Browne Vows to Defend China Partnership Despite Threat of Consequences

Prime Minister Gaston Browne has declared that Antigua and Barbuda will defend its relationship with China even if doing so carries consequences, arguing that the partnership is too important to the country’s development to be undermined by external pressure.

Speaking at the handover of the China-funded Pelican Court development on Thursday, Browne described Beijing as Antigua and Barbuda’s most significant development partner.

“There is no other country that has contributed more to development” over the last three decades, he said.

Browne argued that Chinese assistance had helped build infrastructure and improve living standards, with the 150-home development providing a direct example of that support reaching vulnerable families.

He rejected the suggestion that the bilateral relationship represented a threat to other countries and urged Antigua and Barbuda to defend the friendship in international forums.

The Prime Minister said the country should remain grateful to a partner that provided assistance when it was needed.

In an interview after the ceremony, he said attempts to undermine the relationship would also undermine Antigua and Barbuda’s development.

“We have to defend our development,” Browne said.
He estimated that China had contributed more than EC$1 billion to the country’s socioeconomic development through loans and grants.

Browne did not identify a specific new punitive measure during the remarks, but framed his position against the backdrop of geopolitical pressure surrounding relations with China.

Pelican Court was financed through an approximately EC$50 million Chinese grant. Browne said the project was among the most socially significant contributions China had made to Antigua and Barbuda.

He also expressed confidence that the housing partnership would expand, including through the government’s request for 300 additional homes at Perry Bay.