Rubio notes Caribbean’s trade concerns, commits to advocating for exemptions following Georgetown talks

Trade discussions between Guyana and the United States concluded on Thursday in Georgetown, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledging to raise concerns regarding the potential impact of President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on China-made vessels.

The issue was highlighted by the Irfaan Ali Government, who expressed apprehension about how such tariffs might affect trade in both Guyana and the wider CARICOM region.

Rubio addressed the concerns, explaining that the primary goal behind the tariff plan is to create alternatives to China’s dominance in global shipbuilding.

“The goal the President has in doing so, is we need to have an ability to build ships in this world that don’t just come from China. Okay. I think it’s just dangerous to have one country in the world building all the ships,” Rubio stated.

He continued, “I assure you that we don’t want a war, but I mean, they’re not going to build ships for us if we get in trouble, right, so we need to have alternatives to Chinese, and we’re trying to create a market and a demand for alternatives to Chinese shipping construction.”

Rubio went on to acknowledge the mistakes of the past, stating, “I’m the first one to admit that the United States made a terrible mistake when we were deindustrialized, and we allowed all these industries to leave our country and go to other places now we’re paying the consequences but we have to fix it.”

Speaking at a joint press conference, he assured those present that the concerns raised by the Guyanese government were not being taken lightly.

“I do believe we will take this back because we’ve heard this not just here, Mr. President, we’ve heard it throughout our visits here in the Caribbean and we’re going to take it back and explain to those who are in charge of trade policy that there are some implications to applying it to certain nations who are partners and who are seeking to develop their economies in ways that I think serve the national interests of the United States, not to mention the national interest of our partner nations.”

However, Rubio made it clear that while the State Department did not oversee trade policy, he would ensure the issue was raised within the relevant channels. “So I can’t make a commitment to those exempt, because that’s not something we handle. What I can commit to is that I will most certainly raise this issue as a recurring issue in multiple places,” he added. “It would have a real, you know, detrimental effect on economic development. Maybe in 10 years it won’t be an issue because there’s been some diversification maybe in 5. But right now, it would be problematic.”

He concluded, “That message, I’ll take back to Washington and to my colleagues that are handling the trade portfolio, and we’ll see how the President decides to proceed. But rest assured we will take that message back.”