Building a Deeper Bond

Barbados， an island country in the southeastern Caribbean Sea， established diplomatic relations with China in 1977. In the decades that have followed， the bond between the two countries has tightened.

Hallam Henry， Ambassador of Barbados to China， has witnessed Chinas development over the past years. He earned a bachelors degree in 2015 and then a masters degree in 2017 from Tsinghua University， one of Chinas top institutions of higher learning. In an exclusive interview with Beijing Review reporter Li Xiaoyang， he shared his views on Chinas development， as well as the Sino-Barbadian bond. Edited excerpts from their conversation follow：

Beijing Review： From student to head of the island countrys diplomatic mission in China， how do you view the country today？

Hallam Henry： The modernization of China， a country with a huge population， has been a notable accomplishment and can be observed in various aspects. These include the attainment of xiaokang， or a moderately prosperous society without extreme poverty. Chinas pursuit of reducing carbon emissions， its commitment to achieving carbon neutrality before 2060 and the outstanding expansion of both the local subway and national high-speed railway networks are impressive.

There are also notable advancements in Chinas strategic science and technology programs. The accelerated introduction of services such as mobile payment and digital currency has greatly facilitated businesses and provided more options for people living in China.

How has the China-Barbados relationship evolved？ How do the two countries see further exchanges？

Barbados sees China as a steadfast friend. We have benefited from Chinas global leadership through the Belt and Road Initiative（BRI）， which China proposed to boost connectivity along and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. Many projects and initiatives are being delivered through loans， contracts and some grants， with several memorandums of understanding （MoUs） between the two countries already signed. These initiatives are part of the BRI and demonstrate new areas of bilateral cooperation.

China has been supportive of our development efforts in road repair and the construction of national projects that have made a difference in the Barbadian society and economy.

The two countries have cooperated on education， characterized by the donation of computer equipment worth 10 million Barbadian dollars to primary and secondary schools in Barbados and Chinese scholarships awarded to Barbadian students annually. Many Barbadian students are learning the Chinese language and about the countrys culture and festival customs. Over the past few years， more and more students have come to China to pursue higher education. The cultural and educational linkages have expanded to technological exchanges.

Chinese medical teams comprised of both doctors and nurses have provided specialist care within the healthcare system of Barbados， including in the fields of orthopedics， anesthesiology and traditional Chinese medicine. Through offering the services， China has supported Barbados objective to maintain a highquality healthcare system accessible to all citizens.

There has also been significant cooperation between Barbados and China in agriculture. In 2021， a new sugarcane harvester was donated to the Government of Barbados. The donation coincided with the signing of an MoU on agricultural cooperation between Barbados and the central Chinese province of Hunan.

Other initiatives of teamwork with China include the road and general rehabilitation of the Scotland District. This is one of the most beautiful， and one of the most environmentally vulnerable， areas of Barbados. The upgrading of the sewerage system and treatment plant is also being pursued， which is central to proper environmental management and the protection of marine habitats.

This year marks the 46th anniversary of the establishment of Barbados-China diplomatic relations. The lifting of entry protocols into China in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed the return of overseas delegations to and from China which will see greater frequency of these interactions and represents an opportunity to strengthen the bonds of friendship between Barbados and China at both the intergovernmental and the people-to-people levels. BR