African Entrepreneurship Record

After all, the Netherlands is the local landowner. Various supplies, such as spices and minerals from the East Indies, are transported to the mainland through the Sunda Strait than the Malacca Strait.

After the rise of East Africa, the situation changed further. With the development of East Africa's industry and foreign trade, and the expansion of colonies in East Africa's Southeast Asia region, East Africa paid increasing attention to the Sunda Strait.

Freer continued: "If you look at the map, your Excellency, the Prime Minister, you will find that the Sunda Strait is the most convenient maritime trade channel for our East Africa and Southeast Asia, the Far East, and even the North Pacific."

"For most cities on my country's eastern coast, especially the southern ports, it is more convenient to start from the coast and pass through the Sunda Strait than the Malacca Strait."

"Currently, the reason why more Chinese merchant ships choose the Strait of Malacca is because the Strait of Malacca is more stable, the infrastructure is more complete, the hydrological conditions are clearer and more comprehensive, the service industry is more developed, as well as historical inertia and other factors."

"So the development of the Sunda Strait is a long and detailed process. If our two countries work together, the prosperity of the Sunda Strait route can at least reach another level, which is beneficial to both the empire and the Netherlands."

Prime Minister Kuyper was indeed quite moved by the pie drawn by Freer. After all, the importance of mastering a world-class shipping route is self-evident.

If the Sunda Strait route develops, the biggest beneficiary will obviously be the two sides of the Sunda Strait controlled by the Netherlands.

In the past, the Sunda Strait could not develop. It was precisely because of its poor geographical location that most ships chose the Malacca Strait to pass through.

However, the rise of East Africa will greatly change this situation. The emergence of East Africa means that East Africa, which integrates less than half of Africa, is fully capable of supporting the prosperity of the Sunda Strait on its own.

The reason why this condition did not exist in the previous life is because the African countries were fragmented and had been vassals of Europe since the colonial era, and their economic ties with Europe were closer.

As an imperialist country, East Africa has the power to determine its own national policy and destiny, and does not need to rely on Europe for survival.

This makes East Africa fully capable and confident to conduct independent trade activities with the Far East. In addition, East Africa's own economic entities focus on the southern hemisphere, and the importance of the Sunda Strait is even more prominent.

Therefore, Prime Minister Kuyper had no doubt about the authenticity of Freer's blueprint.

He said: "Your Excellency Freer, do you mean that your country intends to develop the Sunda Strait route to open up a second trade route to the East, and thus choose us, the Netherlands, as a partner for cooperation?"

Freer said: "This is natural. After all, no one wants to take a detour, which will cause a waste of time and cost. The development of the Sunda Strait is a shortcut to save trade routes between East Africa and the East."

"We in East Africa have vast territory, rich resources, strong industry, and the second largest commercial fleet in the world. We also focus on trade with Eastern countries. Therefore, our choices in East Africa can determine the fate of the Sunda Strait."

"If your country chooses to cooperate with us, you can get a share of the pie and make the economy of your East Indies colony more prosperous. On the contrary, it will not be beneficial to either of us. It will only be that we continue to use the Malacca Strait and your country will lose a developing Sunda Opportunities for him."

Prime Minister Kuyper naturally could not let this opportunity slip away from his hands. He said: "If it is economic cooperation, we in the Netherlands are naturally willing to support and cooperate with your country. We just don't know what your country's requirements are."

Freer said: "I also said the first point just now, that is, this kind of cooperation will definitely benefit our two countries in the end. Therefore, the Sunda Strait does not allow the troops of third countries to enter. This is the main premise and also That is to say, your country cannot lease ports along the route and give bases to third-party countries for military purposes. Of course, if you encounter trouble, you can ask our country for help. We in East Africa are very willing to help your country get rid of the entanglement of some extraterritorial forces. "

Prime Minister Kuyper nodded and said: "Of course there is no problem."

After all, the Netherlands does not want any more countries to pursue the East Indies. As for East Africa, there is no way. East Africa has already come in anyway, and the Sunda Strait route also relies on East Africa for support, so Kuyper will naturally not accept this request. be opposed to.

Freer continued: "Then there is the construction and transformation of infrastructure along the route. This is a big project. At this point, we in East Africa can help your country."

Although the Netherlands is very wealthy, its infrastructure capabilities are very poor. Of course, this is mainly for colonies thousands of miles away from the mainland of the Netherlands.

East Africa not only has strong industrial capabilities and a huge population, but also has accumulated decades of rich experience in infrastructure construction. The Sunda Strait is not far from East Africa, which is also conducive to the transportation of construction materials, such as cement, steel, and electrical equipment. etc.

Therefore, Freer said: "We in East Africa can produce any materials and equipment needed for the construction of the Sunda Strait route, and have a large number of experienced workers and technicians who can help the Netherlands build the East Indies colony."

Prime Minister Kuyper did not deny this. After all, although the Netherlands is a world-renowned rich country, its energy is focused on maritime trade and commerce. The country's population is not large, so it is indeed not easy to complete the construction of the East Indies independently.

Take the development of the East Indies in recent years as an example. The Dutch demand for the local area is far greater than the construction. After all, the Netherlands is unable to build the local area. The East Indies colonies are too far away from the Dutch mainland, and the Dutch government does not want to invest energy in them. this area.

In response to this point, Freer made a separate suggestion, saying to Prime Minister Kuyper: "We in East Africa suggest that the Netherlands separate the two sides of the Sunda Strait from the East Indies and establish a new administrative region, not as a Dutch territory. Part of the East Indies Colony."

"In this way, even if there are changes in the Dutch East Indies in the future, your country can cut them off in time and stop the loss in time."

In order to save administrative costs, many colonists like to integrate their colonies. This is of course unreasonable, but it makes it easier for the colonists to make money in the short term.

Freer said: "Your country can completely treat both sides of the Sunda Strait as a native discovery, or manage it as an administrative unit at the same level as the East Indies. At present, there is not a large population on both sides of the Sunda Strait, which is very conducive to your operation."

"After all, today's colonial environment is getting worse and worse. According to our judgment in East Africa, resistance movements in the colonies will become more and more frequent in recent years. Moreover, because of the support of foreign forces, the indigenous people in the colonies of various countries have a gap in weapons and mainstream The gap between countries is getting smaller and smaller.”

"Although the Netherlands can currently ensure the stability of the Dutch East Indies, can you guarantee that this advantage will continue for thirty or forty years?"

"If nothing else, the United States is a good example. For Britain, the United States was once a colony that was not inferior to India, but the United States eventually became independent from Britain."

"The Dutch East Indies alone cover an area of ​​more than one million square kilometers. To put it bluntly, its potential far exceeds that of your country. Your integration of the Dutch East Indies has created a huge local community. and a cohesive client class.”

"They intermarry with Dutch colonial families and officials, and their voice is getting stronger and stronger. With the existence of such a class, if they have the opportunity in the future, they will definitely not be willing to accept your country's rule and break away from the Dutch colonial system."

Freer's words caused Kuyper to think deeply. After all, Freer's words did make sense. The East Indies were too big, and the Netherlands would have the ability to control this vast island across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the future. A huge colony outside?

And while the Sunda Strait has not yet developed, whether dividing the Sunda Strait will be conducive to the Dutch government's control of the East Indies in the future, etc., are all issues that Prime Minister Kuyper needs to consider.