I'm John Batchel with my colleague Professor Evan Ellis of the U.S. Army War College,

just back from his testimony to the U.S. Senate on the topic PRC influence in the status of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the Western Hemisphere.

I recommended heartily to those who understand the Americas and the significance of the Western Hemisphere. I recommended heartily to those who understand the Americas and the

significance of the Western Hemisphere defending itself from what is clearly probing and

influence peddling by adversaries such as China. Not exclusive to China, but we're looking at it

right now. The Caribbean, it's been described to me metaphorically as the

third coast, and if that is accurate, it is vulnerable. We're looking at small states,

sovereign states that have resisted pressure, arm twisting, as the polite way to put it.

Influence peddling, buttonholing.

There are lots of old-fashioned terms for what happens when you buy a favor.

But in any event, we're looking at small states resisting and will include Belize, which sees itself as part of the Caribbean, the professor tells me.

Evan, the list is St. Lucia, St. Kitts, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, and Belize, and Haiti.

Haiti, I mentioned first, only because, my heavens, Evan, we've avoided Haiti because of the

violence and the crime. There's no government to talk about.

Is that something China wants to possess Haiti?

It's a great question, John.

And the reality is that when China looks at different states and the type of relationship it wants to have and whether they're strategic or not. In my experience, it has

multiple different metrics. Obviously, one is a question of, you know, how big is their market and

how, you know, much resources in certain areas that they have. But there's also a political question

and there's also a strategic question. And so the reason that the Caribbean in general is strategic,

you know, number one, from the perspective of five of the 12 nations in the world that continue to recognize Taiwan are located there and

you just, you know, named them, you know, Haiti, you know, Belize, St. Kittinevas, St. Lucia,

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