Prime Minister Gaston Browne has challenged the opposition to publicly declare its position on Antigua and Barbuda’s relationship with China and the Citizenship by Investment Programme, accusing it of sending mixed signals at home and abroad.

Speaking on his Browne and Browne radio programme, Browne said opposition figures have been critical of the government’s ties with China while avoiding a clear policy stance on whether they would end the relationship if elected to office.

He said the opposition should state openly whether it would be prepared to forgo Chinese concessional loans, grants and other forms of support that have financed major public projects. Browne argued that any proposal to sever ties with China must be accompanied by an explanation of how the resulting funding gap would be filled.

The prime minister also challenged the opposition to clarify its position on the Citizenship by Investment Programme, which he said generates more than US$100 million annually in government revenue, in addition to wider economic benefits.

Browne said the public deserves to know whether the opposition would be willing to dismantle the programme in exchange for maintaining visa-free access to certain markets, rather than leaving its position ambiguous.

He accused the opposition of avoiding a formal policy declaration while allowing external actors to frame its positions, and said it should “state a position categorically” on both China and the citizenship programme.

Browne said the government’s position on the two issues has been consistent and transparent, and urged the opposition to offer the same clarity to the electorate.