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Prime Minister Gaston Browne has urged Caribbean nations to strengthen regional cooperation to address the potential economic fallout from shifting U.S. trade policies.
Speaking on the matter, he warned that increased tariffs and policy shifts could have serious repercussions for Caribbean economies, particularly in areas such as food imports and tourism.
“We have an obligation to stand up and speak up where [the U.S.] is taking policy decisions that could result in fundamental challenges for us,” Browne said. “We remain respectful of the United States, but they must also respect our sovereignty and understand the unintended consequences of their policies on our economies.”
The Prime Minister highlighted the *importance of U.S.-Caribbean trade ties, emphasizing that **80% of Antigua and Barbuda’s imports come from the United States, including food and essential goods. He cautioned that *rising tariffs on goods produced outside of the U.S., such as in China, Canada, India, and Mexico, could drive up prices for Caribbean nations.
“If these tariffs are going to hurt the American people, imagine what will happen to us in the Caribbean,” he said, noting that higher import costs could lead to inflation and reduced consumer spending power.
Browne called on *CARICOM leaders to engage in meaningful discussions with U.S. officials to secure economic protections for the region. He also stressed the need for **greater regional food security, urging Caribbean nations to invest more in agriculture to *reduce dependence on imported goods and mitigate rising costs.
“We need to produce more,” Browne stated. “We have to educate our people on these risks and incentivize them to grow more food so that we are not entirely reliant on imports that could become even more expensive due to these trade policies.”
The Prime Minister underscored that *collaboration with international partners, including the European Union and China, should complement—not replace—strong trade relations with the United States. He insisted that *Antigua and Barbuda remains “friends of all, enemies of none” and that diplomacy, rather than threats or unilateral decisions, should shape U.S.-Caribbean trade relations.
Browne concluded by affirming that Antigua and Barbuda, along with CARICOM, will seek diplomatic engagement with the U.S. to prevent economic hardship across the region.
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He right! The Caribbean need to stop moving like small islands and start moving like one force.
Will the other Caribbean leaders actually come together or is just more grand talk?
In my opinion, the region need to stop waiting on handouts and start building real economic strength together.
If the Caribbean don’t start standing firm, them big countries go keep walking all over we.
Regional cooperation? Good luck with that! Some of them leaders can’t even agree on simple things. LMAO
We have all of latin america to partner with but if we are serious customs tariffs would need to be reduced to encourage their participation.
Best thing to do for all parties involved. Being saying this forever. The bigger countries are not concerned about third world countries and their inhabitants, unless it benefits their political/ personal agenda. It’s about time we work together. Am going to be positive here and pray all get on board. No negative energy.
PM Brown 100% in support.
The Caribbean? Work together?
I will not hold my breath on that one. We are all so busy competing with each other that cooperation will never happen and even if it does it will not last.
Antigua News Room again!
When will you stop stirring the pot to get our flammable reactionary to dance to your music. PM Browne called on his Caribbean counterparts to collectively ADDRESS the potential threats facing the socio -economic future of the Caribbean. He DID NOT call upon his Caribbean counterparts to COUNTER the new policies of the white supremacists in the US currently bullying the rest of the world to do its bidding. ADDRESSING a problem is NOT the equivalent of COUNTERING a problem. Just in case you don’t know better!