US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Concludes Visit to Caribbean Community

Introduction and Background

PARAMARIBO, Suriname, CMC—United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended his first official visit to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries on Thursday. He outlined Washington’s new foreign policy agenda while reiterating the North American country’s desire for close and improved relations with the region.

Rubio acknowledged that the United States needed to revise its foreign policy, particularly after the past twenty years, saying, “It has primarily ignored opportunities.

“When we have found close partners, we often have neglected those opportunities in our foreign policy, and we spend a lot of time on problems instead and on countries and leaders that give us a hard time. We’re going to change that. We want to change that. President Trump wants to change that.

“President Trump wants to make it clear that if you are a friend and ally, a partner of the United States, there are benefits for your country and your people in doing so, and we want to enter it in terms of partnership.

“That’s the way we view it. So, we wanted to take a particular interest in visiting and reaffirming our ties to leaders and countries who have been strong partners. You have been a firm partner of the United States,” Rubio said on the last stop of a two-day visit that took him to Jamaica, Guyana, and Suriname. He also held bilateral talks with the heads of government from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Haiti.

Stability, Security, and Prosperity in the Region

He said stability, security, and prosperity are necessary in the region and that Washington believes “it is in our national interest to have a Caribbean region that is safe, stable, and prosperous.”

President Chandrikapersad “Chan” Santokhi said that Suriname has a longstanding and strategic partnership with the United States. During the meeting, “we have discussed opportunities for strengthening and expanding our bilateral relations and cooperation and furtherance of our partnership regionally.”

He said the two countries have agreed to cooperate to attract American investors to Suriname.

“After all, cooperation with America and American business leads back to the beginning of the 19th century, and we currently have significant investment from the American companies, particularly in the oil and gas industry but also in the gold sector,” Santokhi said, looking forward to US business participation in the Surinamese Energy, Oil, and Gas Summit and Exhibition (SEOGS) here in June this year.

“The importance of energy security in the Caribbean region was also addressed and discussed with Suriname and Guyana, which play a crucial role. Both countries will become important partners for the Caribbean and the Western Hemisphere,” Santokhi added.

US Aid Program and Foreign Policy

As he did during his visit to Jamaica and Guyana, Rubio defended the Trump administration’s decision to revamp the US aid program, saying, “This is one of the reasons why I wanted to come to the Caribbean.

” For too long, our foreign aid has been driven by what we think you need. We tell you, okay, these are the five things we will do for you. Well, those aren’t the five things you want. We’re changing that. We want to ensure that we’re providing the assistance that the countries need, and we want this power back over to our embassies under the State Department, so we’re providing the assistance you need.”

He said the best foreign aid programs end because they have achieved their purpose.

“The purpose of foreign aid is not for the United States to be here for 25 providing law enforcement. The United States aims to help you build the capacity so you can do it sustainably forever.

“Our job is to help you become self-sustained in this regard, and not only self-sustaining, but the goal is ultimately to help you do this so well that you’re now teaching other countries how to do it. You have now become the country that helps others do it, and we can help with technology, personnel, and best practices. We’ve talked about some of this already.

“We want to continue to build on that because …you don’t want to see for a country is a place where drug trafficking organizations and gangs say that’s a place where we can run guns, that’s a place where we can move drugs because they don’t have the resources available to stop us.

“Then you become a magnet for that activity, and nothing will set you back on economic growth and prosperity faster than that. When these vicious gangs get into a country, they start shooting each other and anyone who’s standing in between, and it destabilizes society. You never want to reach that point, and we want to help you prevent that.”

US Concerns Regarding China’s Role in the Caribbean

Rubio also used the occasion of his visit to the region to outline Washington’s problem with China’s role in the Caribbean.

“So I want countries to have an alternative to that. What we want is for countries to have an alternative to that. If you’re going to build a road, I want you to have a real road.”

He also said that Chinese companies undertake projects in the Caribbean that are “always over budget” and bring in “their workers, don’t even hire the locals.

Rubio said that Chinese involvement in the telecommunications sector is also of interest to Washington, adding that if the system is “controlled by Chinese companies, you will have trouble having American investors come in.

“Because they don’t want all their stuff stolen. They don’t want all their stuff yanked out by some back door that the Chinese have installed in their telecommunications system. Again, we’ve had to face that in America because Huawei was also deploying in America.

“Again, we have to have an alternative, though. Somebody else has to come along and say, we can do it too, and we won’t spy on you when we do it.

“So our goal is twofold: create these options, but not just options that don’t – that – to China; options to work that involves bad artistry, overbudget, with debt attached, and using their workers instead of yours. That’s the alternative we want to provide in any endeavor we can.”

Suriname’s Position on Cooperation with China

Asked by reporters whether he had any comments on cooperation with China in this hemisphere, President Santokhi replied, “I think the position addressed by Secretary of State Rubio is quite clear about the position of the United States of America.

“Our position as a country is that we are developing our countries with international cooperation with many countries – more than 170 countries we are cooperating. All these cooperations are based on pragmatism, on the countries’ needs and national interests.

“So about China, what we are doing as a country is having several development areas. We are looking for investors. We are inviting investors. And just what the minister has said, not all the countries are showing up. Sometimes, more countries are showing up for their interests and projects. So we also need to consider that aspect.”

He said that many projects now being implemented in Suriname are being done by Chinese companies and were granted through international and international bidding procedures by our local companies.

“Most of these projects were financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, and our view is that soon, you will have more opportunities for the Surinamese companies, and more and more Surinamese companies will evolve.

Conversely, we hope more United States companies will offer themselves and come to Suriname. We’ll offer them all the incentives, and I think Suriname is a very close country to the United States of America,” Santokhi added.

Conclusion

The visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Caribbean Community has highlighted the importance of the region to the United States and the need for close and improved relations. The US has outlined its new foreign policy agenda, which includes a focus on stability, security, and prosperity in the region. The US has also expressed concerns regarding China’s role in the Caribbean, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development and telecommunications.