China has almost completed a railway line to Laos. Some claim it is a bad deal for Laos, but Laos has only two options - connectivity with the second largest economy on Earth, or isolation.
I think it is best for them to choose the former.
I think it is best for them to choose the former.
The completion of the railway connecting China to Laos, means that one day, Kunming in Southern China could be a hub connecting the rest of China with Thailand, and other South East Asian nations, by rail.
Someone in Beijing is thinking ahead.
Someone in Beijing is thinking ahead.
I'm struck by the difference in how China approaches South East Asia, and how US approaches Central America.
As far as Washington is concerned, Mexico is where its interests end. Central America is an irritation, or at best, a distraction.
As far as Washington is concerned, Mexico is where its interests end. Central America is an irritation, or at best, a distraction.
Thousands of migrants troop from Central America to the US border. This is seen as an opportunity for grandstanding by politicians. The assumption is that Central America is, and will always be strategically irrelevant. So the conversation never moves beyond that point.
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