China is expanding its territory on a small island in the Caribbean considered to be in the “backyard” of the United States, according to leaked documents.

The island of Antigua, which is roughly 220 miles from the U.S. Virgin Islands, has been taken over by China, with the intention of turning the island into a Chinese “economic zone”, Newsweek reported.

Documents reviewed by the outlet show that:

This natural paradise on the island of Antigua, where officials will study the thoughts of Xi Jinping, is about to be razed for a Chinese-run special economic zone. According to documents reviewed by Newsweek it will have its own customs and immigration formalities, a shipping port and a dedicated airline and will be able to issue passports. It will establish businesses offering everything rom logistics to cryptocurrencies, facial surgery to “virology.”

What was once seen as being in the “backyard” of the U.S., is quickly being transformed into China’s so-called “front yard” with the help of loans, grants, and construction projects, according to the outlet.

While some Antiguans, such as Gisele Isaac, the chairwoman of the United Progressive Party, have expressed that China’s expansion on the island has left them feeling uneasy, Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne spoke highly of China and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets with Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Minister Chet Greene, who came to Beijing to attend the Forum on Global Human Rights Governance and to pay a visit to China, in Beijing, capital of China, June 15, 2023. (Shen Hong/Xinhua via Getty)

“I see China, though, as a country that stands on truth, and a country that, you know, at least has some level of empathy for small states, and generally for poor and dispossessed persons globally,” Browne told the outlet.
A spokesperson for the Florida-based U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) acknowledged the recent reports that China has been expanding on Antigua in a statement to the outlet.

We are aware that China may use its commercial and diplomatic presence for military purposes. In Asia, Africa and the Middle East, China has already abused commercial agreement at host-country ports for military aims; our concern is they may do the same in this region.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) warned in April 2022, that China was planning to expand and capitalize on an “economic downturn” occurring in Latin America.
Rubio warned that the United States could not “afford to let the Chinese Communist Party expand its influence and absorb Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Over the past few years, China’s growing economic, diplomatic, and military powers have given rise to concerns as many fear China will overtake the U.S. as a superpower.