Barbados is just trying to become more autonomous, just like many of the many of the past "possessions" of Great Britain. Barbados has announced its intention to remove Queen Elizabeth as its head of state and become a republic. The island nation kept the monarch as head of state. The spokesman for the embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Barbados, Gao Jin, has taken issue over allegations that Beijing has been using infrastructural investment and debt diplomacy as a means of control. Barbados wants to replace the Queen as head of state next year. 0 17 1.6k 103. Barbados–United Kingdom relations are the relations between the governments of Barbados and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Now British MP, Tom Thugendhat, claims China is influencing Barbados to drop the British Queen as head of State. Many analysts say that while China has been investing heavily in the region in competition with Western nations, claims that Beijing has forced Barbados’ decision to become a republic are wide of the mark. Bajan Government bosses said the move was a bid to "leave [our] colonial […] Your email address will not be published. For some Britons having their Queen as head of state in foreign nations may provide some nostalgia of former global glory. Barbados already has a Queen and her name is @rihanna,” quipped Simon Naitram, a lecturer at The University of the West Indies at Cave Hill on the island. Stand out with the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. . China accused of forcing Barbados to drop Queen as head of state after ‘debt trap diplomacy’ pressure from Beijing. The Queen of Barbados, Elizabeth II, is head of state and is represented locally by the Governor-General of Barbados—presently Sandra Mason. This is the poverty of Cold War zero-sum thinking. China’s involvement is not something out of the blue either. Chinese pressure has driven Barbados to call for the removal of the Queen as its head of state, a Conservative MP has claimed. Tom Tugendhat reckons Chinese pressure is fuelling the island's latest bid to remove the British monarch as head of state. By. Boris Johnson FIRES BACK at ‘expansionist’ China as Beijing 'sparks' Queen Barbados split BORIS JOHNSON has called on diplomats to put pressure on … Hence, Barbados will take the next logical step towards full sovereignty and become a republic by the time we celebrate our 55th anniversary of independence” in 2021, Mason told lawmakers in Bridgetown. By Emily Ferguson PUBLISHED: 08:35, Wed, Sep 23, 2020 ” What happened Array . Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the British Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Select Committee, told The Times of London newspaper last week that “China has been using infrastructure investment and debt diplomacy as a means of control for a while, and it’s coming closer to home for us.”. In 2005, China rewarded the island of Grenada, which has an annual GDP of just $1.8 billion, with a brand new $55 million cricket stadium after it cut relations with Taiwan. BORIS JOHNSON has called on diplomats to put pressure on China over its 'expansionism' following the accusations that Beijing pressured Barbados to remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. Chinese pressure is fuelling a drive to remove the Queen as head of state in Barbados, a Tory MP has claimed. Barbados signed a defense agreement with Beijing back in 2006. Critics claim that the move came about in part because China exerted pressure on Barbados. Caribbean News, Latin America News: LONDON, England, Mon. Barbados will remove Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and become a republic by next year, its government has announced, making it the … They come with a large checkbook. Barbados, meanwhile, has received at least $490 million, mostly as investment in the tourism sector, but is also thought to be benefiting from private deals. And the Barbados Labor Party now has that.”, The Chinese Embassy in Britain issued a statement following Tugendhat’s comments, saying, “We deplore and oppose the comments that distort China-Barbados relations. China Slam Back After UK Politician Suggests Barbados Could Trade Queen For Xi. “I don’t think China’s the reason Barbados is changing who’s going to be the head of state,” Scott MacDonald, a senior associate at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a recent Skype interview with VOA. “China’s role in the Caribbean is large. The historical ties between the two countries are long and complex, including settlement, post-colonialism and modern bilateral relations. Barbados recently signed on to China's Belt and Road initiative, which will open up trade between the two nations. News tips to: john@vifreepress.com. Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, said yesterday that Beijing had actively sought to undermine London’s historical status as a key partner with Caribbean nations. Mr Johnson is said to be concerned that the Chinese state is trying to take advantage of the economic … Bajan Government bosses said the move was a “I think it’s unlikely that there’s been significant foreign influence over this, from China or anywhere else,” Murphy told VOA. World Leaders Offer Tributes to Britain's Prince Philip, Barbados Decision to Remove Queen Elizabeth as Head of State Blamed on China, Lockdown Protests Snowball as Europe's Libertarians Fret About Freedom, German Health Officials Say New Nationwide Lockdown Needed to Control COVID-19, Britain's Prince Philip, Husband of Queen Elizabeth, Dies at 99. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly ordered British diplomats to try to counter the “expansionism” of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Belt and Road initiative following accusations that the regime in Beijing pressured Barbados to remove the Queen as its head of state. Because China exerted pressure on Barbados to make Queen Elizabeth as head of state been! A defense agreement with Beijing back in 2006 ” monarch is a relic of many... Kept the monarch at the University of LONDON, England, Mon and parliamentary democracy modelled on the eve its... 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