Grenada calls for formal agreement between Caribbean and China

Grenada Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell says he hopes the inaugural China-Caribbean Conference on Anti-Corruption Law Enforcement Cooperation held recently in Grenada would provide a formal framework of cooperation between Beijing and Caribbean countries.

Addressing the conference, which ended Tuesday, Mitchell said that China’s participation signaled its resolve to fight corruption and to jointly tackle the issue of cross-border corruption that could undermine good governance, good business practices and general financial services in “our countries.”

Corruption is a major deterrent

“It is well known that the issue of corruption has been identified through research as a major factor hindering the development of countries. The individual and collective action we take to combat the vexing issue of corruption can only help to enhance the development of our respective countries and the region as a whole,” he told delegates.

Shared best practices

Representatives from China including Vice Chairman of the National Commission of Supervision, Xu Lingyi and several CARICOM member states, attended the conference, where delegates shared best practices on mutual law enforcement and security concerns, explored specific cooperation instruments and initiatives to enhance law enforcement cooperation as well as established networks for information sharing.

Mitchell said that in recent years, several Caribbean countries have worked with Beijing on a number of law enforcement issues, but there has not been a formal framework of cooperation.

He said he hoped the two-day conference would “establish that framework” and that delegates would share best practices on mutual law enforcement and security concerns and they would explore specific cooperation instruments and initiatives to enhance law enforcement cooperation and establish networks for information sharing.