Richard Gibson Sr. gave the keynote address at the “New Perspectives of the Caribbean Seminar” in Sonesta Maho Beach Resort on Wednesday. (Robert Luckock photo)
Jay Haviser (left) moderates a dialogue session with Arthur Lugisse, (Jason Fan translating) for David Hsu (second right) and Sandra Cheung. (Robert Luckock photo)
Launch of the 2019 China Caribbean Youth Entrepreneurship competition. From left: Dr. Antonio Carmona Baez, Zhu Lei, Cengiz Kucuk, Minister Wycliffe Smith, Ife Badejo, Liu Wei, and Jason Fan. (Robert Luckock photo)
PILC Executive Chairman Zhu Lei (right) addresses delegates with a translator. (Robert Luckock photo)
MAHO--Richard Gibson Sr. in his keynote address in Sonesta Maho Beach Resort on Wednesday said it is vital to stay abreast of international developments by engaging in international cooperation “to not get left behind.”
Speaking at the two-day “New Perspectives of the Caribbean Seminar – Island Ecology and Economy” hosted by the Caribbean-China People Foundation, he said:
“Ideas, information and technology become available and will make it unnecessary for us to re-invent the wheel. Cooperation between domestic and international groups will result in explosions of a wealth of information, support and know-how, give access to latest technology and best practices as well as developments internationally for us to wait and decide what path we want to follow to attain our goals. It also opens avenues to access finance for projects.”
Gibson said a perfect example of international cooperation is the one China has currently with St. Maarten and he is “deeply impressed” with the continued efforts the Caribbean China People Foundation and its sister foundation have been making for St. Maarten.
“It’s exactly the kind of international cooperation that is needed. We cannot do it on our own. We lack skills, so, yes, we need skilled Chinese resources to help and build our economy. It can be Americans or Italians, but I only see the Chinese here. I don’t see anyone else.”
Jointly hosted by Promotion Association of Global Youth Innovative Leaders Community PILC and Beijing International Exchange Association Sustainable Development Committee (BJ-SDC) it was no coincidence the event was held in Sonesta Maho Resort. The hotel is a source of pride for the Chinese, the property having been entirely renovated and remodelled by Chinese workers using revolutionary construction materials.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Stuart Johnson, Finance Minister Perry Geerlings and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Wycliffe Smith were present for the early part of the seminar.
Johnson said in his welcoming remarks that 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.
“I must commend China for its continued relationship which has increased over the past 15 years. Since 1999 it has set out to assist developing countries. With that in mind, the Caribbean is expected to grow three times as fast as other developing economies over the next 10 years.”
Opening remarks were also given by Beijing International Exchange Association Chairman Liu Wei, PILC Executive Chairman Zhu Lei, and China-Caribbean People Foundation Executive Chair Cengiz Kucuk.
The year 2019 marks the fourth time the Beijing International Exchange Association has been at this event in St. Maarten. Wei recalled how funds were raised to provide emergency housing containers for St. Maarten after the hurricanes of 2017.
Lei noted he was “very touched” to see how Sonesta Maho Beach Resort had been reborn again after the disaster of 2017. He said the 2018 Entrepreneur Competition in China had attracted 2,278 universities, 50 countries, and 2.65 million participants.
A video was shown about an eco-village in China, the Hua Dao eco-community, where they constructed a disaster-proof building with construction materials that would later be used in the rebuilding of the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort. There was also a showing of the 2018 conference in St. Maarten.
Jay Haviser moderated the first dialogue session on International Cooperation. The panel included Arthur Lugisse of Tallahassee-St. Maarten Foundation, Sandra Cheung of Tzu Chi Foundation, and David Hsu of Shun Ting Construction.
Haviser said construction materials for Sonesta Maho Beach Resort came from China, were designed and developed in Italy, and assembled in St. Maarten.
“That’s three countries at that level of development,” he observed. “That’s a starting point to look at cooperation with an international perspective. It’s not just about developing materials, but developing a mindset for cooperation.”
Given China’s relationship with St. Maarten, he suggested developing more of an affinity with the country, learning the language, for example, and the culture. Mandarin is already being taught in St. Maarten, he noted. St. Maarten could also act as a “hub” for projects, due to the proximity of international airline connections and shipping.
The second dialogue session was moderated by Beijing International Exchange Deputy Secretary-General Jason Fan, who does almost all the English translation for these events. The panel included PWR Agency Chief Experience Officer Ife Badejo, University of St. Martin President Dr. Antonio Carmona Baez, and PILC Chairman Lei.
Minister Smith was invited to join in for the official launch of the 2019 China-Caribbean Youth Entrepreneur Competition. In the afternoon there was a presentation from Tes Verheij from WasteFactory St. Maarten before delegates split into two groups for the group discussion “Is eco-smart country a good option for St. Maarten?”.
