Chapter 1260 Deep Cooperation
On the third day alone, Kuyper personally visited Freer's temporary home.
"Your Excellency Freer, this time we agreed to your country's territorial transaction, which means we sold these dozen islands at a low price. We also hope that your country can guarantee our interests in the Southeast Asia region in the future."
"Easy to say, easy to say. I can assure you, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, that we in East Africa do not covet the East Indies. This request for help from your country is entirely due to the strategic security needs of Southeast Asia."
After reaching the deal, Freer was in a good mood, and naturally he would not embarrass Kuyper any more. On the one hand, he appeased these Dutch prime ministers, and on the other hand, he greatly appreciated the Dutch government's pragmatic attitude of knowing that those who understand current affairs are outstanding.
As for what Prime Minister Kuyper said was a "cheap sale", that is also true. After all, such a strategic island is not something that any country can buy if it wants to, not to mention that East Africa only paid so little money.
It was at this time that the British were trapped in the quagmire of World War I, otherwise the British would definitely jump out to block this territorial transaction between the two countries of East Africa and the Netherlands.
In fact, from the previous seizure of the Kra Isthmus territory in East Africa, it can be seen that Britain is unable to cope with the Southeast Asian region in its current state.
In the past, East Africa, not to mention controlling a strategic location like the Kra Isthmus, was just to prevent the threat that East Africa might pose to the British colonies on the Malay Peninsula, as well as the potential pressure that East Africa would exert on India by penetrating its power into the East Indian Ocean.
It is impossible for the British to let East Africa control the Kra Isthmus, but now the British are completely unable to do this, so they can only resort to the next best thing and save the Tapi River plain for Siam, making it impossible to build the Kra Canal.
As for the territorial transaction between East Africa and the Netherlands, even if the British knew about it, they would not be able to intervene. This is completely different from East Africa's acquisition of the Kra Isthmus. In order to obtain the Kra Isthmus, East Africa directly threatened the Siamese government with force, and as one of Siam's two major protectors, Only Britain can block East Africa by virtue of its role as mediator.
East Africa's attitude towards the Netherlands was different. Although Freer also tested Prime Minister Kuyper, it was within reasonable rules after all.
In addition, the Netherlands is not a country like Siam that cannot be independent at all. Instead, it is quite influential in Europe and even the world.
Therefore, East Africa and the Netherlands are fully capable of discussing business behind closed doors, and do not need to pay too much attention to the attitude of third-party countries.
Freer said to Prime Minister Kuyper: "After the signing of this agreement, we in East Africa will definitely attach importance to the development of the Sunda Strait route. We also hope that your government can play an important role in the region and enhance the economy of the Sunda Strait. value."
"The potential of the Sunda Strait is not much worse than that of the Malacca Strait, but in the past, not many ships chose the Sunda Strait because it deviated from the world's main waterway."
"Coupled with the backward ports and service industries on both sides of the Sunda Strait, this further puts the Sunda Strait at a disadvantage in competition with other world waterways."
"So we in East Africa hope to achieve further cooperation with your country and jointly create a stable shipping route from the Indian Ocean to the Far Eastern Empire."
After hearing what Freer said, Kuyper was immediately skeptical.
This is also the helplessness of small countries. It is impossible to be careless in communicating with big countries in the world. If you step into the trap of big countries, you may fall into a place of no return.
Seemingly sensing Kuyper's concerns, Freer explained: "Your Excellency, Prime Minister, there is no need to be nervous. What I said is true. Since we in East Africa want to break the monopoly of East-West trade in the Malacca Strait, we will naturally be prepared." ”
"The previous territorial transaction with your country is a prerequisite for our country at the military and strategic level in the Nanyang region, so as to ensure the safety of the Sunda Strait route."
In addition to the needs of its own colonial activities, all East Africa's actions in the Nanyang region are also aimed at bypassing the Strait of Malacca, a world-class trade channel monopolized by the British family.
On the one hand, the colonial environment in East Africa was too poor. It either had a tropical rain forest climate or an ice sheet cold place like Alaska.
On the other hand, East Africa's colonial development was weak and its population was small. Of course, this was indispensable for East Africa's large-scale "massacre" in the Southeast Asia region. However, in any case, at this stage, East Africa does not expect the three melons and two dates of its own colonies, nor can it count on them.
Therefore, compared with the colonies, East Africa pays more attention to the smooth flow of trade. Now, as the world's largest industrial country, East Africa is in a dominant position in international trade, and this is also the main source of East Africa's accumulation of national wealth.
The United Kingdom has long controlled the world's maritime hegemony and controls many straits, canals, channels, waterways, islands and other strategic locations, thereby controlling the basic order of world trade.
In particular, the Strait of Malacca and the Suez Canal, two vital transportation arteries to East Africa, can be said to be a thorn in East Africa's throat and a thorn in its back.
If these two channels are cut off, foreign trade on the east coast of East Africa can even be directly suspended for a period of time.
Prime Minister Kuyper also understood what Freer meant.
He asked with some uncertainty: "What do you mean, Mr. Freer, is your country going to develop the Sunda Strait route?"
Freer shook his head and said: "Of course not, but our two countries are working together to develop the Sunda Strait route. After all, the Sunda Strait route passes through not only our East Africa, but your country's status and importance are even higher."
From the east of the Sunda Strait to the South China Sea of the Far Eastern Empire, this distance can be said to be completely between East Africa and the Netherlands. The fact that the Netherlands controls the Sunda Strait makes the development of this route impossible to do without the Netherlands. No.
Freer said: "Of course, in order to ensure that the Sunda Strait will not be manipulated by major powers with ulterior motives in the future, we have another requirement for your country, that is, the Sunda Strait and other East Indies areas controlled by your country should not have a third Troops or military facilities from three countries exist.”
"And we in East Africa will also support your country's status and interests in the region and ensure that your country's interests in the Southeast Asia region will not be interfered with by other countries."
East Africa can allow the Netherlands to continue to control the Sunda Strait, but it will never allow the Sunda Strait to fall into the hands of other powers except East Africa.
Although the Sunda Strait is currently far inferior to the Malacca Strait, it does not mean that other countries do not care about this fat.
During World War II in the previous life, Japan and the United States fought over the Sunda Strait. Later, in the process of maintaining world hegemony, the United States also paid special attention to the Sunda Strait.
In the previous life, the U.S. Seventh Fleet relied heavily on the Sunda Strait when traveling between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Sunda Strait was very suitable for submarines due to the special conditions on the seabed.
From these history and characteristics, we can also see the important status of the Sunda Strait. In fact, before the 1980s, the conditions of the Sunda Strait were even higher.
However, due to the eruption of surrounding volcanoes, the seabed of the Sunda Strait has become shallow and rugged, which is not conducive to the smooth passage of giant ships over 200,000 tons.
Of course, ships in today's era are not as exaggerated as those in the 21st century. The Titanic, which sank not many years ago, had a displacement of only more than 50,000 tons.
Therefore, the Sunda Strait is definitely sufficient for East Africa, especially military. Even in the previous life, the Sunda Strait was enough for the navy. After all, the US aircraft carrier in the previous life was only about 100,000 tons.
And East Africa attaches so much importance to the Sunda Strait, what about Britain, as the world hegemon? The answer is that the UK also monitors the Sunda Strait, but it is just monitoring.
The United Kingdom controls the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island to the west of the Sunda Strait, but these two islands are still a long way from the Sunda Strait and are not enough to support the British blockade of the Sunda Strait.
Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Malacca Strait is more important than the Sunda Strait. Before East Africa, except for a few countries such as the Netherlands, few countries in the world chose the Sunda Strait route as a trade route.
(End of chapter)