{"id":275298,"date":"2026-05-04T07:49:38","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T11:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=275298"},"modified":"2026-05-04T08:15:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:15:51","slug":"opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/","title":{"rendered":"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The Architecture Is Not Infrastructure. It Is Control.<\/em><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Donald O. Charles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founder and Managing Director, WOCAP FUND LIMITED \u00b7 April 22, 2026<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On April 20, 2026, Darwin Telemaque \u2014 Port Manager of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) \u2014 led a delegation of port managers from 17 Caribbean nations and territories to a roundtable held at the Harry S. Truman Building in Washington, where they secured a US$10 million regional grant from the U.S. Department of State for Caribbean port infrastructure. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the Export-Import Bank of the United States both requested follow-up meetings. This is what the counter-offer looks like when it begins. The question is whether the Caribbean is ready to evaluate it with open eyes.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There is a question that Caribbean governments have not been asked directly and that their Chinese infrastructure partners hope will not be asked at all: what, precisely, are you trading away when you accept Chinese port financing? The answer is now documented by three independent sources \u2014 an academic research report from AidData published April 2026, a commercial trading intelligence analysis published the same week, and the body of China\u2019s own diplomatic communications in the region \u2014 and together they make the picture unmistakable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What looks like infrastructure investment is, in reality, long-term strategic positioning across global trade arteries, and Caribbean governments \u2014 including Jamaica and Antigua \u2014 that have accepted or are considering Chinese port financing without the analytical framework to evaluate the full cost are making a decision whose consequences will outlast any single administration.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What Happened in Washington \u2014 and What It Means<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Telemaque-led delegation\u2019s Washington engagement is significant on three levels. First: 17 Caribbean nations participated in a roundtable organised by the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs specifically as a matchmaking event for infrastructure, trade, and tourism development, reflecting the United States\u2019 active positioning of itself as the Caribbean\u2019s infrastructure partner \u2014 driven, in part, by the recognition that China has spent 25 years building the alternative. Second: Telemaque navigated, in the same conversation, delicate questions about Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Chinese-financed port redevelopment \u2014 clarifying that \u201cthe project was born of necessity and affordability\u201d while positioning the country as an \u201cequal opportunity partner\u201d \u2014 and that navigation illustrates the real Caribbean dilemma. Third: the DFC and EXIM Bank requested follow-up meetings to discuss \u201cflexible, government-to-government financing that does not strictly require U.S. content,\u201d meaning the window is open, and the only question that matters is what the Caribbean asks for when it gets to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Three-Step Model<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Commercial trading intelligence published in April 2026 names China\u2019s port strategy in three steps: finance and build, operate and integrate, maintain strategic optionality \u2014 naval access, logistics support \u2014 for the long term. The academic evidence confirms it at scale. AidData\u2019s report \u201cAnchoring Global Ambitions\u201d (April 2026) documents 363 Chinese port projects worth USD 24 billion across 168 ports in 90 countries over 25 years, with approximately 35 percent including Chinese operational control, and more than half the ports with Chinese or Hong Kong ownership stakes have hosted People\u2019s Liberation Army Navy ship visits (AidData, 2026: www.aiddata.org\/publications\/anchoring-global-ambitions). Commercial access and military access are not separate categories in this architecture but the same category, activated at different moments.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jamaica and Antigua \u2014 The Stakes Are Not Abstract<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kingston Container Terminal is one of the busiest transshipment hubs in the Western Hemisphere, positioned at the crossing of Atlantic shipping lanes and the approaches to the Panama Canal, and an operator with Chinese connections controlling berth allocation, scheduling systems, and logistics data at Kingston has visibility into the movement of goods across a significant share of Caribbean and wider Atlantic maritime commerce \u2014 a commercially observable reality, not a theoretical risk.<\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Antigua\u2019s situation is more immediate, as the Chinese-financed port redevelopment that Telemaque himself referenced in Washington is on-going. The question for Antigua \u2014 and for every other Caribbean government in a similar position \u2014 is whether it has developed the analytical framework to ensure that future agreements include local content requirements, technology transfer obligations, data sovereignty provisions, and operating rights limitations that protect genuine community interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What South-South Solidarity Actually Costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The full cost accounting test gives the South-South solidarity framing a precise answer. A Chinese infrastructure loan at 2 to 3 percent with Chinese contractors, equipment, and labour generates a multiplier that approaches zero in the local economy, while a loan at 5 to 7 percent from a multilateral institution with provisions for local content requirements, employment obligations, and technology transfer provisions generates a multiplier of 2 to 5 times. The Caribbean is selling its economic multiplier for a concessionary interest rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to Ask When the DFC Calls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every conversation with the DFC, EXIM Bank, or any Chinese financing partner requires four specific questions: What are the local content requirements? What technology transfer obligations apply? Who controls the logistics data? And what operating rights does the operator hold, and for how long? A partner genuinely committed to Caribbean community flourishing will answer these questions without hesitation, while a partner that evades them is telling the Caribbean government everything it needs to know. The Oikonomist full cost accounting framework is the instrument that ensures any engagement \u2014 US, Chinese, or multilateral \u2014 generates genuine Caribbean community value rather than a more sophisticated form of the same dependency it is meant to replace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donald O. Charles is the Founder and Managing Director of WOCAP FUND LIMITED, a working capital investment fund for MSMEs operating across Jamaica, the OECS, and the Caribbean. He is the author of The Leadership Imperative: An Alternative Development Framework, to be submitted to Harvard Business Review Press in November 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OIKONOMISM\u2122 and OIKONOMIST\u2122 are original trademarks of Donald O. Charles \u00a9 2026. Trademark applications pending.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Architecture Is Not Infrastructure. It Is Control. Donald O. Charles Founder and Managing Director, WOCAP FUND LIMITED \u00b7 April 22, 2026 On April 20, 2026, Darwin Telemaque \u2014 Port Manager of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) \u2014 led a delegation of port managers from 17 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":232110,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-275298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nOPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Architecture Is Not Infrastructure. It Is Control. Donald O. Charles Founder and Managing Director, WOCAP FUND LIMITED \u00b7 April 22, 2026 On April 20, 2026, Darwin Telemaque \u2014 Port Manager of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) \u2014 led a delegation of port managers from 17 […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-04T11:49:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-04T12:15:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"512\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"341\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-04T11:49:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-04T12:15:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\"},\"wordCount\":956,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\",\"name\":\"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-04T11:49:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-04T12:15:51+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp\",\"width\":512,\"height\":341,\"caption\":\"A container ship leaves the port in Qingdao, in China\u2019s eastern Shandong province on March 6, 2025. (Photo: AFP)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost","og_description":"The Architecture Is Not Infrastructure. It Is Control. Donald O. Charles Founder and Managing Director, WOCAP FUND LIMITED \u00b7 April 22, 2026 On April 20, 2026, Darwin Telemaque \u2014 Port Manager of Antigua and Barbuda and Chairman of the Port Management Association of the Caribbean (PMAC) \u2014 led a delegation of port managers from 17 […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2026-05-04T11:49:38+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-04T12:15:51+00:00","og_image":[{"width":512,"height":341,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost","datePublished":"2026-05-04T11:49:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-04T12:15:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/"},"wordCount":956,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/","name":"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-04T11:49:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-04T12:15:51+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:512\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/000_36ZH9FT.jpg.webp","width":512,"height":341,"caption":"A container ship leaves the port in Qingdao, in China\u2019s eastern Shandong province on March 6, 2025. (Photo: AFP)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/opinion-what-china-is-building-in-the-caribbean-and-what-it-will-cost\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"OPINION: What China Is Building in the Caribbean \u2014 and What It Will Cost"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":275299,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275298\/revisions\/275299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/232110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}