Cricket and Chinese in Antigua

The more I read about China the more concerned I get about this super-power. Even Antiguan politicians are concerned about the way the Chinese are taking over the economy here and euphoria about the passing Euro Zone crisis should be tempered by the knowledge that the CHINESE bought many of the government bonds in the widely applauded successful bond auction (The Times 12th Jan 2011).

Here in Antigua some in the government are starting to be vocal about the Chinese. We see them driving in government registered cars and brand new 4x4’s with big engines. As we know the Chinese like to be conspicuous about their wealth - hence the growing demand for Shark Fin Soup and other expensive delicacies. When we were in China last year we watched middle class parties in restaurants load their table with expensive food that then does not get eaten or taken in doggie bags. (Apparently the same goes in India - a country with a greater population than China that can barely feed itself - and now food inflation is going through the roof as a result). This is causing unrest.

“The large number of Chinese and Chinese businesses (and I quote Antiguan politician Asot Michael from my daily read, the Daily Observer) and poor quality products (are) taking over the country…..our local business community is being taken over by the Chinese. … my difficulty (with the Chinese) is their unwillingness to integrate and their refusal to share employment and profit making benefits of their operations beyond members of their ethnic group. Chinese immigrants get subsidies, grants and concessionary loan financing for their business operations from government agencies in China, making it difficult for local businesses that are dependent on commercial bank finance to compete. There is also growing concern that Chinese retail operations are under paying taxes and racking up huge profits which the repatriate.”

My take on this is that in exchange for the building projects, loans and agricultural support the Chinese are given easy access to the local market where they under-cut retailers, putting them out of business and thus enabling Chinese products to become the only products available on the island. I already realise to my horror that some of the vegetables I buy here come from China (I thought I was buying local from the market). Do the Antiguans need a very expensive cricket stadium, a multipurpose cultural centre and street lighting through the jungle? Maybe the airport expansion, hospital and power plant are good things but the means by which the Antiguans came by them may not be (soft loans, imported Chinese work force, access by China to the local market and Shark fin fishing rights). This is a tiny island and perhaps illustrates in microcosm how the Chinese can manipulate and outwit African statesmen.

15th January 2011

We had a fantastic evening last night. We went to the afore mentioned cricket stadium to watch a game of cricket - one of a series of games being played be young cricket teams from around the world.
We drove to the cricket ground with James (an engineer of M.Y Siren) and my new girl friend Kendall who we met on Todds Caricu (a wonderful traditional Caribbean sailing boat) when we spent an idyllic day sailing round the island last Sunday. We had heard that the cricket was fun and on a whim decided to go. We had no idea who was playing and Kendall knew NOTHING about cricket.

We were surprised at the number if cars parked haphazardly all around the floodlit stadium. It is certainly an imposing building. People milling around and filing into the ground. Andy went to buy tickets while we parked. When we met up he handed us the 10EC (£2.50) tickets and we read who was playing. The tickets were valid for the earlier Somerset vs Windward Islands and, the one we were going to watch, Combined Colleges of the Caribbean vs. Guyana. We wandered towards the entrance. A flag seller waved his flags on sticks in front of us 10EC each - so we bought four. They were Guyana’s flag - so we were to support Guyana apparently!

We managed to find food and seats. We appeared to be the only white faces in a sea of local men, women and children. It was obviously a big thing to come to the cricket. But despite the huge number of people the GIGANTIC Chinese built stadium was barely ¼ full. Surrounding us were groups of teenagers, many beautiful women in glamorous groups, men congregating to discuss the game ball by ball and apparently unsupervised children running between the seats. The crowd was friendly and obviously enjoying both the cricket and us leaping around with everyone else when a 6 was scored or a ball was caught.

The cricket match was very close. Half way through the second half with our team batting - Guyana were chasing 179 for 3 and the score was 80 for 5 - it looked like Guyana were going to lose. The cricket was brilliant and the CCC team were excellent fielders, though their bowling was not as good as Guyana’s had been. Then suddenly a big cheer erupted from the stands accompanied by howls of laughter and everyone standing up. A WHITE guy was STREAKING across the pitch. We laughed until we cried. At this point Guyana lifted their game. The streaker had told them something! It was a 20 + 20 over game and 19 overs and 3 balls into the second half we still couldn’t tell who was going to win. Our team by now was seriously going for it though and … oh my goodness… they hit a SIX!!!! Our team had won!! The children flooded the pitch, climbing over the wall in front of us and sprinting across the green. The stadium suddenly became a sea of activity.

The four hours in the stadium went so fast. We were the entertainment as well as the entertained. A young kid, obviously dared to do so, came to talk to us, to the hilarity of his large group of teenage friends. He was called Stephen and was 15 years old. He started the conversation by saying “I like white people”! He pointed to girls he was at school with - buxom young ladies with tight low cut tee shirts. Stephen looked 10 years old, dressed in oversized shorts, socks and too large plastic sandals. Kendall teased him that he was showing his “butt” (she is American) and he started to pull up the shorts and tighten his belt. He got all embarrassed. He had obviously been sent to try and get some alcohol from us. We gave him a coke and chatted. Now the game was over we gave him one of our flags. Another child climbed over the wall and grabbed the flag James had dropped, running away with it.

We went home happy, waving our two remaining flags - calling at the bar in Falmouth for a last drink to tell everyone in loud excited voices what a great night we had had.

The only down side of the evening was the state of the stadium. I am not sure how old the stadium is but it is Chinese financed and Chinese built and it is shoddy. My seat was wonky and I kept sliding to one side. I looked carefully at it, and then the rest of the seating around it and realised the seat supports were rusting through - every piece of metal in the place was rusty. Plastic coated rusty metal. I needed to go to the toilet. The doors were falling off their hinges and they wouldn’t flush. I decided to open the cistern to try flushing it but saw that the ball cock and all the workings were crumbled on the bottom of the cistern and no water. The drainage ditches around the outside of the stadium were covered with concrete grates. Except the concrete was crumbling and the had become ankle breakers with great gaps opened up. It made me even more angry about the Chinese here in Antigua.

Today William arrives. We are counting the hours - three hours till touchdown! So excited to be sharing my birthday with my “twin”!!