Platinum Pulse
Why Thousands of Chinese Are Quietly Moving to Jamaica (The Part Nobody Says Out Loud)
Why are thousands of Chinese nationals moving to Jamaica right now? Nobody in Jamaica can tell you how many Chinese live on the island — not the government, not STATIN, not the Chinese embassy. So we found the one dataset that actually exists, and it tells a story no other video on this subject has told.
In this documentary we go through Jamaica's own work-permit tables, the 2011 census, NEPA enforcement records, the Highway 2000 land deal, the JISCO Alpart refinery in St Elizabeth, and the forgotten history of the Chinese in Jamaica from 1854 to the anti-Chinese riots of 1918, 1938 and 1965 — the same streets, the same shops, 130 years apart.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- The real number: how many Chinese work permits Jamaica approved in 2022, 2024 and 2025, and which industry dominates (hint: it is NOT construction)
- Why the "30,000 Chinese in Jamaica" figure has no source
- The truth about Chinese "buying Jamaican citizenship" — and why Jamaica has never had a citizenship-by-investment programme
- JISCO, Alpart and Nain: 16 enforcement notices, a closed refinery, and a 2027 restart date
- Highway 2000 North-South link, China Harbour Engineering, 1,200 acres of land and the valuation that never happened
- The 1854 Epsom, the Hakka migrants, and how Chinese grocers took over Jamaica's retail trade
- The 1918 Ewarton riot, the 1938 Frome uprising and the August 1965 Kingston riots
- Leslie Kong, Randy Chin, Byron Lee, Miss Pat and VP Records: how Chinese-Jamaicans built the reggae pipeline
- Grants vs loans: the Western Children's Hospital, the Montego Bay Convention Centre and the real size of Jamaica's debt to China
- Why Andrew Holness stopped new Chinese loans in 2019
This is not a video that picks a team. It is the full receipt — the case for concern and the case against the panic, with sources.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Which parish are you in, and what have you seen with your own eyes in the last five years? Was there a chiney shop in your community growing up, and what did they let you buy on trust? Drop it in the comments. If you are Chinese-Jamaican, old community or new arrival, we want to hear from you most of all.
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SOURCES
- Planning Institute of Jamaica — Economic and Social Survey of Jamaica (2022, 2024, 2025), work permit tables, Ministry of Labour and Social Security data
- Statistical Institute of Jamaica — Population and Housing Census 2011 (ethnic origin and foreign-born tables); censuses of 1891, 1943, 1970 and 1982
- Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) — permanent residence and citizenship requirements
- Jamaica Information Service — Jamaica Economic Residency Programme (Cabinet approval, May 2021)
- National Environment and Planning Agency — JISCO/Alpart enforcement statements (Peter Knight, 2019)
- Jamaica Gleaner and Jamaica Observer — JISCO Alpart, Essex Valley mining application, Monymusk/Frome/Bernard Lodge sugar estates, Spanish Town supermarkets (2024), Chinese auto repair shops (2025), Carolyn Cooper (2015), Wayne Chen (2014)
- Office of the Contractor General of Jamaica — Highway 2000 North-South link / NROCC investigation (Dirk Harrison)
- Caribbean Investigative Journalism Network — review of the Highway 2000 concession agreement
- World Bank — debarment of China Communications Construction Company (2009–2017)
- Rebecca Tortello, "Pieces of the Past: The Arrival of the Chinese," Jamaica Gleaner
- Howard Johnson, "The Anti-Chinese Riots of 1918 in Jamaica," Caribbean Quarterly
- Terry Lacey, Violence and Politics in Jamaica 1960–70 (1977)
- Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Jamaica — ambassador statements on grants, loans and investment (2016, 2023)
- CBC News, Bloomberg, Reuters — Belt and Road memorandum (April 2019), Holness statement on new loans (November 2019), US Secretary of State visit (March 2025)
DISCLAIMER
This video is an independent documentary produced for educational and journalistic purposes. It uses publicly available government data, academic research and reputable news reporting. It does not target or disparage any ethnic group, nationality or individual. Figures are accurate to the best of our research at publication; where a figure rests on a single source, we say so. All footage and images are used under fair use for commentary and education. Views expressed are those of the narrator. Corrections with specific sources are welcome at the email above.
#Jamaica #China #ChineseInJamaica #JamaicaNews #CaribbeanHistory
Published Oct 22, 2026