Caribbean leaders address Trump's new tariffs and global crises /* Caribbean exempt from port fee increases on Chinese-built ships
- Thread starter get these nets
- Start date
No but as a Miami man I know a lot of them.
In before you / someone says - keep out of stuff what’s not my business.
get these nets
Veteran
Tropical Shipping Exempted from $1 Million Port Fee Tariffs
April 18, 2025
Tropical President Attributes Victory to Strong Caribbean Advocacy
Riviera Beach, Florida – President Trump’s executive order aimed at revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding industry grandfathered American-owned carriers like Tropical Shipping that currently rely on Chinese-built vessels. The United States Trade Representative (USTR) proposed surcharges that would have cost Tropical Shipping customers an additional $3,000 per 40-foot container load, will not go into effect.
“This is a huge victory for us and the entire Caribbean region that we serve,” said Tropical Shipping President and CEO Tim Martin. “Our voices were heard. We could not have accomplished this without the relentless advocacy from our Caribbean representatives in Washington, D.C., our customers, and the many organizations that wrote letters to the USTR describing the devastating multiplier effect these port fees would have had on all of us.”
Martin says a USTR committee member was surprised by the massive response from Caribbean leaders and businesses.
“One of Tropical’s core values is, ‘Responsiveness is our driving force.’ Caribbean communities were our driving force on this issue, and I can’t thank you enough. I want to give a special thanks to the following:
- Our dedicated employees
- Our customers
- Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett, United States Virgin Islands
- Governor Albert Bryan - United States Virgin Islands
- Teri Helenese, Director of the Federal Relations Office of the Governor of the United States Virgin Islands
- President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Guyana
- Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados and Chair of CARICOM
- Dr. Patrick Antione, CARICOM Private Sector Organization
- Wazim Mowla, Atlantic Council
- Caribbean Shipping Association
- Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association
- Caribbean Ambassador to the United States
- Caribbean Tourism Organization
- Members of the Florida Congressional Representatives
Tropical Shipping is headquartered in Riviera Beach, Florida, and has served the Caribbean market since 1963. Tropical’s transportation services include refrigerated, dry, Full-Container-Load (FCL), Less-than-Container-Load (LCL), small package, consolidation, inland transportation, and global logistics services.
get these nets
Veteran
04/20/25
CARICOM Secures Exemption From USTR Port Fees on China-Built Vessels Following Regionwide Advocacy
CARICOM Secures Exemption From USTR Port Fees on China-Built Vessels Following Regionwide Advocacy
The Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) has expressed gratitude to the Office of the United...
viconsortium.com
Last edited:
Interesting
get these nets
Veteran
The way this story is playing out demonstrates the importance of great leadership.
Western powers will always move in ways that protect their interests. The smaller countries have to have
effective leaders in their dealings and relationship with superpowers and bigger countries, to protect their economies and sovereignty. Or they will get run over.
Glad that, for now, Mottley and the other stakeholders on this issue have been able to work out favorable agreements.
Western powers will always move in ways that protect their interests. The smaller countries have to have
effective leaders in their dealings and relationship with superpowers and bigger countries, to protect their economies and sovereignty. Or they will get run over.
Glad that, for now, Mottley and the other stakeholders on this issue have been able to work out favorable agreements.
Last edited:
get these nets
Veteran
05/13/25
China offers Latin America and the Caribbean billions in bid to rival US influence
BEIJING, May 13 (Reuters) - President Xi Jinping vowed on Tuesday to boost China's footprint in Latin America and the Caribbean with a new $9 billion credit line and fresh infrastructure investment, although Brazil warned the region not to become overly reliant on foreign funding.
The world's second-largest economy will disburse 66 billion yuan ($9.18 billion) in credit to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States' (CELAC) members, Xi told delegates from around 30 nations gathered in Beijing for the three-yearly China-CELAC Forum Ministerial Meeting.
China and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are important members of the Global South. Independence is our glorious tradition, development and revitalisation our natural right, and fairness and justice our common pursuit," Xi said.
Xi promised leaders including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro that China would also import more from Latin America and encourage its firms to boost investment.
Beijing has stepped up efforts in recent years to displace the United States as the region's primary development partner, although Xi's global "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative (BRI) has encountered challenges in some countries.
China also sees courting the region as a way to squeeze self-ruled Taiwan. Seven of the 12 countries that have official diplomatic ties with the island, which Beijing considers one of its provinces, hail from Latin America or the Caribbean.
Haiti and Saint Lucia, which both recognise Taiwan, sent representatives to Beijing for the CELAC summit. Panama's ambassador to China was also in attendance, although the Central American country has announced it does not intend to renew its BRI membership, which is set to expire in two to three years.
The fresh credit line, denominated in yuan, will be welcomed in many regional capitals, analysts say, although the funding is not immediately useful to countries struggling to service dollar-denominated debt.
"They are doing a lot more yuan-based deals like this, particularly for credit swap agreements that make it easier for the borrowing country to transact in RMB rather than USD," said Eric Orlander, co-founder of the China-Global South Development Project.
"I think there is a case to be made that it is a win for Latin America in the sense that getting access to capital is now not as easy as it used to be."
The funding is just under half the amount Beijing offered during the inaugural China-CELAC Forum in 2015, although, as its $19 trillion economy has slowed, so has its willingness to lend.
Xi also announced visa-free travel would be rolled out to five countries, without specifying which ones.
After the opening ceremony, delegates adopted a joint action plan covering cooperation through to 2027, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.
US-CHINA COMPETITION
The Forum comes as many Latin American and Caribbean states seek to negotiate better trade terms with the United States, following President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs.Xi reiterated China's opposition to the levies, while the Brazilian President urged the region not to become overly reliant on the world's top economies.
"It's important to understand, (the fate of Latin America) doesn't depend on anyone else. It does not depend on President Xi Jinping, it does not depend on the United States, it does not depend on the European Union, it depends solely and simply on whether we want to be great or continue to be small," Lula said.
Of the $240 billion worth of goods China bought from the CELAC countries last year, just under half came from Brazil, the region's largest economy.
Two-way trade between China and the CELAC bloc was $515 billion in 2024, according to Chinese customs data, up from $450 billion in 2023 and just $12 billion in 2000.
($1 = 7.1925 Chinese yuan renminbi
It would be anotherThe Caymans should raise the tax rates for the US companies and expats.
Uncle Sam will go to war when white businesses are threatened .
Similar threads
