African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 959 South American Countries Relations
"Captain Corid, how is the trade this year?"

In Asuncion, East African Ambassador Rowley and Captain Koid had a meeting, which was actually a meeting between old friends.

Communication between East Africa and South America is not very convenient. Even if Raleigh, the East African ambassador to Paraguay, wants to obtain some domestic information, he has to rely on Captain Corridor and other people who come from the country to Paraguay to engage in trade.

"Business has been good in recent years. Trade between Paraguay and East Africa has been on the rise. I used to lead only four ships, but this year we have three. In addition to Asuncion, Ciudad del Este has also become an important location for trade between the two countries."

Raleigh nodded and said, "It seems that our country's trade with Dongfang City has developed well. I remember that the relevant policy was not started until 1892. At that time, trade between East Africa and Paraguay was mainly concentrated in Asuncion."

Captain Corrid said: "Yes, the location of Oriental 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 increasing rapidly."

Luo Lie: "Argentina is special, mainly because of its superior geography and climate, so the UK 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 changes, countries like Argentina with a single economic structure will be most vulnerable."

Of course, Captain Corridor doesn't think so: "Without the British investment and construction, Argentina would still be a barren land, so the Argentine government should be grateful for the British investment and construction. Of course, even without the UK, Argentina's conditions can attract other countries. As for the economic structure, agriculture is always relatively stable. Even if Argentina's agriculture goes bankrupt, it won't be a mess. They had nothing before. At least the British helped them build a lot of railways and factories."

Luo Lie did not comment: "It is better to be more independent. Of course, what I mean is that we should not become dependent on other countries. For example, our East African economy is a self-contained system. Even if there are some gaps with other countries, we have also found our own way. The Argentine economy is more like drinking poison to quench thirst."

There is actually nothing wrong with what Ambassador Rowe and Captain Corrid said. The Argentine government's governance capabilities are relatively poor. At least from the perspective of economic development, it is not mature and is easily affected by external interference.

For this reason, Luo Lie also cited Paraguay as an example, saying: "The Paraguayans are much more far-sighted than the Argentines. Before the Paraguayan War, the Paraguayan rulers knew the importance of industrial development. After the Paraguayan War, Paraguay was completely ruined. However, through the efforts of these years, it has regained its former glory."

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

Luo Lie smiled and said, "You have a bad eye! Last year, the population of Asuncion exceeded 100,000. It is not a small city in South America. The total population of Paraguay is probably about 900,000 now."

A population of 900,000 is already quite large in 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 are too large in area, and Bolivia, next door to Paraguay, has a population of just over 1 million. It turns out that Paraguay's close brother Uruguay also has a population of less than 1 million.

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

Argentina's population is now just over four times that of Paraguay. If the two countries were to fight another war, it would be hard to say who would win or lose. Of course, this is assuming that Brazil and Uruguay do not participate.

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

East Africa's development is completely unique among countries outside of Europe and the United States. After all, East Africa has only existed for more than 30 years, and it has already left Brazil, the number one in South America, far behind. Its population alone is several times that of Brazil, and its industrial and agricultural growth rate is also far higher than that of Brazil.

Apart from anything 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 up to par, all this will be in vain.

Captain Corid: "I have a message for you this time. Before I came, domestic newspapers had already frequently increased their descriptions 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 his coffee and said, "This is inevitable. Ever since my country acquired Angola, East Africa has been destined to make a difference in the Atlantic Ocean. In terms of the Atlantic Ocean, the countries and regions where my country can achieve the fastest results are West Africa and South America."

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 will inevitably start from West Africa and South America. West Africa is now all colonies and has no right to develop independently, so the relatively independent South American countries are the only choice for the East African government.

"The only pity is that Paraguay, which has the best relations 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 attach more importance to Paraguay than to Paraguay.

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

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

The Panama Canal is more difficult to build than the Suez Canal, so it has not been built until now, and the United States mainly uses railways to carry out trade between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

However, the danger is nothing compared to Peru's rich resources. Peru alone has more copper mines than the entire East Africa, and other resources are also relatively abundant. 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)