DEBATES OVER the merits of Caribbean countries pooling their diplomatic, political, legal and economic resources have taken on greater resonance in recent times.
Last week's visit to the region by a strong trade delegation from China seeking to deepen economic and diplomatic ties would have thrown into even sharper focus, the extent to which the region is viewed as a collective rather than as individual islands.
Up to last year, only nine of 15 Caribbean states had established diplomatic relations with the government of the People's Republic of China. But recently, China has managed to bring at least two Belize and Grenada into its fold.
At the United Nations and World Trade Organisation, decisions with major global impact have been affected by a single vote in some instances. The 15-member CARICOM bloc essentially has a total
of 14 votes, as one in the group, Montserrat, is not an independent sovereign state.
While regional trade protectionism is on the rise globally, moves toward bilateralism in trade negotiations and North-South tensions weaken the prospects for hemispheric integration in the Americas.
With the People's Republic of China emerging as a global leader in trade and manufacturing, its attempts to solidify its leadership
position is critical to its success. Hence, wooing CARICOM in order to access the 14 important votes at will is imperative for China's effectiveness in the global marketplace.
But while others are seeing the CARICOM grouping as a potentially influential force in world trade and diplomatic negotiations, many in the individual islands remain skeptical of the need to act as a singular unit.
While individual islands may not be able to negotiate and win bruising trade battles on the world stage on their own, the 14 islands speaking with one voice are more likely to be heard.
It is, therefore, important for Caribbean nations to examine and move quickly to exploit areas of cooperation in the interest of the region. But this must happen within established legal frameworks and with the cooperation of the peoples of the region.
Public education about the importance of CARICOM and regional cooperation must therefore take on a new importance. If we fail to educate our people about the changing face of world trade and how we fit in it, we will continue fighting battles over less important issues while the rest of the world gets by with the business of development and economic growth.
It is critical that we act now.
