ACT rules out working with NZ First

[Lilith7]

Surely a certain upstanding and well experienced ex-airline CEO would keep them in line. The term clusterf*ck does seem apt, and a good portion of Godzone will be under Chinese ownership seems possible, so our infrastructure issues gain a whole new significance.

Never mind bilingual road signage. Maybe get used to some Mandarin characters joining the roading landscape?

Do you realise we wouldn't be unique? Lots of stuff (and videos) online of Chinese construction worldwide. I believe they mostly finish on time as well. There was a great video I saw of a pretty tricky bridge in Scandinavia. Very challenging with nature working against them all the time.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018...china.html

Some of the Pacific countries have found that they now owe large amounts of dosh to China; accepting their help may not always be the good move it can seem to be.

---

This is how China colonises. By exploiting the finance markets in their favoured territories. There are always hidden hooks.

Too true. China has always played the long game with strategies spanning the centuries. Western civilisation is far shorter sighted and realistically has only been of relevance over the past couple of centuries battling over mineral resources in our quest for dominance while the Chinese focus is to invest in security of supply. This has and is occurring in African countries with mineral reserves, Pacific nations with fish and geographical opportunities, our agricultural and silvicultural production and processing, and US economic institutions and manufacturing.

Easier to invade by investment than by warfare.

Why quibble over supply prices for products when it is possible to buy the supply chain and its distribution thereby also gaining the leverage and profits that are provided with vertical integration within an entire supply line?

So. if National are willing to allow China to pour finances into roading infrastructure what's the possibility that electricity, water and telecommunications infrastructures are the next offerings for an international investor hand-up? And while National's MPs were the most outspoken about adding Te Reo to road signage what will their take be on Mandarin or 'this expressway funded by Huawei' for example, who of course will also be stepping up for a portion of the tolls collected?

Its a great pity that our politicians seem unwilling or unable, to take even a slightly long term view of us & the rest of the world.