Japan's development assistance was not motivated by benevolence. The infrastructure investments they made across Asia was for two reasons.
First - they had an over-abundance of construction capacity after the post war economic boom. They needed to push this capacity onto other countries. This also motivated China's BRI projects in the late 2008s and 2010s.
Second - as you mentioned in the 80s manufacturing was based around regional supply chains. In order to make Japanese manufacturing competitive with North America and the EU (which was expanding into Southern and Eastern Europe) they invest in their neighbours. To enable these manufacturing supply chains in Asia Japan also had to build the infrastructure.
America also invested its overcapacity into Latin America. First in the early 20th century to push out British. The second after WW2 to compete with communism. Both times the Latin Americans wasted this opportunity to industrialise. They defaulted on their debts both times. Mexico might actually make it this time around despite all their challenges.
I need to read more about American investment in Latin America. Thanks about that. I am very familiar with Argentina defaulting on British loans during their infrastructure boom, but I could go deeper on that region.
#2 I rarely think anything is motivated by benevolence! I tried to mention why this deal was done to benefit Japan too but maybe I could have been clearer. When I finish my Somalia article, I'll mention that Turkey has been building homes, giving drones, and helping Somalia build a navy sp Turkish firms can extract oil and get a 30% cut of oil revenues.
Most things are 85% interests, 15% idealism, unless you have an ideolgoical idealist in charge who can't play real politik.
Thank you for this great continuation of the chip topic.
Japan's development assistance was not motivated by benevolence. The infrastructure investments they made across Asia was for two reasons.
First - they had an over-abundance of construction capacity after the post war economic boom. They needed to push this capacity onto other countries. This also motivated China's BRI projects in the late 2008s and 2010s.
Second - as you mentioned in the 80s manufacturing was based around regional supply chains. In order to make Japanese manufacturing competitive with North America and the EU (which was expanding into Southern and Eastern Europe) they invest in their neighbours. To enable these manufacturing supply chains in Asia Japan also had to build the infrastructure.
America also invested its overcapacity into Latin America. First in the early 20th century to push out British. The second after WW2 to compete with communism. Both times the Latin Americans wasted this opportunity to industrialise. They defaulted on their debts both times. Mexico might actually make it this time around despite all their challenges.
I need to read more about American investment in Latin America. Thanks about that. I am very familiar with Argentina defaulting on British loans during their infrastructure boom, but I could go deeper on that region.
#2 I rarely think anything is motivated by benevolence! I tried to mention why this deal was done to benefit Japan too but maybe I could have been clearer. When I finish my Somalia article, I'll mention that Turkey has been building homes, giving drones, and helping Somalia build a navy sp Turkish firms can extract oil and get a 30% cut of oil revenues.
Most things are 85% interests, 15% idealism, unless you have an ideolgoical idealist in charge who can't play real politik.
In your Somalia post are you going convert somaliland in depth or are you going to make that a separate post?
Its another 'economic and geopolitical " post
Your audio isn't working
Should be fixed now
Thanks I'll make a new version later today.
Works now. Thanks. Keep up the good work.