Now that the US Administration is making allowances for Chinese built ships to operate from US ports and the Caribbean without charge, there is now another concern; a proposed ban by the United States on the use of Chinese-built cranes that may be in operation in ports across the region.
However, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority, Darwin Telemaque this additional provision will have little or no impact on Antigua and Barbuda as there are no such cranes on the list of equipment used by the port.
“The US government is going to apply 100 percent tariffs on all cranes that are bought from China, all freight-handling equipment bought from China, such as chassis that carry the containers, all of these will now attract this new tariff. This would mean that the cost of these equipment will increase so there is some pressure that will come from that, but those are miniscule when compared with the waiver which the region received regarding Chinese built ships,” Telemaque explained.
He further explained that the crane recently purchased by the port authority is a German crane that was built in the UK. “Our crane will not fall under this new provision. Except for one folk-lift that was sourced in China, the other equipment such as stackers were sourced elsewhere,” he emphasised.
There are fears that these measures introduced by the US as part of its ongoing trade war with China will undoubtedly harm the Caribbean economies as they will likely lead to higher prices for many goods.
