Rowley: Chinese not worried about crime in TT

CHINESE business people who are interested in investing in TT are not worried about crime in this country.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley made this comment yesterday as he reported on his two-week visit to China and Australia. At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Rowley said Chinese government officials and business people did not raise crime concerns when he met with them. He added that Government continues to place crime on the front burner as it seeks to diversify the economy and encourage more investment into TT.

Rowley said discussions with the Australian government about anti-terrorism assistance and police training are some of the anti-crime initiatives being pursued at this time. Underscoring the importance of seeking foreign direct investment from traditional and non-traditional sources, Rowley said TT is no longer seeking simply to hire Chinese contractors to build projects in TT, after which they get paid and leave. He cited a commitment by the Beijing Construction Engineering Group (BCEG) to construct a new industrial park in Point Lisas as an example. Rowley said the focus of this park would be manufacturing and its construction would be overseen by E-Teck.

Reiterating that discussions were held with the HNA Group about investing in the Tobago Sandals project, Rowley said two local businesses have expressed interest in getting involved in the project as well. He explained the construction of a new terminal building at the Arthur NR Robinson International Airport was also part of efforts to boost tourism in Tobago.

Rowley was optimistic that discussions between Caribbean Airlines, Air China and Hainan Airlines could result in Chinese tourists coming to TT. He identified a dry dock in La Brea and attracting Chinese banks to set up operations in TT as other efforts to attract Chinese investment into TT. This country, Rowley said, could leverage its geographical position as a launch pad for investment into the Caribbean and Latin America.

Rowley also hoped that if China partners with Lake Asphalt, it could improve the company’s operations and help it provide local asphalt for projects in China. At the moment, Rowley said Lake Asphalt serves as “a post office for Petrotrin”, selling bitumen from Petrotrin’s Pointe-a-Pierre refinery.

BCEG, HNA Group, China Railway Construction, Huawei and the China Gezhouba Group were listed as some Chinese companies who will be sending representatives to explore investment opportunities in TT.