Bahamian, Chinese Officials Meet on National Security, Transnational Crime

Wang Lequan, left, and Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham (BIS Photo/Peter Ramsay)

Officials from China visited the Bahamas this week, discussing issues of national security and law enforcement. The two countries’ dialogue actually followed a stint by two Bahamian police officers in China, one which Bahamian officials hope will lead to “additional collaboration and cooperation” between Bahamian national security and law enforcement officials and their counterparts in China.

The Chinese delegation was led by Wang Lequan, the deputy secretary of China’s Political and Legal Affairs Commission. “The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China share similar issues primarily because of the wide geographical makeup of our country, whose islands are spread out over 100,000 square miles of water,” said Minister of National Security Tommy Turnquest.

“One such issue which remains a challenge, not just for Bahamian national security and law enforcement officials, but law enforcement officials globally, is that of illegal drugs and firearms trafficking,” he said.

The Chinese delegation also met with Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Governor-General Sir Arthur Foulkes.

–Bahamas Information Service