China assists storm-hit Caribbean island in new soft diplomacy

AS HURRICANE Irma ripped its way across her tiny, helpless Caribbean island, Joycie Webber clung to the floor of her home for five hours – and prayed.

“It was hot and heavy,” she recalled. “I thought it would never end.”

The storm almost erased Barbuda from the map. Every building was badly damaged, and 185 mph winds ripped the roof off her home. All 1,800 residents, including Mrs Webber and her four children, were evacuated to neighbouring Antigua.

Ten months later and Mrs Webber is back in her home, thanks to a surprising benefactor. “They told me it was China!” she said. “The Chinese paid to put the roof back on my home. It’s great. I’m really very grateful.”

Mrs Webber is one of 300 homeowners to benefit from Chinese benevolence – Beijing donated $2 million (£1.5million) towards repairs.

A fact sheet provided to The Daily Telegraph by USAID said the United States had provided $800,000 for “interventions in Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica” as part of $21.6m spent on regional hurricane recovery. It did not provide a breakdown for Barbuda.

Wang Xianmin, the Chinese ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, arrived on the island in July to mark the completion of the project, describing it as a “new model of assistance” from the Chinese government.

In June, Antigua and Barbuda became the first country in the eastern Caribbean to agree to work with China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”, establishing closer trade and diplomatic ties.

China has in fact for years been expanding its presence in the Caribbean, providing loans, donations and investment to build roads, port facilities, government buildings and even stadiums.

Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said China was stepping into the void left by the US and the UK, who he accused of failing to help the struggling islands. “They treat us with benign neglect,” he said.