Chapter 913 Foreign Capital
Of course, this is a bit of a sophistry. It is no exaggeration to say that with the current national strength of East Africa, unless the world powers join forces, they cannot threaten the East African mainland. If a single country wants to invade East Africa, it is basically impossible.
"Mr. Hull, let's not talk about the digression. Let's talk about business. After all, national affairs are issues that the top leaders consider. We small people can only support within our own capabilities. For example, the economic field is no less important to the country than the military." Maxim said.
Hull: "You are right. This time our company mainly wants to increase the purchase of agricultural products from East Africa. The world economy has improved recently, so we plan to expand the raw materials of textile products. On this basis, we plan to import a batch of cotton from Luanda."
Hull did not say the specific quantity and price, naturally in order to let East Africa make more concessions. In fact, in the trade between the two countries, East Africa is relatively disadvantaged. After all, East Africa is an agricultural country, so it can only export low-value-added products such as agricultural products and minerals to Germany.
However, this is not important for the city of Luanda. Now Angola has accumulated a batch of agricultural products and urgently needs to find a way out.
After all, Angola used to be the source of raw materials for Portugal. Now, they know how to expand the scale of local agricultural planting on this basis, and the output has increased. Naturally, the pursuit of sales volume has become more urgent.
"We can reduce the price by 10%, but your purchase scale must reach more than 1,000 kilograms, otherwise it can only be reduced by half."
This is also considered a bundled sale, but even if it is not counted this way, the price of Angolan cotton is still low.
"What if my purchase scale is more than 1,000 kilograms? If it reaches 2,000 kilograms, or even more, can you give discounts according to the quantity?" As a businessman, Hull naturally hopes to get more.
However, Maxim can't make up his mind about this. He said: "In this way, I can only ask my superiors first. I can help you fight for it. I just don't know how much you need, Mr. Hull, so that I can report to my superiors."
Hull said mysteriously: "The unit must be changed to at least 10,000 kilograms, but the specific quantity still depends on your sincerity."
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Under a peaceful and stable situation, East Africa can be at ease with economic development, which is also a condition that Germany and Austria do not have.
In fact, apart from the German countries, the country that invests the most in East Africa is absolutely unexpected, that is France.
Although France has a certain hatred towards Germans because of Germany, French capital is still relatively pragmatic, especially after the loss of Lorraine and Alsace, the development of French domestic industry is limited, and due to the strong financial industry in France, France's investment in East Africa has continued to increase in the past five years.
Of course, it is not ruled out that East Africa taught the British a lesson to make France feel very happy. Before Germany, the contradiction between Britain and France has always been one of the main contradictions on the European continent. This speculation is not entirely unreasonable. After all, before the South African War, France's investment in East Africa was basically almost zero, and it was only after the South African War that it rose on a large scale.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that there is no actual contradiction between East Africa and France. For example, Austria and France had a good relationship in the past, but now Germany and Austria are closer.
East Africa is isolated in the southeast of the African continent, and France has almost no conflicts of interest and geography except for the borders of the Madagascar colony and the Gabon colony.
Besides, East Africa is a large market and raw material production area. In recent years, the scale of industry and agriculture has also grown rapidly. No country can ignore East Africa.
In fact, the success of East Africa also stimulated the French colonial activities in West Africa and North Africa. Of course, it is impossible to make its West African colonies become independent countries like East Africa, but West Africa and North Africa are only a Mediterranean distance away from France, so "integration" can be fully implemented.
It's just that the same reason for East Africa has greatly increased France's competitors in West Africa and North Africa. Countries like Britain and Germany can only strategically turn to West Africa and North Africa, and even small countries like Belgium can snatch food from the tiger's mouth.
Today's Belgian colony is actually a splicing of part of the territory of the French Gabon colony and the Congo (Brazzaville) colony in the previous life.
And France has no good way to deal with Belgium. After all, Belgium is too important to France in Europe. In addition to being a buffer zone with Germany, local mineral resources are one of the important sources of domestic industrial development in France.
According to statistics from the East African Immigration Bureau in 1884, the number of permanent French residents in East Africa is second only to Germans, Austro-Hungarians and Arabs, reaching more than 3,000. Most of them are engaged in commercial trade, and there are also very few who invest in and build factories in East Africa. This is just the permanent population.
After all, investing in East Africa is risky, mainly because the review and supervision in East Africa are relatively strict. Only with the government endorsement of Germany and Austria, some powerful businessmen and companies dare to invest in East Africa.
As for making quick money from East Africa, it is basically impossible. The financial industry in East Africa is almost non-existent, and there is little room for operation, so many investors in East Africa are really engaged in industry.
If you have the spare time, you can set up a shell company in other countries to make a lot of money, or use the status of a great power to become a "emperor" in a colony or backward country. It is faster than investing in East Africa, and you can also experience the pleasure of being superior.
In this regard, German companies are naturally more popular in East Africa. In addition to the various friendly relations and close ties between the two countries, Germany's financial industry started late, there are many practical people, and there are not as many small thoughts as merchants from other countries, including Austria. After all, the economic crisis in 1873 was triggered by the credibility crisis of the Austrian financial industry.
This also led to the fact that although East Africa cooperated with Austria early, the scale of trade exchanges between East Africa and Germany came later, which was more prominent after the opening of several ports on the west coast.
In the past, a large part of the trade between East and Germany had to be transferred from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but after the opening of the west coast ports, the merchant ships of the two countries could travel directly through the Atlantic Ocean without having to detour through the Mediterranean.
Of course, in addition to German capital, East Africa still welcomes companies and businessmen from other countries who are willing to invest in the coastal areas of East Africa, even the British and Portuguese.
In fact, East Africa does not have much hatred for Portugal. Portugal is completely guilty of holding a treasure, so East Africa is just eyeing it. Although some conflicts were indeed triggered by Portugal, they were also actively instigated by East Africa.
This is just like the European and American countries constantly expanding their sphere of influence in Eastern Europe in the past, thus forcing Russia to jump up and down. East Africa actually adopted this tactic against Portugal.
East Africa purposefully encircled the land around Portugal, and finally divided and surrounded the two Portuguese colonies. In this case, how could Portugal not be anxious! And the Portuguese government's idea was completely correct.
East Africa was to realize its ambition to eventually annex the two Portuguese colonies. Even if Portugal did not fight back, the final result would not change. The South African War only accelerated this process.
Of course, East Africa was naturally full of hostility towards Portugal before the war, but after the war, East Africa completely changed its face, especially in terms of wooing Portuguese merchants. After all, if the Portuguese left, how could Angola and Mozambique sell the goods originally supplied to Portugal.
So until today, Portugal should scold East Africa, but Portuguese merchants are still one of the important buyers of East African goods.
After all, Portuguese merchants have been operating along the coast of East Africa for hundreds of years. It is obviously not cost-effective to directly abandon these commercial channels. Although doing business with East Africa is disadvantageous, it is also profitable. If you give up directly, you will be unemployed.