STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO FORMAL REQUEST BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA AND INTERPOL FOR THE RETURN OF MR. REN BIAO

 
Fellow Nationals of St. Kitts and Nevis:

Permit me to share with you a few important facts that are most relevant to the ongoing saga concerning the request of the Chinese government and Interpol for the return of Chinese national, Mr. Ren Biao.

Fact Number One: The three most powerful nations on earth are the United States, Russia, and China.

Fact Number Two: Interpol is the largest and most powerful international police organization on earth. Almost 100 years old, Interpol works with some 190 countries to fight crime in every corner of the planet. Counter-terrorism, cyber-crime, and organized/emerging crime are the areas on which Interpol is especially focused at this moment in world history.

Fact Number Three: Taking into cognisance the reach and power of the Government of China and the power and reach of Interpol, I remind you that St. Kitts-Nevis is one of the tiniest nations on the face of the earth.

With those facts in mind, I address today the reporting by local and regional media on the presence of a Mr. Ren Biao, a Chinese national, in the Federation of St. Kitts-Nevis. The media report that Mr. Biao is wanted by the Government of China as well as Interpol, as a result of his allegedly having swindled a government-owned corporation in China out of some US$100 million.

Despite formal requests by China, as well as Interpol, to secure the return of Mr. Ren Biao from St. Kitts-Nevis to face prosecution in China, the current St. Kitts-Nevis Government is refusing to cooperate.
Prime Minister Harris and members of his government have stated that no formal request has been made by the Government of China. In my capacity as Leader of the St. Kitts-Nevis Parliamentary Opposition, however, I have been reliably informed, through diplomatic channels, that there have indeed been several such requests to the Government of St. Kitts-Nevis in this regard. Indeed, I have been further informed that a senior Caribbean Head of Government has been urging Prime Minister Harris to cooperate with the Government of China and Interpol since his repeated rebuffs of these two powerful forces will have dire consequences for St. Kitts-Nevis, in general, while severely tarnishing the reputation of the Citizenship by Investment programmes throughout the region, in particular.

The latest media report of today May 5th, 2017 confirm what I have been aware of for quite some time.

Prime Minister Harris is placing the interests of our country at severe risk. And his rebuffing of China, Interpol, and the media on this matter is not something that any of us can afford to shrug off. The Prime Minister is either terrifyingly irresponsible in the performance of his duties, OR he is attempting to conceal extremely troubling truths from us all.
There have been reports from sources in the Government of China that officials in the current Government of St. Kitts & Nevis have been receiving financial compensation in exchange for their commitment to shield Ren Biao from the Government of China and from Interpol.
If this is true, this exposes us all to severe and multi-faceted consequences which St. Kitts-Nevis is in no position to withstand.
Prime Minister Harris has not heeded the urgings of his fellow Caribbean Heads of Government to cooperate with the Government of China and with Interpol, forthwith. He has stoutly refused to provide a full public accounting of this matter, to revoke the passport of Ren Biao and to do all that is necessary to stem this international scandal. It is apparent that the Prime Minister has something to hide.

I therefore on behalf of the Opposition call upon the Prime Minister to tender his resignation and to allow our great country to move beyond the quagmire into which he has placed it.

Thank you.
Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L Douglas

Leader