China seeks to fill void left by Western ‘neglect’ in Antigua and Barbuda in wake of Hurricane Irma
Chinese-funded projects help islanders rebuild as authorities complain US and other Western countries have not done enough
Steel drums carry a jubilant rendition of Guantanamera over the ruins of Barbuda’s capital Codrington, as dignitaries and residents mark the latest bit of progress in the island’s gruelling struggle to recover from Hurricane Irma.
The event celebrated a Chinese-funded programme to replace roofs ripped from more than 300 homes by the powerful storm that damaged or destroyed nearly every building on the tiny island when it roared through on September 6 last year.
The project has enabled hundreds of families to return home from sister island Antigua as Barbuda continues the daunting process of rebuilding the 160 sq km (62 sq mile) isle, where just five per cent of homes escaped damage.
But it has also burnished the image of China at a time when some in the region, including the tiny archipelago’s prime minister, complain that US and European aid has fallen short.
The US$2 million repair project marks a “new model of assistance” from the Chinese government, said Ambassador Wang Xianmin.
The challenge of rebuilding after Irma has been enormous: an estimated 60 per cent of Barbudans were left homeless; the island’s electrical system was devastated; potable water was scarce.
While the Chinese contribution was a relative drop in the ocean compared with the estimated US$220 million needed, locals say they at least followed through, while other promises of aid have proved frustratingly elusive.
