When the People’s Republic of China (PRC) graciously handed Costa Rica the keys to the new National Stadium last year, the powerful Asian nation was proud to have completed the most technologically-advanced and modern sporting venue in Central America and the Caribbean. China, however, was not done leaving its mark in the region.

According to a recent article published by The New York Times, China wrapped up construction of a new $35 million stadium in the Bahamas in March. The new sporting venue is not the only project in which Chinese construction engineers and laborers are currently involved in. There’s Baha Mar, a new resort that features all the largess of a Bahamian tourist attraction, plus a port and bridge project for which Chinese investment is estimated at more than $40 million.

The new stadium in Nassau has a history similar to that of our National Stadium. As a result of breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2007, former President and Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias courted the PRC at the right time: during the 2008 Summer Olympics, after China had built extensive infrastructure to accommodate the Summer Games.

The Bahamas had already broken diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1997, but it seems as if Oscar Arias planted the stadium idea as a seed in the Central American and Caribbean region. The tiny island nation of Dominica also boasts a new stadium donated by the PRC, as well as a school and a remodeled hospital. Grenada is another country getting a stadium; it cut ties with Taiwan in 2004.

China is making other forays into the Central American and Caribbean region as well. It has purchased agricultural land formerly owned by the government in Jamaica for the purpose of growing and processing sugar cane. In return, Jamaica has been receiving considerable loans from the PRC.

In all the Caribbean and Central American countries where China is extending its generosity, a token is being established. While here in Costa Rica a Chinatown is being built in downtown San Jose, construction of a prominent new Chinese embassy is taking place in Nassau. In other Caribbean islands, immigration by Chinese nationals is growing at a rapid pace, along with their requisite restaurants and shops.

A former diplomat interviewed by The New York Times offered the following view on the situation:

“[The Chinese] are buying loyalty and taking up the vacuum left by the United States, Canada and other countries, particularly in infrastructure improvements.”

The diplomat added that, should China continue investing in the region at the present pace, the former influence of the United States will soon become an afterthought.