By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

A FORMER Homeland Security and counterterrorism advisor suggested that China may be using the British Colonial Hotel in New Providence to monitor the US Embassy and its visitors.

Retired US Coast Guard Rear Admiral Peter Brown made the claim during an interview with Fox News Digital, where he discussed illegal immigration from The Bahamas into Florida and broader regional security concerns.

He said China’s diplomatic, economic, and military influence in the Caribbean, South, and Central America has expanded over the past two decades, particularly following Hurricane Dorian. He pointed to Chinese-backed developments in The Bahamas, such as the Baha Mar resort, the port in Abaco, and the British Colonial Hotel, claiming these projects, while presented as commercial ventures, could have dual-use capabilities.

“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 US Embassy itself, but also the US Embassy visitors who often stay at that hotel, whose proximity to the embassy,” he said, referring to the hotel.

A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in The Bahamas dismissed his claim yesterday, saying it was not worth refuting and adding: “I noticed he admitted it was his imagination. The smear is just a rehash of the same old tune.”

Mr Brown warned that other points of US-Bahamas cooperation could also be vulnerable to Chinese exploitation through direct or indirect means. He stressed the strategic importance of the US maintaining close ties with The Bahamas.

“If we’re not The Bahamas’ best friend, somebody else will be, and we don’t want that somebody to be China,” he said.

He highlighted The Bahamas’ geographical significance, noting its vast maritime territory — roughly the size of California — and its role as a visa-free destination for citizens of about 160 countries, which, combined with limited patrol resources, poses immigration and security challenges.

“While they’re professional and cooperative, particularly with the United States Coast Guard, they just don’t have the resources,” he said. “They have the equivalent of 12 police cars, boats to patrol an area the size of California.”