Caribbean & Central America - June 2013 (ISSN 1741-4458)

*** BIDEN VISIT ECLIPSED BY XI JINPING. US Vice President Joe Biden visited Trinidad & Tobago on 27-28 May to sign a trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) between the US and the Caribbean Community (Caricom). Among the more contentious trade issues discussed was the threat posed to Caribbean rum exporters by the US’s generous subsidies to the rum industry in its Caribbean territories. Also discussed was the dispute between the US and Antigua over cross-border gambling services. On the security and crime front, Biden warned the Caribbean that it faced a potential uptick in drug trafficking as other nations in the hemisphere make progress in combating drug traffickers. For their part, the Caricom leaders pressed Biden on the question of convicted criminals of Caribbean origin being deported back to the region from the US on completion of their prison terms without sufficient intelligence on their crimes. Biden signed a “status of forces agreement” with Trinidad on the legal protections and obligations for US forces during temporary stays.

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