Fitial offers to lease some islands to China

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial told an economic forum of nearly 400 in Beijing that he is willing to lease some of the CNMI’s islands but only if it’s not for military purposes, so that the Commonwealth can provide job opportunities and improve its economy.

Press secretary Angel Demapan, when asked for confirmation yesterday, said that Fitial was making reference to the availability of mass public lands in the undeveloped and uninhabited Northern Islands.

The Northern Islands include Farallon de Medinilla, Anatahan, Sarigan, Guiguan, Alamagan, Pagan, Agrihan, Asuncion, Maug, and Farallon de Pajaros or Uracas.

Demapan confirmed that the governor made the remarks during the U.S.-China Governors Dialogue that included government and business representatives to discuss potential investment and job creation opportunities.

“In this regard, Governor Fitial took the opportunity to market the NMI’s greatest resource-availability of land-for large-scale investments like agriculture, retirement communities, timeshare homes, and electronics manufacturing to both large business entities and/or public-private partnerships or co-ops. Of course, in regards to private lands, that’s up to the respective landowners,” Demapan told Saipan Tribune.

Demapan accompanied the governor to Beijing.

“This early, no commitments have been made, but several provincial leaders and business representatives have expressed interest to conduct trade missions to the CNMI to explore the possibility of investing in the Commonwealth and, in turn, assist the Fitial administration realize its goal to restore the 80-hour workweek, reduce the costs of energy, and provide more employment opportunities to U.S. citizens,” Demapan added.

Foreign media, including Business Week, also reported on Fitial’s offer to lease islands to China.

“If you are interested, I am offering these islands to China. .Lease these islands so that I can have enough financial resources to provide for more full employment for my people,” Business Week quoted the governor as saying when he addressed a group of “Chinese governors and provincial Community Party Secretaries” at a Beijing conference.

It also quoted the governor as saying that he has the right to lease the islands to “anybody.”

“We control the islands, the islands belong to us. We have to make sure in the lease agreement that we won’t allow anything that will be military because we are under the U.S. government,” Business Week quoted the governor as saying.

Public Lands Secretary Oscar M. Babauta, in a separate interview yesterday, said the CNMI can lease islands to interested investors.

However, he said if the public land to be leased is more than 5 hectares, the approval of the CNMI House and Senate is needed.

“If it’s for investment opportunities and economic development, the CNMI can lease islands. I am sure the governor was referring to Northern Islands. But here on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, investors can lease public and private lands as they do now,” said Babauta, a former House speaker.

Fitial and Demapan left Saipan Monday for Beijing, and they’re expected to be back if not today then during the weekend.

Fitial joined five other U.S. state and territorial governors for the second U.S.-China governors’ forum on economic development and job creation in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday.

This forum is a follow-up to the one held in Utah in July during the U.S. National Governors Association meeting.

Fitial hopes that China will invest in the CNMI in areas of tourism and farming. He also said Chinese governors he met in July promised to visit the CNMI, and he also promised that he will visit China.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano continues to exercise her parole authority to allow Chinese and Russian tourists to enter the CNMI. Chinese and Russian tourists are emerging tourism markets for the Commonwealth.