China's "Belt and Road Initiative"

alarms me. I wonder how the Premier of a neighbouring state could ever have thought it might be a good idea to have his state participate in it - even in the smallest of ways.

I know what it is doing in other countries. I know that thinking people I work with are thoroughly alarmed by the projects they see being developed with Chinese money. 

"Cat, it's money laundering," I was told a long while back. The person who told me this would be well aware of it. He's a forensic accountant. He was called in to look at some other dodgy dealings and would not be made welcome in China.

I don't know enough about accountancy to be able to work out the how but I certainly understand the "why". Not so long ago the Chinese bought a small island off the east coast of Downunder and now they are telling tourists they aren't welcome. The locals are feeling under pressure too. Is it their imagination? I doubt it. The Chinese would be happy to have the island to themselves - as a "tourist resort". It will be the sort of "tourist resort" which has added facilities.

As I understand it there are some people of influence in China with enormous sums of drugs and other money they need to launder. There are also people there who need to know what is going on in the rest of the world. They are in no hurry to see the army lose control in Myanmar or the corrupt government in Zimbabwe be removed from office either. They expect "favours" to be returned too. 

The Premier of the neighbouring state was either naive or he owes someone somewhere a favour or two. I suspect the latter. Middle Cat's son lives in that state. He tells me that the Premier is still popular - despite the bungles with Covid19 quarantine issues and an extended lock down. Apparently the funds that were supposed to be obtained through the BRI were going to provide thousands upon thousands of jobs. At least some of the electors thought there was going to be full employment, that people would be well paid and much more. 

It has made me understand how easy it must be to do this in other parts of the world where people are desperate for work at whatever the cost. They need to feed their families. It all sounds too good to be true - and it is.