Rowley on Mondello’s claim: TT friends with US and China

DR AMERY BROWNE, Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, on Thursday said TT has excellent relations with the US, and former US ambassador to TT Joseph Mondello was on his own in suggesting otherwise.

This came as the Prime Minister denied Mondello's claim that TT had moved away from the US and towards China as a trade partner, and as the US Embassy in TT said Mondello's remarks did not represent the Joe Biden administration.

In all began with a recent interview of Mondello by a television news station in Long Island, New York, where he is a Republican party veteran figure.

Sent to TT by former US president Donald Trump, Mondello said TT was “a very enjoyable place to be” with great weather, but the Government was not looking at the US the way it should.

“I have to be completely blunt about it. Their prime minister, his name is Keith Rowley, although a nice gentleman, made a statement to the papers that the United States was Trinidad’s partner of the past and that China is their partner of the future. That seems to be the thought in the minds of many of the Caribbean island chieftains, so to speak.”

Mondello said amid US domestic political infighting, the US must not forget there is "a rest of the world" which was taking things very seriously.

He said China wants to be number one in the world, but the US was in its way.

“You’ve got Russia, Iran, China, all coming into places like Venezuela which is only 6.7 miles from Trinidad and they are making inroads in these countries.”

Mondello said TT had made its mark in the oil industry.

“They have depended on the United States for many years and the United States has done very well by them, but they’re at the point now where they take us very much for granted.

Mondello said the Chinese were coming to TT to do a lot of things. “But they don’t give anything away for nothing. The Chinese don’t do that.”

Newsday on June 21, 2018 had quoted Rowley as saying that just as TT needs Chinese investment, China needs TT’s location in the Caribbean.

“Foreign investment came to this country from Britain and later from the United States, and all along we’ve had this foreign investment inflow," Rowley had said.

“But today China is the world’s second-largest economy, so while the economy of Britain drove us for a while and the US for another period, if we are to tap into serious inflows of foreign direct investment we have to look into countries that are looking for investment opportunities abroad and China is that today.”

On Thursday in an online post, Rowley denied Mondello’s claim.

“I know that TT’s long-standing, close relationship with China and more recently our business contacts with China was a source of constant griping by this ambassador, but the friendly relations between TT and China is a healthy one and does not require the approval of any ambassador in our country.”

Rowley recalled often publicly saying TT’s major trading partner was the US which was still encouraged to invest in TT.

“We also take advantage of our opportunities with China which is now one of the major trading nations of the world.

“It was never a case of one or the other. We maintain good, friendly, business relationships with both world powers as we look after the interest of the people of TT.”

Browne in a statement on Thursday said Mondello’s interview has already been discussed with the US Embassy in PoS and by extension with the US State Department.

“They have emphasised that Mr Mondello spoke as a private citizen, and his views and perspectives do not represent those of the Biden administration. “They also emphasised that they remain committed to strengthening our bilateral ties and to working closely with TT on a range of matters of mutual interest including trade.”

Browne said Mondello’s personal reflections included a false reference to Rowley and a reference to Caribbean Heads of Government as “island chieftains.”

“TT remains committed to strengthening our excellent relations with the United States of America which we value as our largest trading partner, even as we exercise our sovereign right to do business with other nations.”