PM Browne Urges Peaceful Resolution of U.S.–China Tensions

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has called for calm, diplomacy, and mutual respect in addressing rising tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), warning that small states like Antigua and Barbuda face disproportionate consequences when global powers clash.

The relationship between the United States and China is one of the most important and complex in the world today.

On the one hand, the two countries are deeply connected through trade, technology, and global challenges such as climate change and public health. On the other hand, there are serious tensions over issues such as security in the Asia-Pacific, economic competition, and differences in values and political systems.

Prime Minister Gaston Browne used his turn at the podium last night, during the 76th anniversary of the PRC, to declare, like many times before, that his government remains committed to a foreign policy of “friendship with all, enemies with none,” and stressed that the Caribbean must not become collateral damage in geopolitical disputes.

“When the elephants fight, the grass gets trampled,” Browne remarked. “We cannot afford to be caught in the middle of great power rivalries. Our hemisphere must remain one of peace and cooperation.”

Browne also pointed to the ripple effects of global conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, which drove up inflation in small economies like Antigua and Barbuda. He cautioned that an escalation of U.S.–China tensions could produce similar hardships.

“Whether it is higher food prices, energy shocks, or instability in trade, small vulnerable states always bear the heaviest burden,” he said. “That is why we advocate dialogue, diplomacy, and peaceful coexistence.”

The Prime Minister urged Washington and Beijing to work through their differences at the negotiating table. “We must resist the temptation of conflict based on ideology or competition for power,” he said. “Peace, prosperity, and respect for sovereignty are the principles that should guide us all.”

Browne closed his remarks by reaffirming Antigua and Barbuda’s commitment to global peace, prosperity, and cooperation: “We are a small nation, but our voice is clear, the world needs less confrontation and more collaboration.”