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March 2014
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The driver who was supposed to greet me at the Beijing Capital International Airport, an architectural marvel, was nowhere to be found. And I checked carefully the hundreds of placards being waved about by other drivers at the welcoming area but no sign of “Knight”. But I did see this one sign that read “Invest TT”. So, being resourceful, I went over to the tall man holding the sign and simply said: “I am from Trinidad, are there others from the Trinidad and Tobago team?” Luckily, those words got the attention of this Chinese man who obviously didn’t speak much English. He took me over to a tired group of Trinis who welcomed me with open arms and allowed me to hitch a ride with them to the Grand Hyatt Hotel where we were staying. The first thing I noticed, as we drove through the streets of Beijing to the hotel, was the smog. We could hardly see anything as we drove by – the smog was that dense. Through the haze we saw a glimpse of The Forbidden City and the famous Tiananmen Square and then we arrived at the magnificent 5 star hotel, the Grand Hyatt Beijing which sits inside Oriental Plaza – one of the largest commercial complexes in China. As I walked through the door, I felt immediately at home. There was a kind of a carnival atmosphere in the lobby and both Sharan Singh, Director of the Office of Institutional Advancement and Internationalization, and Professor Sankat, Principal of the St. Augustine Campus, The University of the West Indies, were there looking no worse for wear after their long flight to Beijing. Once checked in, I entered the elevator to the welcoming sounds of pan music. Perhaps this was the hotel’s way of welcoming the folks from Trinidad and Tobago. The next day, the Principal, Sharan Singh and I boarded a flight to Wuhan in Hubei province. Our task – to sign an Exchange Agreement between Wuhan University and The University of the West Indies for the establishment of a joint Wuhan University-UWI Centre on Caribbean Studies. And what a reception we received at Wuhan University, considered “the most beautiful campus in the whole of China.” We were met by Professor Xiaotong Zhang, someone with whom I had been working for over a year to cement the relationship between the Institute of International Relations and Wuhan University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration (PSPA), after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Wuhan University and The UWI in 2013. On the afternoon of February 24, Principal Sankat signed the exchange agreement with Mme. Feng Youmei, the Executive Vice President of Wuhan University, in the presence of Ding Huang, Dean of Political Science and Public Administration (PSPA) Professor Yan Shuangwu, Vice Dean of PSPA, Associate Professor Zhang Xiaotong, and Cheng Xuemeng, Minister of International Office of Wuhan University. Sharan Singh and I witnessed the signing on behalf of The UWI. Vice President Feng Youmei warmly welcomed us and expressed her heartfelt thanks to Professor Sankat for making the maiden visit to Wuhan University. In her speech, she spoke highly of the collaboration that has been developing between the two institutions and expressed the desire to seek out other channels and chances for the further exchange of culture, academic thought, and languages, etc., between both sides. Principal Sankat in his speech thanked Wuhan University for engaging in this collaboration and expressed the hope that faculty and students at the Institute of International Relations and across The UWI campuses will benefit from exchanges and joint research collaboration with respect to understanding the relationship between the wider Caribbean and China.
The night before we left Wuhan, we were told that there were about 20 students at a pub waiting to meet us. Despite feelings of weariness and thoughts of getting to the airport early the next morning for a flight back to Beijing, the Principal, Sharan Singh and I decided to accept the invitation of the students. And we were glad we did. Just imagine, twenty or so bright, articulate young Chinese students, most of whom understood and spoke English quite effectively, sitting in a pub and drinking in all that we had to say about The UWI, about the St. Augustine campus and about the Institute of International Relations. They were extraordinarily attentive. But they also spoke of their love of Caribbean studies and their knowledge of such great Caribbean scholars as Sir Arthur Lewis and Professor Norman Girvan. And they knew of distinguished Caribbean writers like V.S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott, Austin Clarke, and Earl Lovelace. You see, this group of terrific young people have formed what they call “Friends of the Caribbean” club. This club meets regularly to discuss all things Caribbean – music, art, culture, politics, literature and regionalism. Several of them expressed an interest in taking courses at the Institute of International Relations and in observing our carnival. Some were even familiar with our own Bunji Garlin and his infectious soca hit “Differentology”. I think I speak for both Professor Sankat and Sharan Singh that this evening with the Wuhan University students was time well spent. Our hope is that through the MOU that now exists between The UWI and Wuhan University we will see an increase in the numbers of Trinidad and Tobago students interested in travelling to Wuhan and exploring the music, art, culture, politics, literature and emerging international relations of China. Leaving beautiful Wuhan was tough, but we had to get back to Beijing to meet up with the Prime Minister and her entourage for the historic opening of this country’s new Embassy. Many people I have talked to express surprise that the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago did not have an embassy in China until 2014. After all, the relationship between The People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago dates back to the 1970s when Trinidad and Tobago embraced the “One China” policy and supported mainland China’s entrance into the United Nations and the UN Security Council (at the expense of Taiwan).You would recall that just last year, Xi Jinping became the highest ranking official of the People’s Republic of China to visit our country since China and Trinidad and Tobago established diplomatic relations on 20 June 1974 (some 40 years ago). It was during that visit, from 31 May to 2 June 2013, that the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, promised to open an We know that Chinese settlement in Trinidad and Tobago began around 1806 when the ship Fortitude brought a group of Chinese men from Macau and Penang to work as free labourers and peasant farmers. Between 1853 and 1866 some 2,645 Chinese immigrants came to Trinidad as indentured labourers – most from Guangdong province -- and worked on sugar and cacao plantations. At its peak, in 1960, there were about 8,361 Chinese living comfortably in Trinidad & Tobago. While that number dropped between the 1960s and 2000, we seem to be witnessing another wave of Chinese immigrants who are interested in setting up businesses in Trinidad and Tobago. Prominent citizens of Chinese descent include Sir Solomon Hochoy, former Trinidad and Tobago Governor General, Professor George Maxwell Richards, Eugene Chen, Robert Chee-Mooke, Brian Kuei Tung, Howard Chin Lee, Lawrence and Albert Achong, John Lee Lum, Sybil Atteck, Edwin Hing Wan, Raymond Choo Kong, Richard Chen, Lenn Chong Sing, Anya Ayoung-Chee, Chris Wong Won, Rupert Tang Choon and Professor John Aleong.
Foreign Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Winston Dookeran, said in his speech at the opening of the Embassy, that such an achievement does not happen overnight. His predecessor laid the foundation for this particular occasion, but he (Dookeran) was fortunate to be the one who signed, sealed and delivered the deal. Foreign Minister Dookeran acknowledged the groundwork also done by the Opposition PNM when that party was in office. This historic day was capped by the conferring of an Honorary Professorship on Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar by the China Agricultural University (CAU) – the largest and most prestigious Agricultural University in China. The CAU also signed a MOU with The UWI which will allow that institute to help the St. Augustine campus develop 200 acres of land in Orange Grove, across from Trincity Mall, into a field station and experimental farm. Principal Sankat has been a champion for the development of food production and agriculture as a means of solving the food security crisis in Trinidad and Tobago, and he and his counterparts at CAU see great promise in the collaboration being developed through this MOU. There are at least five things that stick in my mind about this historic state visit to China. First was the dense hazardous gray smog in Beijing. While we were there the concentration of toxic small particles was at two dozen times the level considered safe. For four days, I could not see the Great Wall of China, the Olympic Village, the famous JP Morgan building, and any of the skyscrapers that famously outline the skies of Beijing. My throat and lungs suffered as a consequence. Second was the hospitality of our Chinese hosts – both in Wuhan and in Beijing. There was a sense that these folks are really serious about developing a long-lasting bond with their Trinidadian and Tobagonian counterparts. And we really liked the students at Wuhan University! Third was the efficiency of the Chinese government’s military police who cleared the heavy Beijing traffic to make way for the Prime Minister and her entourage. It reminded me of that famous Sunday school story about Moses parting the Red Sea to get the children of Israel out of Egypt. Fourth was the opportunity to see the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, located close to Tiananmen Square. How many people ever get the chance to enter the meeting place of the National People’s Congress, which seats over 10,000 representatives? Its carpeted State Banquet Hall with its galaxy of lights is a thing to behold. Fifth was the delightful music played on the pan by none other than the newly appointed TT Ambassador to China, H.E. Chandradath Singh (the father of Sharan Singh). Not only was His Excellency eloquent in his speech to open the Embassy, he was dexterous in his handling of the beautiful red steel pan that was left as a gift to the Chinese government. One never knows how relationships between asymmetric partners will turn out. Certainly it is quite possible that China will get more out of the deal than Trinidad and Tobago. But what a great experience to be a witness to history! W. Andy Knight is Director of the Institute of International Relations, The University of the West Indies and Professor of the University of Alberta, Canada. He is the author of several books and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. |
On February 22, 2014 I took my two dogs to the kennel and prepared for a long arduous flight to China. Since there are no direct flights from Port of Spain to Beijing, I went through Newark and racked up 9,039 miles on American Airlines, landing in the late evening of February 23, exhausted and dishevelled. 
After the formal signing, we were treated to some of the best food of the province of Hubei, both at lunch and supper. I have begun to understand how important it is for Chinese to build relationships with foreigners through food and Gan Bei. Not accepting a toast and not at least trying out some of the local delicacies such as frog, Mian Wo, Shaomei, Tangyuan, Wuchang fish, or turtle meat, can be considered uncivilized or potentially disrespectful. So, one has to demonstrate genuine respect for the elaborate efforts made by the hosts to bring one into the “inner circle”. I must admit that the artistic presentation of Chinese cuisine is so exquisite that it seems like a pity to dig into it and destroy the work of art. 
So there is a relatively long history of Chinese-Trinidadian relations which was tapped into when the Prime Minister gave her speech formally opening the Embassy in Beijing. Being a witness to this historical moment was a pretty cool thing for a Bajan-Canadian. As a relative “outsider” I am sometimes bemused by the political shenanigans of local politicians. I think it’s called “bacchanal” here. But when something like this happens – the opening up of an Embassy in China, an emerging economic power – people should rise above partisan politics and applaud the government – any government—for accomplishing such an achievement.