The former coca producer and the red dragon
Beat Ernie - Fri 10 Feb, 2006
Just weeks after taking his seat as the new Bolivian President, the former coca producer Evo Morales and his stripey jumper have reached near cult status. But what really grabbed our attention is that Evotravelled on to the land of the Red Dragon: China. And its unlikely he only wanted to take a look at the Great Wall...
The things one man and a stripey jumper can achieve!
Just weeks after taking his seat as the new Bolivian
President, the former coca producer Evo Morales and his
stripey jumper have reached near cult status. The
world press are captivated by his peculiar wardrobe
when introduced to world leaders.
It’s not hard to see why. The sight of Morales standing
next world leaders like Jacques Chirac or the Spanish
King is really something...
On one side - elegantly clad Establishment figures
educated at Europe’s elite universities.
On the other - a simple coca producer, union member and
voice of the poor. A man who has become Bolivian
President by sticking to his Indian roots and his
colourful range of stripey jumpers.
At times, it’s hard to imagine two more opposing
mindsets. But Morales’ new post puts him on equal
footing with the likes of Chirac, funny sweater or not.
You see, despite openly expressed concerns about the
political stability of Morales (‘a new Hugo Chavez?’
’Too far left?’), Bolivia is a welcome guest at the
tables of Western countries and the industrialized
world.
Why?
Well, even though the Indians, descendants of the Incas
live in very poor conditions, Bolivia is far from a
poor country...
After Venezuela, Bolivia holds the largest gas fields
in South America. That said, the drilling rights do not
belong to Bolivia, but to international energy
corporations such as Total (France), Repsol (Spain) or
British Gas (UK).
This external influence has seen dire struggles
surrounding the mineral resources and commodities of
the country, and was in effect what brought Morales
into office.
But now we’re seeing an interesting picture developing,
partly a result of the ‘world tour’ Morales embarked on
after his election and partly due to the change in
economic and political circumstances in South America.
The stripey jumper cosies up to the energy hungry Red Dragon
The President from La Paz didn’t just visit Monsieur Chirac. He also went to the Zarzuela Palace in Spain to
visit the down-to-earth King Juan Carlos I - a symbol
of the ’old’ world and European imperialism.
But what really grabbed our attention is that Evo
travelled on to China. And it’s unlikely he only wanted
to take a look at the Great Wall!
As the capital markets have discovered (probably even
up in the last villages of the Andes) the Chinese are
knocking every door of the industrialized nations. The
Chinese Dragon has awoken from its Cold War era
hibernation. Its industry is growing at breakneck
speed, firing the world’s capital markets quarter after
quarter.
Machines, steel, copper, oil, gas, luxury goods, and
food – the red dragon apparently eats anything he can
get his hands on and in doing so fuels the world’s
rising consumption levels.
And in South America, it seems the Chinese have
overtaken the Americans and the Europeans as the
preferred trade partners - mainly because they don’t
try to interfere with internal political struggles.
The Chinese are known for their reliability and don’t
have to heal the wounds of South America made by Europe
and North America over many centuries:
The Spaniards tried to destroy the proud South
Americans Indian culture. Their replaced their
traditions and stole their natural resources. British
interests in Chile ended in a fierce ’war of brothers’
between Bolivia and its ’western’ neighbour on the
Pacific coast.
The profits made from the trade of tin, once Bolivia’s
main export, were mostly pocketed by a handful of
families (Aramayo, Hochschilds, Patinos) and often left
the country.
The political ’left pull’ of South America through the
events in Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru or
Venezuela mentioned in the press around the globe might
have caused the eyes to turn towards China as a
politically viable and economically sound alternative
to the former alliances of the West. This is probably
what Morales is thinking as he forms the bonds with
China for ongoing and planned natural gas developments.
China has already gotten a foot in the backdoor of the
USA, largely unnoticed by the West. ‘Wake up Uncle Sam,
the Red Dragon is pounding on your door in the South…’
China buys anything Chilean copper mines can produce.
Chile is the world’s largest copper export nation –
with China its best customer. According to media
reports, China is about to overtake the US as Chile’s
most important trade partner. The Chinese also buy any
Soybean South American can produce…
On top of food and commodity trade some tourism
strategists are preparing for increased visitors from
China. The growing middle class in China is a likely
candidate for profitable visits.
South America is deep red! China is investing billion
of dollars in projects for ports, transport companies
and property, to prepare for a fluid movement of the
massive good exports just rolling on.
So watch out!Commodity super-tanker South America is
heading South-East!
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