A new research report examining Chinese presence and geopolitical resilience in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is being presented on October 6th.
The study covers Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten.
Researchers found that Chinese presence has grown over recent decades, particularly through migration, entrepreneurship and private economic activity. However, the report says there is little evidence that Chinese state influence has increased substantially.
The study stresses that economic or societal presence should not automatically be interpreted as political or state-directed influence.
It also identifies broader vulnerabilities faced by small island economies, including dependence on external actors for imports, energy, digital infrastructure, logistics, tourism and security.
The report recommends better monitoring of dependencies, stronger information-sharing and oversight, greater diversification, and closer cooperation within the Kingdom while respecting the autonomy of the individual countries and public entities.
The research was conducted by the Clingendael Institute with Caribbean-based researchers and included 43 stakeholder interviews.