African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1256: The Trade Center Shifts Southward
Subsequently, the East African government's discussion on the active development plan for the Kra Isthmus came to an abrupt end, mainly because apart from the strategic value of the area, there was not much to discuss economically.

The highlight is still the population. Once the population problem of the Isthmus of Kra is solved, it will be impossible for Siam or other countries to take back the Isthmus of Kra in the future.

Ernst said: "The population policy of the Kra Isthmus Territory consists of two aspects: one is the immigration policy led by us, and the other is the assimilation and integration policy."

"In the future, the number of immigrants in the Isthmus of Kra will be at least 200,000, thereby changing the local population structure. We must provide support and preferential policies for our people who are willing to live and work in the Isthmus of Kra."

“For local Siamese who are willing to accept East African governance and Germanization, they can be screened.”

After all, the East African government is not a complete butcher. It is actually acceptable to people who are willing to integrate into the Rhine people. After all, there are still more than 100,000 indigenous people in East Kalimantan who have been taken in by East Africa.

Of course, there is a limitation here. Populations such as Hindus and Arabs are definitely not within the consideration of the East African government.

……

At the end of 1916, the East African government again sent envoys to The Hague, Netherlands.

Standing on the bow, Freer sighed, "This visit to the old place can be said to be quite thrilling. The confrontation between the British and German navies in the North Sea may affect the coastal areas, which are not far from our destination this time."

In the three years since the outbreak of the war, the German Navy and the British Navy have been constantly testing each other, which has led to frequent small-scale exchanges of fire between the two countries in the North Sea.

However, this also led to the fact that the famous Battle of Jutland in the previous life did not break out. The German naval commander was very clear about the gap between the two sides. At the same time, the blockade suffered by Germany due to the existence of East Africa was not enough to make Germany unable to survive economically for the time being. Therefore, the German High Seas Fleet was mostly shrunk in the Baltic Sea or the Atlantic Ocean near the coast and dealt with the Royal Navy.

Of course, another important factor is that Germany is currently focusing on the Eastern Front, with the primary goal of defeating Russia, so it is in a defensive posture on the Western Front.

This meant that the High Seas Fleet did not need to risk a decisive battle with the Royal Navy, but in this stalemate, the most unlucky was Denmark, followed by the Netherlands, which might be affected. The two countries' waters were on the front line of the confrontation between the British and German navies.

This is also the reason why Freer was a little frightened. This time Freer's destination was The Hague, the political center of the Netherlands, which was not close to the war waters.

But no one knows whether Britain and Germany will be affected. After all, if the High Seas Fleet wants to rush out, there are only two routes, and the most important one is the English Channel.

Freer's deputy Rogers said: "Sir Freer, you don't need to worry about this. At the beginning of this year, although Germany launched a submarine tactic, it was stopped by William II. Unless Germany restarts this indiscriminate attack tactic, but according to the last experience, the German Navy will definitely inform the Empire in advance before using submarine tactics, our safety will not be threatened. So you can rest assured when you go to the Netherlands this time."

Freer said helplessly: "I am worried about Germany? Wrong, it is Britain. After all, Britain is now in a highly sensitive state in the North Atlantic Ocean. Who knows if they will do something secretly."

The reason why Freer said this is that Germany is currently the country in the world least likely to offend East Africa. Since its trade with the United States was cut off by Britain, East Africa has become its largest trading partner.

Although East Africa cannot take the Atlantic route now, it can transport supplies to Germany through land routes such as the Baghdad Railway.

At present, the Baghdad Railway can be said to be Germany’s life-saving straw. If this channel is cut off, Germany will definitely launch an attack on Britain and France at all costs.

In fact, Germany’s current logistical situation is far from as bad as imagined. After all, Germany can basically be self-sufficient in food, steel and other products. Only strategic materials such as rubber, copper, cotton, sugar, and tobacco are in large shortage.

The easing of Germany’s food problem is easy to understand. The huge advantage Germany has gained on the Eastern Front has enabled it to gain access to a large number of grain-producing areas that were originally Russia’s.

However, these lands obviously cannot produce tropical crops such as cotton, tobacco, and rubber. However, this also reduces the transportation pressure on the Baghdad Railway, allowing the Allies to have more railway reserves to import scarce resources from East Africa.

Although the British wanted to cut off the Baghdad Railway, they were powerless because the Baghdad Railway was completely controlled by the Allies. On the sea, the Indian Ocean was East Africa's home ground. In the North Atlantic, the British could make East African merchant ships "retreat", but they could not do this in the Indian Ocean.

The East African Indian Ocean Fleet organized a large number of warships to maintain the smooth flow of shipping routes in the Persian Gulf and to escort East African merchant ships.

The British could not completely consume East Africa's industrial capacity as they had done to appease the Americans, so it was impossible for East Africa to make concessions in the Indian Ocean region for the sake of British victory.

In fact, Britain had cut off the trade routes between East African merchant ships and the Allies in the Suez Canal and the North Atlantic.

This led to a significant reduction in the volume of trade between East Africa and the Allies after 1916. Fortunately, East Africa's trade has now shifted to southern countries, including South America, the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and West Africa. This has also led to a clear southward shift in the focus of East Africa's trade after 1916.

Of course, trade with Europe and North America still occupies an important position in East Africa's foreign trade. After all, the consumption capacity of other regions is ultimately limited.

However, among the southern countries' trade, the Middle East Africa is in a surplus state and the profits are very considerable, while the trade with North America is a category of mutual exchange and there is no absolute winner.

Because Europe is currently in a state of war, East Africa is also in an advantageous position in trade with Europe. Even if the export volume decreases, it is still not comparable to other regions.

However, the significant trade advantage over Europe is obviously only a short-term benefit, while if trade with southern countries can be stabilized, it will be a long-term benefit.

This is also the reason why East Africa has been expanding rapidly in Southeast Asia, West Africa and other regions in recent years and building overseas bases.

This time, Freer went to the Netherlands again in order to further expand East Africa's advantage in the South Pacific region after completing the colony of the Isthmus of Kra.

East Africa once again set its sights on the Netherlands, the "big dog owner" in the South Seas. After all, looking at the entire South Seas region, only the Dutch colonies can be compared with Britain, France, and East Africa.

Even the colonies of the United States in Southeast Asia cannot be compared with these four countries. After all, the United States only has half of the Philippines in Southeast Asia, which seems to be a bit overwhelmed.

The Dutch East Indies, whether in terms of area, scale, or strategic locations, clearly ranks among the countries in Southeast Asia.

However, the national strength of the Netherlands is obviously not on the same level as that of Britain, France and East Africa. Naturally, the Netherlands will be targeted by East Africa again. After all, East Africa is best at picking on the weak.

"How long will it take to reach The Hague?" asked Freer.

"About three to four hours left," Rogers replied.

The city of The Hague should actually be considered the true capital of the Netherlands, although Rotterdam or Amsterdam is the most economically developed region in the Netherlands and is its recognized capital.

However, the administrative center of the Netherlands is The Hague, because the Dutch central government, parliament, Supreme Court and other institutions are all located in The Hague.

Freer leaned on the railing, looked out at the sea and said, "I just don't know if the Dutch will be happy with our arrival this time. After all, we just took away their East Kalimantan, and now they are coveting other places in the East Indies."

Rogers said with some gloating: "This is not something the Dutch can decide. It depends on the development strategy of the empire, and the Netherlands does not have the confidence to reject us."

(End of this chapter)