Antigua and Barbuda Won’t Choose Between China and US, PM Browne Says
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA · DIPLOMACY
Key Facts
- —What he said Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Antigua and Barbuda will strengthen ties with China while keeping its long ties with the United States.
- —Where At a reception on Tuesday 29 September 2026 marking the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, ABS TV/Radio reported.
- —His warning A long conflict between China and the United States could seriously hurt small states whose economies depend on both.
- —The US side Since a US proclamation of 16 December 2025, Antiguans face partial limits on US tourist, student and immigrant visas.
- —The backdrop China’s President Xi Jinping made a state visit to the United States from 23 to 25 September 2026.
Antigua and Barbuda wants Chinese help for development and open doors to the United States, and its leader wants both.
Antigua and Barbuda will build closer ties with China and keep its long links to the US, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said. He spoke on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at a reception marking 77 years of the People’s Republic of China, ABS TV/Radio reported.
What Browne said
Antigua and Barbuda is a two-island state in the eastern Caribbean, and Gaston Browne has been its prime minister since 2014. He said the country will not be forced to choose between the world’s two largest economies.
Both relationships matter for the country’s development, he argued, ABS reported. He said the country should be free to take development offers from both and stay out of tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Browne said closer cooperation with China is important for technology, healthcare, education and renewable energy. He also warned that a long conflict between the two powers could seriously hurt small states.
An old friendship with Beijing
The two countries opened diplomatic relations on 1 January 1983, according to the Chinese embassy in St John’s, the capital. Antigua recognises Beijing, not Taiwan.
A new Chinese ambassador, Jiang Wei, took up her post at the start of 2026. At her welcome reception, Governor General Sir Rodney Williams said the partnership had delivered benefits in infrastructure, education, health and training.
Browne’s government used that event to restate its commitment to the One-China principle, the embassy reported. That principle means recognising Beijing as the only government of China, including Taiwan.
Pressure from Washington
Ties with the United States have been strained by Antigua’s citizenship by investment programme. It grants passports to foreign investors in return for a payment.
On 16 December 2025 President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that partly suspended entry for Antiguan nationals. It covers immigrant visas and tourist, business, student and exchange visas, according to the White House.
The White House said Antigua and Barbuda “has historically had Citizenship by Investment (CBI) without residency”. The restrictions took effect in January 2026.
The country still works with Washington on sensitive files. On 28 September its government published its counter-offer to take in up to 28 people a year deported from the United States.
Caribbean neighbours in the same position
Antigua and Barbuda is not alone. The same December proclamation placed Dominica, another eastern Caribbean island, under partial limits for the same reason: citizenship by investment without residency.
It kept a full entry ban on Haiti and partial limits on Cuba and Venezuela, the White House said. It also made exceptions for permanent US residents, people who already hold visas, athletes and diplomats.
Antigua and Barbuda asks at least US$230,000 for a passport through its main donation route. It shares a minimum price of US$200,000 with four eastern Caribbean neighbours.
The White House said the countries on its list had “deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing”. The five programmes now answer to a shared regional regulator, created after years of US and European warnings.
A thaw between the giants
Browne spoke days after China’s President Xi Jinping made a state visit to the United States, from 23 to 25 September. The two governments agreed on eight joint outcomes, according to the Chinese embassy in St John’s.
They include a pledge to build a “constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability” and an arrangement for US$30 billion in reciprocal tariff cuts. They also cover joint work against drug trafficking and a new dialogue on artificial intelligence.
A calmer relationship between the two powers would ease the pressure on small states to pick a side. Browne’s warning was about the opposite case: a long conflict.
What it means for residents and investors
For Antiguans and foreign residents, the US visa rules are the most direct concern. Holders of Antiguan passports now face extra limits when they apply for many US visas.
For investors, Browne’s priorities point to more cooperation with China in technology, health, education and renewable energy. He paired that with a promise to keep the long US ties.
Browne has not said how much new Chinese funding he expects. For now his line is that friendship with one power need not cost the country the other.
More: Caribbean news, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Gaston Browne say about China and the United States?
He said Antigua and Barbuda will strengthen its relationship with China while keeping its long ties with the United States. He said the country should not be drawn into tensions between Washington and Beijing.
Where did Browne make the remarks?
He spoke on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at a reception for the 77th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, ABS reported.
Do Antiguans face US visa restrictions?
Yes. A US proclamation of 16 December 2025 partly suspended entry for Antiguan nationals, citing the country’s citizenship by investment programme. It covers immigrant visas and tourist, business, student and exchange visas.
Sources: ABS TV/Radio · ABS TV/Radio · Embassy of China in Antigua and Barbuda · Embassy of China in Antigua and Barbuda (January 2026) · The White House
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