Some Guyanese continue to express concerns over the prevalence of Chinese businesses in local industries, especially in retail. Concerns mainly surround the alleged lack of adherence to regulations and their ability to attract more customers, putting Guyanese-owned businesses at a disadvantage.
To address this issue, Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday afternoon said the Guyana Government is working towards stricter enforcement of local regulations among the Chinese businesses, to create a level playing field.
Based on complaints received, the Vice President explained that “some of the Chinese entities, if you go in they sell everything under the sun without the requisite permits and [Guyanese] held accountable for getting permits and limited by the regulatory bodies in what they can sell so they claim a disadvantage.”
“The people who protesting, they’re right about it. I would have done that myself,” he added.
Therefore, he said regulatory bodies were informed the enforce the law “uniformly,” so as to ensure that the foreign businesses pay their taxes and adhere to local laws.
Responding to calls for the Government to stop the establishment of Chinese businesses within communities, he noted that such an action will be against foreign policies.
“It would not only be against WTO (World Trade Organisation) but it would run you into a very difficult foreign policy situation…if the idea is to stop people based on nationality, it will be impossible to do so. What if China says we’re not going to sell China any of our goods and services anymore because you stopped our people from settling? You cannot discriminate on people based on nationality, but you can ensure compliance with the country’s laws,” Jagdeo told news reporters.
On the other side of the coin, he pointed out that customers sometimes prefer the work ethic of the Chinese businesses that have more convenient opening hours compared to locals.
“A man said to me, if there wasn’t a Chinese store ‘my toilet wouldn’t function the whole weekend’,” Jagdeo explained, adding that “there are a lot of people who say they’re benefitting from better services in their communities.”
Additionally, he said persons are benefitting from a business-to-business perspective. “They rent places to the Chinese businesses and (suppliers) also say that they get paid immediately.”
In June 1972, Guyana became the first English-speaking Caribbean country to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Over the years, the bilateral relations between the two countries have deepened. In fact, President Dr Irfaan Ali recently expressed that China has contributed significantly to Guyana’s development.
