Japan counters Chinese and Russian influence in CARICOM - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#14477117
I had intended to post this a while ago, but I just realised that I had forgotten to do it. So here you go:
Nikkei Asian Review, 'Japan moves to counter China, Russia influence in Caribbean', Oki Nagai, 29 Jul 2014 wrote:
Image
Shinzo Abe and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, share a moment at the July 27 banquet for the Japanese prime minister. © Kyodo
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago -- Japan's prime minister met here Monday with leaders and top officials representing 14 Caribbean nations, in a bid to shore up ties in a region where Russia and China have recently made robust overtures of their own.

Attending a summit of the Caribbean Community, or Caricom, Shinzo Abe pledged continued economic assistance and sought support for Japan's bid for a nonpermanent seat in the United Nations Security Council election next year.


As an ally of the U.S., Japan also aims to counter recent moves by China and Russia to strengthen their influence in what is effectively "America's backyard."

In mid-July, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were in Brazil to attend a summit of the BRICS group of top emerging nations. In conjunction with the visit, the leaders toured nations elsewhere in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Xi made stops in Argentina and Venezuela as well as Cuba, a Caribbean nation not part of Caricom, and announced economic assistance packages. He visited Trinidad and Tobago, among other countries, last year.

A Chinese company received an order from the Nicaraguan government to build a canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The deal is seen as a challenge to the U.S., which long controlled the Panama Canal.

After a stop in Cuba, Putin visited Nicaragua and Argentina. In Cuba, the Russian president said Moscow would forgive old, Soviet-era debt and pledged cooperation in the development of offshore oil fields and port infrastructure. Many Kremlin watchers see Russia moving to develop fresh diplomatic ties amid a souring relationship with the U.S. caused by the problems in Ukraine.

The last Japanese leader to visit Central or South America was former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who made the trip a decade ago. Abe's visit to the Caribbean is the first for a Japanese prime minister.


And:
Nikkei Asian Review, 'Japan to set up new economic aid programs for Caribbean Community', 29 Jul 2014 wrote:PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (Kyodo) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday pledged to launch new economic aid programs for the 14 member states of the Caribbean Community to continue support for the countries even after Japan's official development assistance ends.

At the first summit meeting between Japan and the community dubbed CARICOM, Abe also mentioned the issue of a nation unilaterally trying to change the status quo by force, apparently with China in mind, and sought support for Tokyo's bid for a nonpermanent seat in the U.N. Security Council election next year.

"There is an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo by force and coercive pressure in some waters and air space of the world including Asia," Abe said at the summit held in Trinidad and Tobago.

The new economic program seems intended to counter China's recently growing influence over Caribbean countries. Beijing has diplomatic relations with nine of the 14 countries, with President Xi Jinping having paid a visit to Trinidad and Tobago last year.

Abe explained Japan's policy of proactively contributing to global peace, security and prosperity, and reiterated Tokyo's appeal to the international community to resolve territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international laws, and not by force or intimidation.

That is a message prompted by Beijing's growing assertiveness over territorial disputes in the East and South China seas.

Prior to the meeting, Abe and Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar agreed on Sunday to bolster cooperation in economic affairs, disaster mitigation and in other areas.

Abe also met with CARICOM chair Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne and discussed strengthening economic and energy cooperation.

CARICOM comprises Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.

I'll update this thread when the next phase starts. It is actually an important region that people haven't been paying sufficient attention to.
#14477168
Cuba was the only Caribbean destination for Russian visitors until recently but the Dominican Republic has emerged as a major tourist destination for Russia. There were 160,000 Russian visitors to the Dominican Republic in 2012, which was 35% higher than 2011, and the tourist flow from Russia increased further by 32% in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the previous year. While Russia's main interest in the Caribbean is tourism as Russia's growing middle class now can afford to splurge on travelling overseas, China's ulterior motives would be resources in the Caribbean region such as asphalt and China has been attempting to switch several Caribbean nations from recognising Taiwan's independence by making use of its economic prowess. Japan may fear that the Caribbean Community would also side with China on other thorny issues concerning Japan and it's also seeking support from the current and former ODA recipients in the region for Tokyo's bid for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council election next year.

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Russian tourism market ranks second among European countries in terms of tourist arrivals to the Dominican Republic in the first quarter of 2013: http://www.atorus.ru/en/news/press-cent ... 21974.html

The second significant change in the Russian presence in the region has been the dramatic improvement in Russia’s relationship with Cuba. Earlier this year, the Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed ten wide ranging agreements significantly strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, effectively reversing its withdrawal following the fall of the Soviet Union. The agreements include a formula to resolve finally in 2014 the US$25 billion of Soviet-era Cuban debt that Russia holds, a preferential tariff arrangement on trade with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and collaboration in a wide range of other areas of joint scientific, environmental, aviation and informatics interest. Re-engagement has also resulted in a rapid increase in trade, discussions on joint ventures in industry, technology and tourism, and in military co-operation, publicly demonstrated by the recent call in Havana by a naval task force led by the cruiser Moskva.
http://www.caribbeanintelligence.com/content/view-europe-russia-and-caribbean
#14477379
Japan seems to have its work cut out on this one if the recent UN voting is anything to go by:

- was chosen by the administration of President Barack Obama as the time to engineer a winning vote in the UN General Assembly to condemn Moscow’s involvement in Crimea’s secession from Ukraine in favor of returning to the geographic and political fold of Russia.
...
Some 100 of the UN’s 193 member states voted “yes” in favor of the resolution, while 58 opted to abstain; 11 voted “no” and there were those who failed to show up.

In this hemisphere, CARICOM’s quartet of “yes” votes came from Barbados, The Bahamas, Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. ...

The 11 abstentions included Antigua and Barbuda, Jamaica, Guyana, Suriname, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis; St Lucia and St Vincent and the Grenadines and...

http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view ... sias-move/

The Caribbean remains very favorable in its views towards Russia, more so among the Caribbean communities larger and arguably more important associate and non-members (Mexico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba etc.). Japan's isolationism and closeness to the United States puts it at a disadvantage compared to China (who it cannot outspend) and Russia (ultimate security guarantor).

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