- China has invested billions in Bahamian infrastructure, including $3 billion for the Baha Mar Resort, $3 billion for a Freeport port, $54 million for a highway, $40 million for a national stadium, and $40 million for the North Abaco Port and Little Abaco Bridge, raising concerns about geopolitical aims near Florida’s coast, just 50 miles away.
- Retired Rear Adm. Peter Brown warned that China’s dual-use infrastructure projects, like the Chinese-controlled British Colonial Hotel across from the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, could enable intelligence gathering and monitoring of U.S. military activities, including sensitive submarine testing at the U.S. Navy’s AUTEC facility.
- The Bahamas’ proximity to U.S. space launch paths and its role as a potential springboard for illegal immigration heighten risks. Brown noted China’s projects could be used to “monitor, exploit, and perhaps even do worse” to U.S. interests, with fears of a Chinese naval base emerging from facilities like the Freeport port. Read More