Ginelle Swan

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Khemraj, Tarron

Area of Concentration

International and Area Studies

Abstract

This paper examines the economic, social, and cultural ties that Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago have with China, as well as how these connections have shifted over time as different waves of Chinese immigrants came to the Caribbean. This paper also analyzes China’s developments and geopolitical aspirations in the Caribbean. The paper analyzes the sociocultural history of the three nations and highlights significant events that influenced Trinidad and Tobago's and Jamaica's social and economic hierarchies. Although other ethnic groups that traveled to the islands from the nineteenth century to the present are only briefly mentioned, this research extensively emphasizes the relationships between Chinese indentured immigrants and previously enslaved Africans. The paper concludes that the relationship between these countries began in a complex way but since the start of the Belt and Road Initiative and the establishment of official relationships in the twentieth century, interaction has increased exponentially, benefitting Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and China in different ways.

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