Latest news with #BritishColonialHotel
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The James Bond hotel at the centre of a spy battle with China
The white sands and spacious lobby of the British Colonial Hotel in Nassau have twice provided a sumptuous backdrop for James Bond. Now the iconic hotel is at the centre of a real-life espionage battle as China buys up property and land in the Bahamas, barely 50 miles from the Florida coastline. China had spent the past two decades mixing economics with geopolitics in the Caribbean, giving it the perfect platform to spy on American space launches, the US embassy, and an underwater warfare facility, said Rear-Adm Peter Brown, former Homeland Security adviser to president Donald Trump. 'The unique geography of the Bahamas poses a special opportunity to the United States, but it also creates risk if the People's Republic of China takes over the best friend role to the government of the Bahamas,' he said. The Trump administration has taken notice. It sent a warning recently to Caribbean governments to avoid deals that could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party. Nowhere is the potential risk more obvious than the British Colonial Hotel, said Adm Brown. At 100 years old, it is a Nassau landmark. It was popular with the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson during the Second World War when he was appointed governor of the Bahamas, in part to keep their suspected Nazi sympathies as far from Europe as possible. If its old world charm and glamorous soirees were good enough for exiled members of the Royal Family, then it was certainly good enough for the very suavest of MI6 agents. The hotel was dressed up as a casino for the 1965 movie Thunderball, and was used in scenes where Sean Connery took on eyepatch-wearing Emilia Largo at baccarat. Connery returned to the hotel for 1983's Never Say Never Again. Its private beach was where Fatima Blush, played by Barbara Carrera, waterskis into Bond's arms. It has been owned by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation since 2014. Rear Adm Brown said its position, just around the corner from the US embassy, gave it huge strategic importance. 'The hotel kind of commands the high ground with its upper floor, so the ability to electronically surveil not only the embassy itself, but also the people coming and going to and from the embassy and neighbouring businesses, means that diplomatic or governmental interests of the United States are vulnerable,' he said. The 700 or so islands of the Bahamas are best known to Americans for their golden sands and cocktail spots. But they occupy a key strategic location on the western edge of the Caribbean. China hawks have long warned that Washington has missed a trick, allowing Beijing to build favour, particularly with aid, grants and investment in the wake of 2019's devastating Hurricane Dorian. The list of Chinese interests is extensive. Beijing provided a $40 million grant for construction of a national stadium in 2012. The state-owned China Export-Import Bank poured $2.5 billion into the Baha Mar resort and casino — with its 2200 rooms and more than 9000 square metres of gaming space. A $3 billion megaport was built with Chinese money and is operated by a Hong Kong-based company. It all gives China a ringside seat at US space launches in Florida, said Adm Brown, as well as the US Navy's Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center, where submarine captains and crews are put through their paces between three islands of the Bahamas in an area known as the 'Tongue of the Ocean.' 'It has for decades been an important site for us, with submarine and anti-submarine warfare testing, and Chinese entities have purchased properties, including entire islands, in the vicinity of the Tongue of the Ocean,' he said. The move has not been lost on Washington. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, met prime ministers from seven Caribbean nations earlier this month to warn of the dangers. 'Secretary Rubio urged our partners to make responsible, transparent decisions when selecting vendors and contractors for critical infrastructure projects, ensuring they are not vulnerable to privacy and security risks and exploitation by malign actors like the Chinese Communist Party,' said Tammy Bruce, his spokeswoman. American officials say cooperation with Caribbean nations help secure the nation's maritime border, as well as tackle drug and people smugglers. And although Chinese investments might not be made with hostile intent to the US, they could be used for multiple purposes in times of conflict. 'China's predatory tactics have left many countries with excessive debt, undermining their development, stability, and sovereignty,' said a State Department spokesman. 'We will continue to work with The Bahamas and other Caribbean nations to ensure they are aware of the risks associated with accepting Chinese investments.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The James Bond hotel at the centre of a spy battle with China
The white sands and spacious lobby of the British Colonial Hotel in Nassau have twice provided a sumptuous backdrop for James Bond. Now the iconic hotel is at the centre of a real-life espionage battle as China buys up property and land in the Bahamas, barely 50 miles from the Florida coastline. China had spent the past two decades mixing economics with geopolitics in the Caribbean, giving it the perfect platform to spy on American space launches, the US embassy, and an underwater warfare facility, said Rear-Adm Peter Brown, former Homeland Security adviser to president Donald Trump. 'The unique geography of the Bahamas poses a special opportunity to the United States, but it also creates risk if the People's Republic of China takes over the best friend role to the government of the Bahamas,' he said. The Trump administration has taken notice. It sent a warning recently to Caribbean governments to avoid deals that could be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party. Nowhere is the potential risk more obvious than the British Colonial Hotel, said Adm Brown. At 100 years old, it is a Nassau landmark. It was popular with the Duke of Windsor and his wife Wallis Simpson during the Second World War when he was appointed governor of the Bahamas, in part to keep their suspected Nazi sympathies as far from Europe as possible. If its old world charm and glamorous soirees were good enough for exiled members of the Royal Family, then it was certainly good enough for the very suavest of MI6 agents. The hotel was dressed up as a casino for the 1965 movie Thunderball, and was used in scenes where Sean Connery took on eyepatch-wearing Emilia Largo at baccarat. Connery returned to the hotel for 1983's Never Say Never Again. Its private beach was where Fatima Blush, played by Barbara Carrera, waterskis into Bond's arms. It has been owned by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation since 2014. Rear Adm Brown said its position, just around the corner from the US embassy, gave it huge strategic importance. 'The hotel kind of commands the high ground with its upper floor, so the ability to electronically surveil not only the embassy itself, but also the people coming and going to and from the embassy and neighbouring businesses, means that diplomatic or governmental interests of the United States are vulnerable,' he said. The 700 or so islands of the Bahamas are best known to Americans for their golden sands and cocktail spots. But they occupy a key strategic location on the western edge of the Caribbean. China hawks have long warned that Washington has missed a trick, allowing Beijing to build favour, particularly with aid, grants and investment in the wake of 2019's devastating Hurricane Dorian. The list of Chinese interests is extensive. Beijing provided a $40 million grant for construction of a national stadium in 2012. The state-owned China Export-Import Bank poured $2.5 billion into the Baha Mar resort and casino — with its 2200 rooms and more than 9000 square metres of gaming space. A $3 billion megaport was built with Chinese money and is operated by a Hong Kong-based company. It all gives China a ringside seat at US space launches in Florida, said Adm Brown, as well as the US Navy's Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center, where submarine captains and crews are put through their paces between three islands of the Bahamas in an area known as the 'Tongue of the Ocean.' 'It has for decades been an important site for us, with submarine and anti-submarine warfare testing, and Chinese entities have purchased properties, including entire islands, in the vicinity of the Tongue of the Ocean,' he said. The move has not been lost on Washington. Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, met prime ministers from seven Caribbean nations earlier this month to warn of the dangers. 'Secretary Rubio urged our partners to make responsible, transparent decisions when selecting vendors and contractors for critical infrastructure projects, ensuring they are not vulnerable to privacy and security risks and exploitation by malign actors like the Chinese Communist Party,' said Tammy Bruce, his spokeswoman. American officials say cooperation with Caribbean nations help secure the nation's maritime border, as well as tackle drug and people smugglers. And although Chinese investments might not be made with hostile intent to the US, they could be used for multiple purposes in times of conflict. 'China's predatory tactics have left many countries with excessive debt, undermining their development, stability, and sovereignty,' said a State Department spokesman. 'We will continue to work with The Bahamas and other Caribbean nations to ensure they are aware of the risks associated with accepting Chinese investments.'
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China's billion-dollar footprint near Florida coast poses US national security risk, expert warns
China is steadily expanding in the Bahamas through projects that blur economic development and geopolitical aims, an expert warned. "The People's Republic of China has been making diplomatic, economic and even military and quasi-military inroads into the Caribbean, South and Central America for the past couple of decades," retired Rear Adm. Peter Brown, former Homeland Security advisor to President Donald Trump, told Fox News Digital. Brown pointed to the rise in dual-use infrastructure projects along the Bahamas coastline, which is located just 50 miles off the coast of Florida. "It doesn't take a lot of imagination for the People's Republic of China to use its commercial footprint in the Bahamas to monitor, exploit and perhaps even do worse to [the] U.S.," he said. Vacation Hot Spot Used As 'Springboard' For Illegal Immigrants: Expert Pointing to the Chinese-controlled British Colonial Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas, Brown said that its location directly across from the U.S. Embassy could give way to intelligence gathering on U.S. personnel. Read On The Fox News App "It doesn't take a lot of imagination to think that additional electronics were put in there with the purpose and the task of keeping an eye not only on the U.S. Embassy itself, but also the U.S. Embassy visitors," he said. The hotel is owned by a Chinese company, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, which has raised geopolitical concerns given its location. Fox News Digital has reached out to the British Colonial Hotel for comment. China has invested heavily in the Bahamas through a range of additional high-profile projects, including a $40 million grant for a national stadium, a $3 billion mega-port in Freeport, and $40 million for the North Abaco Port and Little Abaco Bridge. Additionally, China EXIM Bank provided over $54 million in loans to construct a four-lane highway and nearly $3 billion to finance the development of the Baha Mar Resort. Many of these strategic investments came in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Dorian in 2019 that left much of the archipelago nation decimated. Gordon Chang: Remove China From Western Hemisphere In 2019, now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in a Miami Herald op-ed that the devastation caused by the natural disaster could create an opening for the People's Republic of China to use aid as a Trojan horse to gain a foothold near American shores. "By targeting the Bahamian government in this period of crisis, Beijing would be making the same opportunistic play to access critical foreign infrastructure," Rubio wrote in 2019. "But in this case, the national security threat is especially perilous, as it would give China a foothold just 50 miles from the coast of Florida." In addition to growing Chinese infrastructure influence, Brown highlighted the Bahamas' role in U.S. military testing and its position under key space launch paths. Florida Officials Divided Over Ice Deportation Deal Aimed At Criminal Aliens: 'Embarrassed For Our City' "The U.S. Navy has an underwater testing facility, called Autech, that does very significant and sensitive submarine and anti-submarine warfare work," he said. "[And] the Bahamas are right in the flight path of many space launches." Brown said that the biggest benefit that the U.S. gets from an ongoing collaborative relationship with the Bahamas is security. "The better relationship we have, the more secure we can be, because we can detect and deal with issues when they're still kind on the Bahamas side of the Straits of Florida," he said. "From an economic standpoint, the huge gain for the Bahamas is that trade and tourism transportation with the United States," he said. "So, it's in our mutual interest for us to have a good relationship with the Bahamians." As China increases its presence in the region, the U.S. risks losing influence if it fails to remain the Bahamas' primary ally, Brown said. "If we're not the Bahamas' best friend, somebody else will be—and we don't want that somebody to be China."Original article source: China's billion-dollar footprint near Florida coast poses US national security risk, expert warns
Fox News
28-04-2025
- Business
- Fox News
China's billion-dollar footprint near Florida coast poses US national security risk, expert warns
China is steadily expanding in the Bahamas through projects that blur economic development and geopolitical aims, an expert warned. "The People's Republic of China has been making diplomatic, economic and even military and quasi-military inroads into the Caribbean, South and Central America for the past couple of decades," retired Rear Adm. Peter Brown, former Homeland Security advisor to President Donald Trump, told Fox News Digital. Brown pointed to the rise in dual-use infrastructure projects along the Bahamas coastline, which is located just 50 miles off the coast of Florida. "It doesn't take a lot of imagination for the People's Republic of China to use its commercial footprint in the Bahamas to monitor, exploit and perhaps even do worse to [the] U.S.," he said. Pointing to the Chinese-controlled British Colonial Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas, Brown said that its location directly across from the U.S. Embassy could give way to intelligence gathering on U.S. personnel. "It doesn't take a lot of imagination to think that additional electronics were put in there with the purpose and the task of keeping an eye not only on the U.S. Embassy itself, but also the U.S. Embassy visitors," he said. The hotel is owned by a Chinese company, Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, which has raised geopolitical concerns given its location. Fox News Digital has reached out to the British Colonial Hotel for comment. China has invested heavily in the Bahamas through a range of additional high-profile projects, including a $40 million grant for a national stadium, a $3 billion mega-port in Freeport, and $40 million for the North Abaco Port and Little Abaco Bridge. Additionally, China EXIM Bank provided over $54 million in loans to construct a four-lane highway and nearly $3 billion to finance the development of the Baha Mar Resort. Many of these strategic investments came in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Dorian in 2019 that left much of the archipelago nation decimated. In 2019, now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in a Miami Herald op-ed that the devastation caused by the natural disaster could create an opening for the People's Republic of China to use aid as a Trojan horse to gain a foothold near American shores. "By targeting the Bahamian government in this period of crisis, Beijing would be making the same opportunistic play to access critical foreign infrastructure," Rubio wrote in 2019. "But in this case, the national security threat is especially perilous, as it would give China a foothold just 50 miles from the coast of Florida." In addition to growing Chinese infrastructure influence, Brown highlighted the Bahamas' role in U.S. military testing and its position under key space launch paths. "The U.S. Navy has an underwater testing facility, called Autech, that does very significant and sensitive submarine and anti-submarine warfare work," he said. "[And] the Bahamas are right in the flight path of many space launches." Brown said that the biggest benefit that the U.S. gets from an ongoing collaborative relationship with the Bahamas is security. "The better relationship we have, the more secure we can be, because we can detect and deal with issues when they're still kind on the Bahamas side of the Straits of Florida," he said. "From an economic standpoint, the huge gain for the Bahamas is that trade and tourism transportation with the United States," he said. "So, it's in our mutual interest for us to have a good relationship with the Bahamians." As China increases its presence in the region, the U.S. risks losing influence if it fails to remain the Bahamas' primary ally, Brown said. "If we're not the Bahamas' best friend, somebody else will be—and we don't want that somebody to be China."
