From EIN PressWire

More information about the Cayman Islands is available from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet.

U.S.-CAYMAN ISLANDS RELATIONS

The Cayman Islands is a largely self-governing British Overseas Territory with close historic and political links to the United Kingdom and Jamaica. U.S. policy toward the United Kingdom is the basis of U.S.-Cayman Islands relations. Responsibility for defense and external affairs resides with the United Kingdom, although the Cayman Government may negotiate certain bilateral matters directly with foreign governments. With the rise in international narcotics trafficking, the Cayman Government has entered into a narcotics agreement and a mutual legal assistance treaty with the United States in order to reduce the use of its facilities for money laundering operations.

U.S. Assistance to the Cayman Islands

The United States provides no development assistance to the Cayman Islands.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The role of tourism and international finance in the Cayman Islands’s economy has made the United States one of its most important trade and economic partners. The United States is a major source country for tourists visiting the Cayman Islands. For U.S. and other foreign investors and businesses, the Cayman Islands’s main appeal as a financial center is the absence of all major direct taxes, free capital movement, a minimum of government regulations, and a well-developed financial infrastructure.

The Cayman Islands’ Membership in International Organizations

The United Kingdom is formally responsible for the Cayman Islands’ foreign and defense policy.

Bilateral Representation

The United States does not maintain diplomatic offices in the Cayman Islands. Diplomatic relations are conducted through the U.S. Embassy in London and the British Embassy in Washington, DC. The Cayman Islands are part of the consular district administered by the U.S. Embassy in Jamaica. There also is a U.S. consular agency in the Cayman Islands to assist in providing services for U.S. citizens.

The United Kingdom’s embassy in the United States is at 3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008; tel: 202-588-6500.

More information about the Cayman Islands is available from the Department of State and other sources, some of which are listed here:

Department of State Key Officers List CIA World Factbook Cayman Islands Page U.S. Embassy: Jamaica History of U.S. Relations With Cayman Islands Narcotics Control Reports Investment Climate Statements (see United Kingdom) U.S. Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics Travel and Business Information