The New Perspectives of the Caribbean: Island Ecological and Economical Development Seminar was successfully held on June 19th and 20th at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. The seminar was jointly hosted by Beijing International Exchange Association Sustainable Development Committee(BJ-SDC), the Promotion Association for the Global Youth Innovation Leadership Community(PILC) and the Caribbean-China people Foundation(CCPF). Participants from the governments, enterprises, academies and organizations together explored from new perspectives what we can do individually and collectively to promote the ecological and economic development of the Caribbean islands.
The seminar received strong support from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication(Ministry of TEATT) of Sint Maarten as well as Maho Group and the University of St. Martin. And as a following step of two events BJ-SDC held in 2018 in Sint Maarten, the Seminar has been a gathering of thoughts, communication and inspiration.
Opening Remark by Stuart A. Johnson, Minister of TEATT of Sint Maarten
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication of Sint Maarten, Stuart A. Johnson delivered an opening speech on June 19th, in which he mentioned the seminar’s concept fits perfectly with the St. Maarten government’s 2018-2022 programme for building a sustainable St. Maarten. “The future of St. Maarten rests on restoring social norms, health care, cost-effective and environmental energy, and waste solutions,” he stated. "Since Irma we have seen the value of international relationships with key strategic partners."
Xue Shan, Acting Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Willemstad, sent a congratulatory letter to hosts of the seminar, and Fan Zhi(Jason), Deputy Secretary-General of BJ-SDC and moderator of the seminar, read the letter to all the attendees. "Following the successful event of last year, I believe the event of this year will continue to promote the ecological and economic development of island, bring ideas and opportunities towards future pragmatic cooperation that will benefit our two sides in a sustainable way." Xue said in the letter.
Welcome Speech by BJ-SDC Chairman Liu Wei
BJ-SDC Chairman Liu Wei(Ray) gave a welcome speech on behalf of the hosts. He said the BJ-SDC is committed to promoting sustainable development, cultural and business exchanges globally and this seminar is the fourth major event held by BJ-SDC in Sint Maarten since the “Hanwang-Caribbean Forum” in 2016. He also explained reason of choosing Soneta Maho Beach Resort as the venue of the seminar. "By working with Chinese supplier of green building materials and Chinese construction team, the newly rebuilt hotel of Maho Group has been a perfect example how China and Sint Maarten can join hands together in business cooperation."
Following his welcome speech, Ray also made a special report on Hua Dao Eco-Community in Chengdu, China, which adopted the same building materials and techniques as Maho later did. He pointed out there's over thousands of miles between Chengdu and Sint Maarten, but with platforms and bridges created by non-government entities like BJ-SDC, communication and cooperation between the two sides have been constantly deepened and efficiently improved.
Keynote speech by Zhu Lei, Executive Chairman of PILC and Executive Vice-Chair of BJ-SDC
Zhu Lei, Executive Chairman of PILC and Executive Vice-Chair of BJ-SDC made a keynote speech on the international cooperation and college students entrepreneurship. He said the 4th China College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in 2018 had attracted 2.65 million participants and 2278 universities from 50 countries, which made it the world's largest youth innovation and entrepreneurship event.
Keynote speech by Richard F. Gibson Sr., Former Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten
Former Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten, Richard F. Gibson Sr., also delivered a keynote speech on international cooperation. He extended his respect to all the hosts for their continuous efforts to bring partners and opportunities of cooperation to Sint Maarten. He said China is a sincere and supportive partner to the Caribbean, and people must not be misled by inadequate or inaccurate information from the media. Sint Maarten should seize the opportunity to carry out extensive cooperation in a timely manner, and can not be left behind in this rapidly changing world.
Dialogue: International Cooperation and Regional Development
Dialogue: Entrepreneurship and Social Well-being
Group Discussion: Challenge and Opportunity of Sint Maarten's Ecological and Economic Development
Guests (from left to right): Minister of TEATT, Stuart A. Johnson; Minister of Finance, Perry Geerlings; BJ-SDC Chairman Liu Wei
Project presentations and dialogues on regional development and innovation have gathered idea and consensus of representatives from both China and the region. In-depth group discussions were held on issues such as entrepreneurship, social welfare, international cooperation, and ecological and economic development.
Wycliffe S. Smith (in the Middle), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs of Sint Maarten
Wycliffe S. Smith, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs of Sint Maarten, joined the launch ceremony of the 2nd China-Caribbean College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The competition will effectively create a stage for young innovators and entrepreneurs to show their idea and projects which can make revolutionary changes to the society.
Group Sharing
Initiative of the SXM-China Bridge Commission by Dr. Jay B. Haviser
Closed-door Session on the Second Day
In the closed-door session on the second day, Christopher Chuang, Honorary Chairman of BJ-SDC, moderated the two discussions "why do we gather here in Sint Maarten" and "how can we contribute to its future development". Dr. Jay B. Haviser, Director of St. Maarten Archaeological Center proposed the initiative to establish a commission as a bridge for Chinese and Sint Maarten NGOs, bringing more possibilities to the exchange and cooperation between China and Sint Maarten.
As China and the Caribbean are linked to each other more and more closely, it is important to gather more consensuses and put them into action. This seminar created good opportunities for promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the people from two sides, and it will consolidate the basis for a long-term and stable development of China-Caribbean cooperation.