Focus on Antigua Citizenship by Investment and Antigua's economic situation: Bilateral trade between China and Antigua and Barbuda began long ago. However, due to the small size and population of Antigua and Barbuda, the total market volume is limited, and its economic development relies primarily on tourism, resulting in low complementarity in bilateral commodity trade. Furthermore, the two countries are geographically distant, and while the quantity of goods imported by Antigua and Barbuda is small, the variety is complex, which to some extent restricts China's exports to the country. In recent years, with the increasing number of Chinese expatriates opening shops in Antigua and Barbuda (currently there are more than 10 Chinese-owned shops in the capital, St. John's), Antiguan merchants' understanding of Chinese goods has deepened, and China's commodity exports to Antigua and Barbuda have entered a period of steady growth. According to statistics from China Customs, the bilateral trade volume from 2006 to 2010 was $160 million, $390 million, $530 million, $493 million, and $806 million respectively, the vast majority of which consisted of Chinese exports. In 2011, China's exports to Antigua and Barbuda reached $657 million, a year-on-year decrease of 18.5%, while imports from Antigua and Barbuda were $51,000, a year-on-year decrease of 3.5%. The main categories of goods exported by China to Antigua and Barbuda include ships and refined petroleum, accounting for 88.4% and 9.7% of the total export value to Antigua and Barbuda, respectively; China's main import from Antigua and Barbuda is waste plastic, accounting for 90.8% of the total import value from the country.
Investment in Antigua and Barbuda: According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce of China, in 2011, China's non-financial direct investment in Antigua and Barbuda was $1.01 million; as of the end of 2011, China's cumulative non-financial direct investment in Antigua and Barbuda was $4.84 million.
Contracted Projects and Labor Services: According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce of China, in 2011, Chinese enterprises signed 5 new engineering contracts in Antigua and Barbuda, with a total contract value of $46.36 million and a completed turnover of $3.97 million; 27 various types of labor personnel were dispatched that year, with 66 labor personnel remaining in Antigua and Barbuda at the end of the year. Newly signed large-scale engineering projects include the new terminal building of V.C. Bird International Airport, constructed by China Railway No. 5 Engineering Group Co., Ltd.
Important Cooperation Projects: The Chinese government has successively provided aid for a number of projects in Antigua and Barbuda, mainly including: the Creek Bridge project, the multi-purpose exhibition center, the Gray's Farm drainage project, the cricket stadium project, the street lighting project, the Gray's Farm water tank maintenance project, the Barbuda community center project, technical cooperation for agricultural and laboratory projects, technical cooperation for the cricket stadium, the power transmission and transformation system renovation project, the new 30MW power plant project, and the Antigua International Airport terminal project.