From arms dealer to king of war

Is it really possible to buy and sell a country’s basic industries?

In fact, it really can!

The economic order established during World War II was essentially a dollar economy.

If you want to develop, you need external input of capital and technology, which will eventually be converted into dollars and converted into debt.

There is no real ‘aid’ or ‘aid’. Unless the prefix ‘gratis’ is added in front of it, they are actually low-interest or interest-free loans that need to be repaid!

No country in the world can be completely self-sufficient. If they need to buy things, they need dollars or euros to do transactions.

But if it does not export enough industrial products or natural resources, it will not be able to obtain enough foreign exchange and purchase goods from other countries.

If you want to meet domestic development needs, you have to borrow US dollars.

When the debt grows larger and larger without the support of good assets, the national finance will eventually be overwhelmed.

When a government becomes insolvent, the result will be bankruptcy and liquidation, and all government-held assets and public facilities will become non-performing assets.

At this time, asset management companies will enter the market to take over the assets at low prices, nominally injecting their own funds to revitalize these assets. In fact, the holders of these assets have changed from the state to enterprises or even individuals.

Of course, this is only a big picture, and government bankruptcies are relatively rare, so it is sometimes difficult for people to understand how a company can eat so much.

To use the simplest analogy, if a small town wants to develop, it will consider taking out loans or issuing bonds to raise funds, and then invest in basic projects, such as energy, electricity, highways, schools, hospitals, and public transportation, which are necessary for economic development. All items are essential...

But if the town's economy doesn't fare as well as expected, debt will be overdue.

This situation does not exist in better times, because banks are willing to provide new loans to repay old debts, and towns can also issue new bonds to repay previous bonds.

But when the economy is bad, banks will require you to pay off your loan early, and no one will buy the bonds.

This is understandable business behavior, because non-performing loans are significant losses to banks.

When the bank finds that the loan cannot be recovered, in order to reduce its liability, they will handle the bad loan to the asset management company.

These companies won the debt at a price of about 30% off, and then they could negotiate with the town government.

The town definitely doesn’t want to go bankrupt, so it is definitely willing to accept negotiations and work out the so-called repayment method.

The mildest method is for me to give you time to work out a repayment plan that is acceptable to me, and to slowly repay the loan so that you can avoid bankruptcy.

For example, I ask you to designate parking spaces on all public roads. If the residents of the town do not want to see the town go bankrupt, they will have to pay high parking fees when they drive out.

The most brutal method is to go bankrupt and liquidate, take away the town residents' pension funds, public maintenance funds, and even sell your government buildings and all government-held assets.

This kind of practice is not uncommon in the United States, not to mention Afica. Some small towns have been eaten up by capital in this way.

Another way that seems fair is to package your public assets to me, such as water plants, power systems, sewage treatment systems, etc...

I can provide funds to keep these projects running, but the ownership needs to be changed, the price increase is certain, and the town needs to be listened to for future development.

Why are the villains in Hollywood movies always some super-capital corporate giants?

In basically all movies or games with cyberpunk elements, the government succumbs to corporations.

It is because Europeans and Americans are more familiar with the operation of the mainstream rules of the world, and they know that there are such super giants in certain corners of the world.

This thing is not a simple fantasy, but like the Terminator, it is a kind of worry for people about the future.

Because this possibility absolutely exists, the key to determining whether it will occur is the people who control these companies, not the law.

Of course, if you are a subject of state power, you can choose to refuse to pay, and the consequences will be obvious.

The country's credit rating has dropped and it is unable to obtain loans from international banks.

Without loans, without external input of equipment and technology, you can’t extract minerals even if you have them, and you can’t extract oil even if you have them.

If you are a country dominated by processing industries, and you cannot purchase raw materials if you cannot obtain loans, then exports will be out of the question.

When the people who control the country are not smart enough and still succumb to such rules, then your country will change hands.

Sometimes you don’t even feel this change!

Finally, when people are pushed to their limits, a 'revolution' occurs.

Half of the most successful revolutions in modern times occurred in Venezuela. Comrade Lao Cha revolutionized most of the oil group's life. He thought he could lead the Venezuelan people to control their own destiny with oil funds...

But he missed the multinational agricultural groups that control most of Venezuela’s agricultural land, leaving Venezuela with a limp.

So when Venezuela was blocked and sanctioned, the local people couldn't eat, but Venezuela was still a food exporter.

With Venezuela's oil and gas resources and domestic agricultural resources, it is possible to establish a communist society. They have also gone through such a stage.

It's a pity that if you want to break away from the rules set by others but don't have the determination to overturn everything with one stroke, the 'revolution' is destined to be in vain.

This is not the first time that Boss Qiao has heard of such a company. There are actually management companies in China that have taken over a large number of non-performing assets, but he really did not realize that such companies can buy and sell countries.

In Boss Qiao's impression, in a company like this, managers will be put on the street sooner or later.

In fact, P·B’s influence and investment in Central Africa are enough for Boss Qiao to completely control this country.

But as a Chinese, he had never thought in this direction.

What he always wants to do is control one point, and then use that point to leverage outside funds to make the cake bigger.

Even though he was the largest investor in Sangha Town, he initially handed over the right to operate and manage those infrastructures to the Sangha Town government.

He initially just wanted to maximize the profits of his iron ore, but in the end what he got was a booming city, the aspirations of the people, and an emerging market covering millions of people.

Boss Qiao is the uncrowned king of Central Africa, but he has never thought of taking away Central Africa’s infrastructure.

Because in his mind, the function of this thing is to serve people, and it is to lose money. This should not be his responsibility.

Even after Cleverly learned about Barclays' operating model, he still couldn't imagine how this company could make money.

Cleverly probably didn't expect Boss Joe to be so 'ignorant'...

He hesitated and said tentatively: "Jackal, what do you think now?"

Qiao Jia spread his hands and said: "I'm thinking, what exactly does Barclay Asset Management want?

What can he gain by disrupting Congo and blocking Central Africa with the virus?

What I don’t understand the most is how can I make money by taking over the so-called basic project operations? "

Cleverley suddenly laughed after hearing this...

The old guy sat on the sofa and laughed. After nearly a minute, he wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth with some embarrassment and said: "Jackal, you have created an amazing situation in Central Africa and North Kivu in the Congo. Don't tell I don't know anything about this kind of thing.

As far as I know, your bank provides the vast majority of mortgages to North Kivu.

Once the North Kivu government goes bankrupt and the Congolese government is unable to provide assistance, then you will be the actual holder of North Kivu's infrastructure and mineral resources.

You ask me how to make money? "

When Qiao Jia heard this, he suddenly reacted...

Infrastructure is the engine booster for other industries. Maintaining infrastructure at a low profit or even no profit can retain the population, maintain stability, and ensure the normal operation of other industries.

It’s no wonder that Barclays’ book market value is only 4 billion pounds, because most of the infrastructure assets they control actually require long-term investment.

And if you hold these assets, you will firmly hold the right to speak...

I can turn your country into a puddle of mud at any time, so when my subsidiaries or partners want to acquire some profitable industries or resources, do you dare to talk nonsense to me?

At this time, Qiao Jia looked back and realized that compared to his own bank, Barclays was not really a giant.

But in fact, Barclays' model is much more clever and safer.

Just imagine, in the same province of North Kivu, once Boss Qiao takes over most of the industries there, if someone incites a riot, Boss Qiao will definitely be the one who is hung from the street lights.

As for Barclaid, he can put on a white-flowered attitude and tell everyone that I am helping you.

These Europeans and Americans used economics and sociology to establish an extremely complex system.

If you look at the part from any angle, you will find it reasonable.

As long as you are used to the rules they set, if you want to break them, you first have to face huge internal differences.

This is the experience accumulated by Europe and the United States from the colonial era to the post-colonial era. Countries without this experience simply cannot defeat them.

The United States is naive in this regard. They have simple and crude regulations. If you receive my aid, you must establish a political system in accordance with my requirements.

But those powerful countries in Europe want implicit rule!

England is particularly experienced in this regard!

Compared with France's rigid financial and industrial controls, England's flexible controls are more effective and concealed.

Of the 18 Commonwealth countries in Afica, at least one-third of them are developing well.

The infrastructure in countries such as Namibia and Botswana is really not too bad, but there are not many rich locals there, and the majority are poor, and they are really poor!

This kind of hidden exploitation is so deadly that sometimes it even makes local people feel that they are the ones with the problem.

Then some people began to study desperately based on the rules, books and research reports written by others.

Taking the answers given by others and reasoning behind them, trying to find a way to save myself, but never considering that maybe something is not in tune with me from the source.

This kind of thing is outrageous, but very realistic!

The most outrageous thing is that, looking at Cleverley's performance, England itself does not seem to have received much benefit from Barclaid.

Boss Joe, who suddenly understood, looked at Cleverly, who was smiling. He rubbed his swollen temples and said, "Okay, I kind of understand, Barclay is the leading shark.

Just like Soros, once he discovers his opponent's weaknesses, he can unite a lot of international capital to take advantage of them.

Now it's caught so it can die!

When such a behemoth falls, there will be a lot of meat left behind. "

Cleverly nodded and said: "Now you have trapped a group of sharks in a mansion and made them fearful all day long in the face of the threat of the virus.

Jackal, you've already won!

The virus released by Barclays became a noose around their own necks. "

Cleverly looked at Qiao Jia with admiration and said, "Jackal, the smartest thing about you is that you didn't simply use violence to get out of trouble, so others can't use methods outside the rules to target you.

But you have to think clearly, when you show enough strength, your opponent's methods of dealing with you will be upgraded in the future.

Barclaid is actually not too powerful, otherwise they would not work in a bad place like the Congo.

However, Congo’s status in the world mining industry is really not low. Once the integration is completed, with your current development speed, sooner or later you will touch the sphere of influence of the real giants..."