Chapter 1360 - 361: Mutual Flattery

Chapter 1360: Chapter 361: Mutual Flattery

Supporting Chile’s legitimate interests does not equate to supporting Chile’s interests outright, after all, at the moment Chile is not considered one of "us" in the eyes of the East African Government.

This point is crucial, as Chile has almost constant friction with its neighbors, having previously clashed with Peru and Bolivia, and having territorial disputes with Argentina.

Unless Chile is willing to become a political and military ally of East Africa, East Africa will certainly not openly back the Chilean government.

In fact, if the Chilean government does not see the big picture, the East African Government would not hesitate to support Chile’s adversaries, potentially triggering a new round of regional conflict.

Of course, looking at the current relationship between East Africa and Chile, the probability of such a situation occurring is very low, unless the next Chilean government becomes a puppet propped up by the Americans, with a complete 180-degree shift in its foreign policy.

And if such a thing were to happen, it would only indicate the incompetence of the East African Government. After all, if the United States can support its own puppets, East Africa can do the same, and in the overall competitive environment, the advantage is even on East Africa’s side.

...

The conversation between Reini and Galligal, to some extent, represents the thoughts of the East African Central Government and the Chilean government, but diplomacy is no small matter, so it is relatively conservative and cautious.

The negotiations between the subordinate regional governments of the two countries, namely Luanda City and Punta Arenas City, are much more proactive and aggressive. For Luanda City and Punta Arenas City, their main task is to promote the economic development of their own cities, taking relatively less into consideration.

The Mayor of Luanda City, Horngren, is painting a rosy picture for the Mayor of Punta Arenas City, Baldivieso.

"Mayor Baldivieso, we are also peers, and I believe you have seen the strength of our Luanda City. It is no exaggeration to say that Luanda City is a well-known city globally, and along the entire South Atlantic coast, only Brazil’s capital Rio de Janeiro, Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires, and our own country’s Cabinda City can be compared."

Mayor Horngren’s words were not exaggerated at all. East Africa’s Cabinda, Luanda and Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, as well as Argentina’s Buenos Aires, are the four most developed cities in the South Pacific now.

Among them, Argentina’s Buenos Aires has a population exceeding 1.5 million, making it the largest city along the South Pacific coast. In contrast, the other three cities have populations in the hundreds of thousands. In 1910, Rio de Janeiro had only a slightly larger population than Cabinda and Luanda.

However, the size of the population does not necessarily indicate a city’s level of development. While Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro have large populations, East Africa’s Cabinda and Luanda have their own advantages in industries, education, healthcare, and other areas.

Moreover, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro are the capitals of Argentina and Brazil, two major American countries. So, the fact that Cabinda and Luanda can compete with these capitals already speaks volumes.

Additionally, East Africa’s economic development model is quite different from that of Brazil and Argentina. Brazil and Argentina’s economies have historically concentrated in their capitals or surrounding areas, while East Africa’s economy is relatively balanced, with major cities both inland and on the east and west coasts.

In other words, Brazil and Argentina’s capitals developed by concentrating a large amount of national resources, though this statement could be considered somewhat one-sided.

Because Brazil and Argentina are immigrant countries, and immigrants typically choose the most developed areas in the two countries as their destination, such as Buenos Aires, which gathers Africans, Spaniards, Italians, British, Poles, Russians, and other immigrants.

And given that the governments of Argentina and Brazil have not formulated policies for immigrants, the population in the capitals of the two countries continues to grow, while other regions develop relatively slowly.

Thus, along the South Pacific coast, ranking by economic strength, besides Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, the following five positions are all occupied by East African West Coast cities, and the development of other East African West Coast cities is also very rapid.

And as the third-largest city in the South Atlantic, Luanda City has strong industrial strength, a comfortable climate, and convenient transportation, all features that make Mayor Baldivieso of Chile envious.

He followed Horngren’s remarks and said, "Mayor Horngren, Luanda’s development can be said to be an example for all cities in the South Atlantic countries, including Chile."

"To be honest, our Punta Arenas City was constructed around the same time as yours, but in just over a decade, you’ve left us far behind in terms of population, economy, industry, and many other areas. Luanda is truly worthy of being called the pearl of the South Atlantic coast."

"If I could become a resident of this beautiful and developed city, I’m sure my dreams at night would be the sweetest."

Baldivieso’s compliments made Horngren a bit indulgent, but it did not affect his logic. As the Mayor of Luanda, he’s long been immune to flattery from subordinates.

Taking advantage of the wine, Horngren placed his hand on Baldivieso’s shoulder, as if they were old friends, and said to Baldivieso, "Brother Baldivieso, there’s no need to belittle yourselves. In fact, relative to Luanda, I believe the development of your Punta Arenas City is an outstanding achievement."

"You have to know, Punta Arenas is practically close to Antarctica, surrounded by many regions of ice and snow, with very complex terrain. That Chile managed to build a city there is a miracle in itself."

"While Luanda has, in recent years, transformed into a major global city through urban construction, this is due to the benefits of the larger environment. There are quite a few cities in our country that can rival Luanda, and several have surpassed Luanda in development speed—not to mention that Luanda has its advantages, whether in policy, climate, or geographic location."

"So, in my view, the development of Luanda is actually nothing to boast about. We should instead learn from you, how to create a city in such a challenging environment."

Baldivieso waved his hand and said, "You’re being overly generous. We know our own capabilities well. On the Magellan Strait route, we have no competitors, so the development of Punta Arenas also benefits from the geographical advantage."

"Furthermore, to be frank, our Punta Arenas isn’t particularly striking in scale, and in your country, it would just be a medium-sized town. Even just in your West Coast Province, there are several towns larger than Punta Arenas."

Horngren said to Baldivieso, "That is also the result of your own efforts. After all, in terms of natural conditions, Punta Arenas doesn’t have the foundational support for city construction."

"Of course, all talk is empty. For our two cities, economic development is the most important. Luanda is the gateway to the west of the Empire, while your Punta Arenas is the gateway to the east of Chile."

"In other words, we are like neighbors across from one another. As long as our two cities cooperate, establishing a well-functioning East Africa—Luanda—Punta Arenas—Chile trade route, we will both benefit."

"The trade volume between Chile and East Africa is not small, and it is showing a growing trend every year. Besides, Punta Arenas is not only Chile’s gateway to East Africa; to some extent, you can also be an important gateway for the entire American West Coast."

"This way, you and I both know the immense potential of this trade route, so for the future of both our cities, in terms of economy and industry, Luanda and Punta Arenas must establish and deepen cooperation. This will further enhance the importance of our two cities in our countries and regions, laying an additional layer of security for future economic development."

As the Mayor of Luanda, Horngren naturally also covets the market of Chile and the South American West Coast, as, compared to these regions, Luanda City is undoubtedly an industrial and economically developed area.

Moreover, Luanda City does have competitors, such as Cabinda, Kinshasa, Lobito, Benguela, and Whale Bay Port, so Luanda City places great importance on this cooperation with Punta Arenas City, attempting to seize an early market opportunity.