 
contacted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about receiving 
the new Chinese Ambassador for an introductory courtesy call, 
observing that Andrew McKinney, Chief of Protocol for the 
Bahamas, did consider Charges of appropriate rank.  Mrs. 
Rogers appeared genuinely embarrassed, and expressed the 
intent to rectify the situation. 
 
COMMENT 
 
10. (C)      Mrs. Rogers, and other Bahamian officials, are 
reluctant to discuss the details of their relationship with 
the Chinese.  While it appears that the dynamics of the 
relationship are being driven by the Chinese, for their part 
the Bahamians have at least two reasons for acquiescing. 
First, there is the $1 billion investment by Hutchison 
Whampoa in the Freeport Container Port.  Second, a Chinese 
presence does -even if symbolically- serve as a 
counterbalance to the U.S.  The interest of the Chinese is 
more complex however, and we defer to Embassy Beijing for its 
analysis of Chinese strategic goals underlying its major 
presence in a country where apart from geography, there would 
seem to be few mutual cultural, tourist, economic, or 
political interests. 
WITAJEWSKI