China reaffirms Jamaica partnership as Marks denies third-country nationals proposal

Beijing has reaffirmed its commitment to Jamaica after Washington indicated it would seek to limit Chinese influence in the Caribbean. In a statement to The Gleaner, the Chinese Embassy pointed to more than US$2.1 billion in investments, bilateral trade exceeding US$1.4 billion in 2025, and assistance after Hurricane Melissa as evidence of a mutually beneficial relationship. The response followed comments by United States Ambassador-designate Katherine Luck, who told a Senate hearing that she would work to counter China's growing footprint in Jamaica if confirmed.

Cabinet Minister Audrey Marks denied proposing that Jamaica accept up to 10,000 third-country nationals from the United States, speaking publicly on the issue for the first time. She said reporting had confused that memorandum of understanding with a separate initiative she pursued as ambassador to Washington to recruit skilled foreign workers. Marks insisted she did not originate the proposal, stating: "They are not crazy. Certainly, I am not mad. I would not go to the United States to do any proposal for taking in 10,000 criminals. And what bothers me is that somehow this seem to have gained traction." She said the United States approached Jamaica on January 2 to consider joining a programme already in place with 27 countries, though a diplomatic note previously shared with The Gleaner indicated she had raised the arrangement during talks in Miami in March.

Hundreds dressed in yellow gathered at Crossroads in St. Andrew on Tuesday as the Advocates Network for Jamaicans called for greater transparency and constitutional reform. Speakers raised the undisclosed third-country nationals memorandum, Integrity Commission findings involving Minister Dr. Andrew Wheatley, unspent Hurricane Melissa relief funds, delays in publishing the FINSAC report, the Stocks and Securities Limited fraud, and slow progress at Cornwall Regional Hospital. Opposition Leader Mark Golding attended but did not address the gathering.

The government launched the next phase of its SPARK road programme at a projected cost of $25 billion, targeting 37 major corridors across 11 parishes. Works Minister Robert Morgan said the wider $45 billion initiative includes more than 300 community roads, while Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness acknowledged that limited contractor capacity remains a major obstacle to faster repairs.

Licensed public passenger vehicle operators began charging a full 16% fare increase on July 1, following an initial 8% rise in June. Jamaica's weekly minimum wage moved from $16,000 to $17,000, with overtime pay rising to $637.50 per hour, though business and labour representatives warned the adjustment falls short against inflation at 5.5%.

Health officials urged Jamaicans to protect themselves against heat-related illness as temperatures remain high, while CARICOM announced a regional meeting on discrimination against Rastafarians, with a committee drawn from Jamaica, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.