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Asia's Caribbean Connection
| Article
# : |
14413 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
6 / 1988 |
2,163 Words |
| Author
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Julian Weiss
Julian Weiss, a Washington, D.C., correspondent for Japan
Journal, travels to Asia and the Caribbean on writing
assignments. |
There are probably no two less similar regions on the globe than East Asia and the Caribbean. The first is heralded as a highly dynamic, economically buoyant cluster of affluent nations; the latter remains a visibly dependent, financially depressed mélange of poor mini-states. While East Asia is poised to leapfrog over the industrial age, the Caribbean barely crawls through the agricultural epoch. Distance, geography, language, and orientation separate the two parts of the world. And both have distinct mores that would ordinarily hinder close contact.
Surprisingly, relations between the chronically depressed Caribbean and the prosperous, technologically savvy countries of East Asia are expanding. The growing exchange has become part of the changing face of world manufacturing--an arena where trade, covenants governing trade, geopolitics, labor markets, and proximity to markets all intertwine. And, unlike some transnational arrangements of the past, Asia's new Caribbean connection may forge lasting ties.
From trickle to stream
During the past two years, over 60 East Asian companies set up branch plants on several Caribbean islands--and more are on the way. Estimates are that as much as $60-65 million has been channeled to Puerto Rico and neighboring islands by East Asian businesses. Last year, China finalized terms of agricultural ventures in the region and sent 45 technicians to upgrade a Jamaican textile plant. "More are coming in 1988," insists Antonio Colorado, director of Puerto Rico's Economic Development Administration. "This is not exactly a boom, but the level of interest is far greater now than it was as recently as last
... (1991 of 13621 Characters)
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