African Entrepreneurship Records

Chapter 959 Relations between South American Countries

 “Captain Creed, how’s the trade going this year?”

In Asunción, the East African diplomatic ambassador Luo Lie and Captain Creed met, which was actually a meeting between old friends.

Communications between East Africa and South America were not very convenient. Even if Raleigh, as the East African ambassador to Paraguay, wanted to obtain some domestic information, he had to rely on Captain Creed and other people who were engaged in trade from home to Paraguay.

"Business has been good in recent years. The trade between Paraguay and East Africa has been on the rise. I used to lead a team with only four ships, but this year there are three. In addition to Asuncion, Oriental City has now become the center of trade between the two countries. An important location.”

Roley nodded and said: "It seems that our country's trade with Oriental City is developing well. I remember that the relevant policy was only started in 1892. At that time, the trade between East Africa and Paraguay was mainly concentrated in Asunción."

Captain Creed said: "Yes, the location of Dongfang City is quite special after all. It is not only Paraguay, but also Brazil and Argentina. Argentina's economy has developed very rapidly in recent years, so our trade with Argentina is growing rapidly. Increase."

List: "Argentina has a special situation, mainly because of its superior geography and climate. Therefore, the United Kingdom has been investing in Argentina in recent years, especially the rapid growth of Argentina's railways. However, Argentina's economy is also relatively deformed. If the British withdraw their investment from the local area, or the market fails, Countries with a single economic structure like Argentina are most vulnerable to changes.”

Of course, Captain Creed doesn’t see it that way: “Without the British investment and construction, Argentina would still be a barren land, so the Argentine government should thank the British for their investment and construction. Of course, even without the British, Argentina’s conditions can still attract In other countries, as for the economic structure, agriculture is always relatively stable. Even if Argentina's agriculture goes bankrupt, it will not be a waste. They had nothing before, at least the British helped them build many railways and factories. "

Luo Li said noncommittally: "It is better to be more independent. Of course, what I mean is that we cannot be dependent on other countries. For example, our East African economy has its own system. Even if there is some gap with other countries, it has also found its own way, and the Argentine economy It’s more like drinking a dove to quench your thirst.”

 The words of Ambassador Luo Lie and Captain Creed are actually correct. The Argentine government's governance capabilities are relatively poor. At least from the perspective of economic development, it is immature and easily affected by external interference.

For this reason, Luo Li also cited Paraguay as an example: "Paraguayans have much better vision than Argentinians. Before the Paraguay War, Paraguay's rulers knew the importance of industrial development. After the Paraguay War, Paraguay at that time could be said to be completely It was abandoned, but through these years of hard work, it has regained its former glory.”

Captain Creed agreed with this point. He said: "This is indeed true. At least it can be seen from the development of Asunción. When I first came to Asunción, the population here was only more than 20,000. Now it has grown to around 70,000 to 80,000!”

Luo Lie said with a smile: "You don't have good vision! Last year, Asunción's population exceeded 100,000, which is not even a small city in South America. Now Paraguay's total population should be 900,000."

A population of 900,000 is relatively large for the region. At that time, Argentina had a population of just over 4 million, and Brazil had a population of 18 million. However, Argentina and Brazil were too large, and Bolivia, which is next door to Paraguay, only had a population of 100. It turned out that Paraguay's biological brother Uruguay only had less than one million.

 At this point in history, Paraguay's population was only over 600,000, close to 700,000, so Paraguay's population was 200,000 more than in history.

At present, Argentina has more than four times the population of Paraguay. If the two countries fight again, it is difficult to say who will lose and who will win. Of course, the premise is that Brazil and Uruguay do not participate.

Today's total area of ​​Paraguay is only over 300,000 square kilometers. The Bolivian government has not yet sent assistance to Paraguay (Paraguay gained 180,000 square kilometers of land during the Chaco War), so Paraguay's population density is already quite large in the region. . Captain Creed said: "With the increase in population and economic recovery, it is not surprising that the trade volume of East Africa and Paraguay has increased, but the current development of other South American countries is not weak, if not compared with East Africa."

The development of East Africa is completely unique among countries other than Europe and the United States. After all, East Africa has only existed for more than 30 years. It has already surpassed Brazil, which is the number one in South America, and can't even see its taillights. Its population alone is several times that of Brazil. The growth rate of industry and agriculture also far exceeds that of Brazil.

 If nothing else, Brazil now has a larger population than Argentina, but its economic situation is actually far worse than that of Argentina and Paraguay.

Of course, Paraguay’s economic achievements are inseparable from East Africa, but if the Paraguayan government is not good enough, it will be in vain.

Captain Creed: "I want to bring you some news this time. Before I came, domestic newspapers had frequently increased the description of South America, so South America will definitely be a key direction for our country's development in the future. ”

Luo Lie took a sip of coffee and said: "This is inevitable. After our country acquired Angola, East Africa was destined to make a difference in the Atlantic. In the Atlantic, the countries and regions where our country can achieve the fastest results are South America and West Africa." ”

East Africa, West Africa, and South America are all located in the South Atlantic region, so if East Africa wants to expand its influence and trade in the South Atlantic, it must start with West Africa and South America. West Africa is now a colony and has no right to independent development, so the relatively independent South American countries It is the only option for the East African government.

"The only pity is that Paraguay, which currently has the best relationship with us in East Africa, is not a big country after all." Luo Lie sighed. After all, he is the ambassador of Paraguay, not the ambassador of Brazil or Argentina. For these two countries, East Africa may not attach more importance to them. over Paraguay.

Of course, in addition to Brazil and Argentina, Ernst also pays close attention to countries such as Peru. However, Peru should be considered a Pacific country, and the Drake Strait is more dangerous than the Cape of Good Hope route. Even on the 21st It is not easy for a century-old ship of 10,000 tons to pass through the Drake Passage, let alone a 19th-century ship.

 So even if East Africa wants to bypass the Drake Strait and develop trade with Peru, it will not be easy. Replacing the Drake Strait may also be one of the important significances of the construction of the Panama Canal.

 The Panama Canal is more difficult than the Suez Canal, so it has not been built until now. The United States mainly realizes trade between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts by rail.

However, the danger is not worth mentioning compared to Peru's rich resources. Peru has more copper mines in one country than all of East Africa. It is also rich in other resources. Of course, it is also relatively close to East Africa.

 East Africa’s current focus on South America is mainly in the south and east, which are actually the five countries of Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Peru.

 (End of this chapter)