4 hours ago
(Yesterday, 08:21 PM)FCD Wrote: So, it's a different conversation really, but China's "Belt & Road initiative" is a really BIG deal, and something which could easily change the trading dynamics all over the European and Asian continent(s). The initiative is actually far larger than what is shown in the diagram above, and it's not only about oil; it's about all kinds of different goods and commodities. It has the potential to have dramatic impacts to international trade across the entire region. And what's even more surprising is that most people have no idea this has been under development for decades, and only recently come to light in western media. I can remember reading bits and pieces of the plan when I was working over in SE Asia, but the 'big picture' of the overall plan was never presented, only just elements of it.
This is essentially what happens when you actually invest in projects with all that "soft power projection" money that the US managed to turn into a massive money laundering operation while doing not so subtle gunship diplomacy in the background. China just didn't dump all the money into greedy friends at NGOs. I don't know a ton about the internal workings on who gets contracts or positions, nor how much corruption exists in China, but I don't think just getting a bunch of money comes without an expectation of a certain level of actual performance for the most part. I'm sure that's been a challenge for some of the people working in particularly difficult areas with a very limited workforce. Even if there is corruption, it appears that the CCP will also step in and make an example out of somebody.