Today I had the privilege of visiting the Caribbean Studies Center at Hangzhou Normal University, guided by Professor Zhou Min, Dean of the Center. In the tour, Prof. Zhou shared the vision of the Center — a hub for deep, interdisciplinary research into the Caribbean’s politics, culture, trade, and environment, while also serving as a bridge for exchange between China and the region. What stood out most: the team has already built a big data model trained on Caribbean knowledge using DeepSeek, effectively their own LLM focused entirely on the Caribbean. This makes it an incredible tool for Chinese students and researchers to access information, learn, and engage with our region in ways that were never possible before. The Center is part of a larger effort to strengthen China–Caribbean ties under the Belt & Road framework — with dedicated research tracks in cultural exchange, trade, medical cooperation, and environmental studies. The two regions that have so much to learn from each...