Chapter 1624: Heart of South America
The emergence of this phenomenon and trend also confirms the expansion of East Africa's influence in South America in recent years, just like many countries and cities used to like to use "Paris", "Venice" and "Vienna".
A typical case is Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, which is known as the "Paris of South America". In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Argentina's wealthy class admired French culture extremely and built a large number of Parisian-style buildings, wide boulevards and magnificent palaces. Its cultural atmosphere was also very Europeanized.
Of course, Asuncion’s uniqueness also has profound historical reasons. The Paraguayan War in the last century almost dealt a devastating blow to the culture, system, and social model of Asuncion and the entire Paraguay.
The entire Paraguayan population plummeted, with less than 30,000 men in the country. The Paraguayan soldiers who died in the war included almost all the elites from all walks of life in Paraguayan society. Paraguay's history, traditional skills, folk music, dance and local knowledge were lost, and the social structure was destroyed from the foundation.
At this time, the emergence of East Africa helped Paraguay rebuild the country and brought East Africa's social culture, living and eating habits, economic organization models, etc. into Paraguay, so Paraguay naturally showed a high degree of "East Africanization".
Today, most of the top talents in the Paraguayan government and society have studied abroad in East Africa. It can be said that apart from the "imperial system" and language, Paraguay is a miniature version of East Africa.
In fact, the language of Paraguay has also been greatly influenced by East Africa. Today, Paraguayan German is the most important language besides Spanish and Guarani.
There are four languages that are popular in Paraguay today: Spanish, Guarani, German and Italian.
There is no need to say much about Spanish. Guarani is an important language of the indigenous people in Paraguay and it rose rapidly after the Paraguayan War.
German comes from immigration, economic trade, etc. Although the German population in Paraguay is small, it is a strong language because learning German means more opportunities.
The Italian language was mainly brought in by Italian immigrants. There are many Italian immigrants in Paraguay, but just like the Italian community in the United States, they do not have much say in Paraguay, so the Italian language in Paraguay is showing a downward trend.
As a Uruguayan doing multinational business, Baltasar knows three languages: Spanish, Portuguese and German.
Spanish is the dominant language in Uruguay, but Portuguese is the second most important language in Uruguay because of its border with Brazil.
As for Balthasar's German, he was actually not very proficient in it, having only started learning it in recent years.
The reason is very simple. German represents business opportunities. Even if we do not consider the impact of East Africa, Germany's heavy investment in South America in recent years has greatly enhanced the status of German in South American business and trade.
The output of ideas and culture from East Africa and Germany, two world superpowers, in South America has completely made German surpass English and French to become the most influential foreign language in South America.
Of course, English as a foreign language is still very powerful in South America. After all, the English-speaking countries behind it, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, are no less powerful.
Bloom then said, "Father, I believe Uruguay's development will not be worse than Paraguay's in the future. After all, we are also doing business with East Africa. Although Paraguay now has the blessing of the Asuncion-Lima railway, Montevideo's seaport advantage is something Asuncion lacks."
Baltasar shook his head and said, "You can't think that way. Unless Argentina cuts off the La Plata River waterway, Asuncion's ceiling will definitely be higher than Montevideo's."
"Now, behind Asuncion, not only Paraguay, but also commodities and minerals from Bolivia, Brazil, Peru and Chile will converge here."
"Uruguay itself is not very large, and its external linkages are not high. Montevideo serves the Uruguayan domestic market at most, and the transit goods are mainly agricultural products, with very low profits."
"Asuncion, on the other hand, has been able to leverage its geographical advantages to develop its own industry. Even the processing of primary products is more profitable than ours, which relies entirely on livestock and grain exports."
Asuncion is not a simple inland city, but a comprehensive hub integrating railways, inland waterways, sea transportation and highways.
On the railway, Asuncion is the starting point of the Asuncion-Lima Railway, a major railway artery in South America. When the Chilean railway is connected in the future, Asuncion will be able to directly connect the four countries of Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Chile by rail.
The Asuncion-Lima Railway is called the main artery of South American railways because it is now the only true transoceanic railway in South America, connecting the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean.
Of course, if continuity is not a concern, there are railways that can connect the two sides of South America, such as the Andean Trans-American Railway between Argentina and Chile. However, passengers and goods must transfer along the way.
The Asuncion-Lima railway is led by East Africa, with unified standards and seamless management. Therefore, trains from Asuncion to Lima can reach the terminal in one go.
In addition to this major railway artery, Asuncion now plans to build more railway lines between Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay to enhance Asuncion's status as an international railway hub.
In fact, Asuncion already has an existing Asuncion-Encarnacion railway that connects to Argentina's railway network. A section of this railway, the Asuncion to Paraguarí section, is actually one of the earliest railways built in South America, completed in 1861.
In addition, Asuncion used to have a railway connecting to the inland, but it used to use meter gauge. As for now, Paraguay's railway gauge has basically been unified, and is built or renovated using East African standards.
This also results in the railways in Paraguay and neighboring countries having completely different track gauges, except for the Asuncion-Lima railway.
However, it is foreseeable that Bolivia will achieve consistency with Paraguay in railway standards in the future. After all, Bolivia is now also controlled by East Africa.
Baltasar said: "The railway hub in Asuncion is already taking shape and can connect countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile. In the future, it may also connect Uruguay and Brazil."
"In this way, Asuncion has effectively become the heart of rail traffic in South America."
"The impact of the Asuncion-Lima railway alone on Asuncion is immeasurable. Remember, this railway has only just been completed and hasn't started to take effect yet. With this railway, Asuncion's economy will likely continue to grow rapidly for a long time."
Although the Asuncion-Lima railway has been built, its economic value has not yet been effectively developed, and it is even just in its infancy. After all, a new business route also takes time to promote.
Therefore, in the next few years, the passenger and freight volume of the Asuncion-Lima railway should show a steady upward trend and eventually become a stable and mature commercial route.
Baltasar went on to say, "Of course, I wouldn't be so optimistic about Asuncion if it were just railways. Water transport is also very important to Asuncion's future development."
"Asuncion itself is an important port city on the Rio de la Plata, and goods from the upper Paraná River, including those from the Brazilian and Paraguayan coasts, converge here."
"Not to mention that the Paraná River connects Argentina and Uruguay, making it an international river itself. Therefore, Asuncion's advantages in inland waterway transportation will be superimposed on its advantages as a railway hub."
"In this way, Paraguay has actually become the core transportation hub for the entire southern South American countries, radiating to Paraguay itself, as well as all the countries in the region, including Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile."
"At the same time, Asuncion can also go out to sea through the Rio de la Plata and trade with overseas countries."
"So Asuncion is not simply an inland city; it can be considered a unique coastal city. Combined with Paraguay's road network, Asuncion's position in transportation is unparalleled in South America."
In fact, Asuncion’s future transportation may not be limited to this. After all, there is also aviation, which Baltasar did not consider, and Asuncion will probably become an important aviation hub in South America in the future.
In this way, Asuncion has no shortcomings at all in the field of transportation and can be called the "Heart of South America".
Baltasar said: "According to this calculation, Montevideo in Uruguay has no advantages over Asuncion except for its maritime transport advantage."
"It's a shame the government didn't seize the opportunity. If it had fully leaned towards East Africa, Montevideo might have replaced Asuncion and become the transportation hub of South America."
Bloom also expressed regret. He said: "It can only be said that things are unpredictable. Paraguay had no choice at the time, so joining East Africa was the only option for Paraguay."
"At that time, Uruguay may have been hesitant due to concerns about the attitudes of countries like Britain. But who could have imagined that a war would lead to the complete decline of Britain's influence in South America and its subsequent demise in East Africa?"
"Now Argentina and Brazil are also half-dead due to the economic crisis and are unable to compete with foreign powers like East Africa."
For Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil have a very strong influence on its diplomacy and politics, so when the economies of Argentina and Brazil are good, the Uruguayan government attaches great importance to the attitudes of the two countries.
Argentina, in particular, was very strong before the outbreak of the economic crisis. As the richest country in South America, it dared to challenge countries such as East Africa, Britain, and the United States, and claimed to be the leader of South America.
Now, Argentina has completely lost its former arrogance and can only be tough in words, but in fact it adopts an evasive policy in the face of East Africa's expansion in South America.
For example, Paraguay and Uruguay have now completely turned to East Africa, and Argentina itself has to be intimidated by East Africa's attitude and maintain the open waterway of the La Plata River.
Baltasar said: "In the final analysis, Argentina and Brazil can only dominate South America, but when facing the powerful countries in Europe, America and East Africa, their strength is not even on the same level."
"Let alone East Africa, the United States, Britain, and Germany, they can't even stand up to France and Italy."
"East Africa's influence in South America will continue to expand. Only by keeping pace with East Africa can we ensure a smooth economic and political landing."
"Although Uruguay is certainly not as important as Paraguay in the eyes of East Africa, for Uruguay, the opportunities outweigh the risks. The real headaches are for Argentina and Brazil."
The fact is just as Balthasar judged, East Africa cannot sincerely help countries like Argentina and Brazil achieve economic development.
Because both countries have the foundation to become world powers. If a South American hegemon is really cultivated, East Africa will have nowhere to cry.
If Argentina and Brazil rise, it may not only damage East Africa's interests in South America, but also threaten East Africa's interests in the entire South Atlantic.
Countries of the size of Uruguay and Paraguay are enough to reassure East Africa. Their upper limit is to become a regional power and will not have a negative impact on East Africa's world strategy.
At the same time, it is easy to support such countries because they have small populations, so a few industries are enough to satisfy their appetite.
Especially Paraguay, its geographical location makes it very convenient for East Africa to intervene in South American affairs, and Paraguay's geopolitical environment is also very conducive to East Africa's control over Paraguay.
Paraguay has historical grievances with Argentina, Brazil and Bolivia, so this means that Paraguay needs East Africa's commitment to its security even more.
Moreover, Paraguay is not like Israel in the past. Although it has historical grievances with neighboring countries, the conflicts between the two sides are far from reaching the point of no return. Therefore, if East Africa uses Paraguay as a pawn, the risk is controllable. This means that Paraguay will not make enemies on all sides like Israel, thus dragging East Africa behind it into the water.
In the past, the United States was probably troubled by Israel’s ability to “cause trouble.” After all, Israel disrupted the “unity” among America’s “allies” and constantly caused trouble for the United States, and the United States could not give up Israel.
For East Africa, Paraguay is a completely disposable pawn. Israel is the father of the United States, and Paraguay is just a "dog" for East Africa, to put it bluntly.
Of course, East Africa still gives Paraguay a certain respect in terms of status and does not completely act like a "master".
Therefore, although the relationship between East Africa and Paraguay is similar to the relationship between the United States and Japan and South Korea in the previous life, Paraguay's status is obviously much higher than that of Japan and South Korea. Japan and South Korea are the real house dogs to the United States.
The United States will actively order and allow Japan and South Korea to run to other people's doorsteps and bark, while East Africa generally will not instruct Paraguay to provoke neighbors such as Argentina and Brazil.
Unless Argentina and Brazil take the initiative to provoke or threaten East Africa's core interests, East Africa will not even want to pay attention to these two countries.
This is also the true diplomatic portrayal of East Africa, Argentina and Brazil in recent years. East Africa has not used extreme means such as political blackmail and military intimidation to force Argentina and Brazil to completely open their markets to East Africa, or to interfere in their domestic politics without reason.
However, the two countries cannot oppose or obstruct East Africa's series of political, diplomatic, economic, trade and military activities in other South American countries.
In fact, just because East Africa does not cause trouble for these two countries does not mean that they will be safe. After all, there are more imperialist countries than just East Africa in the world.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
