KOZE SESEL!

FLIRTING WITH THE RED DRAGON

Seychelles President James Michel's visit to China this week has raised both praise and question amongst the Seychellois, even abroad where the name Seychelles has been mentioned several times in the last months as it has been said to be a place of interest for China's alleged plans for military expansion in the Indian Ocean as well as a tourist destination for the ever growing Chinese middle class.

The official visit to China is naturally in connection with the World Expo in Shanghai, but there is no doubt that the visit is of both political as well as commercial nature. China has in the recent years had a special focus on Africa and its surrounding countries. Africa because of its richness in resources that China desperately needs to fuel its industry whilst countries like Seychelles are more interesting in the sense of the marine resources they offer, but not least because they are a potential location for Military Naval bases.

In the last months several blogs have popped up on the internet where it has been debated wether or not China should expand its navy to also consist of a Blue Water fleet. China has so far not officially made this a priority, but as she grows and gets more confident on the global scale, there will no doubt be forces that will push her in that direction, both for economical and political reasons.

Dr. Shen Dingli, a preofessor in International Relation, of the University of Shanghai has the opinion that China should expand its naval fleet to also being a Blue Water fleet and have fixed naval bases abroad. His official excuse is so that China can help 'maintain global peace'. Statements and opinions like these have raised concern amongst many, including Commander Kalmesh Kumar of the National Maritime Foundation of New Delhi. His concern is that the setup of Chinese naval bases in the Indian in the indian Ocean Area would have considerable security implications for his motherland India. Dr Harsh V. Plant of the King's College in London is more neutral in his opinion and writes that China is simply doing the same thing every super power does or has done, i.e. marking its territory to secure its own interests. In his article the following words should be remembered, especially by naive politicians who think interest in another nation is of pure noble cause:

'There is only one kind of great power, and one kind of great power tradition. China will not be any different; power is necessarily expansionist.

In other words, China is no different than USA, Russia or any other Super Power or 'wannabe', but there is a difference between China and other super powers. China being one of the last communist states, despite having turned capitalistic, has a brutal history of non tolerance when it comes to foreign nations of interest. We don't need to look too far back in modern history and their treatment of the Uygurs, Tibetians and even Taiwan to see what it means to be on China's 'nation of interest' list. Some may believe that China is occupied with World Peace and in a way she is as it is synonymous with good trade with its partners. Else China doesn't give a hoots about peace, freedom or any other thing most people take for granted after having it as a fundamental right according to International Conventions. In other words, China doesn't care anymore about your and my freedom. What they do care about is your and my money which keeps it afloat and is slowly, but surely raising the country to becoming the foremost superpower in the world, surpassing USA by far.

Should China get a grip on the Indian Ocean with Seychelles as a base and even establish a military base on our shore it would naturally to a certain extent lead to economical advantages in forms of leasing fees and certain trading advantages, but that'll be just about it. We would however surely have a 'Somali Pirate Free' territory after Chinese firepower has sunken every ship towing a skiff, but then again you can all rest asure that our waters and fishing industry will be in the hands of the Chinese who will exploit it to the maximum as they have previously exploited and exhausted resources elsewhere like every superpower has done. We will soon come to the stage where we won't be able to afford the fish that we fish in our own ocean, but will be more than welcome to buy local fish that has been bought by the Chinese, shipped to China for processing and then resold to us leaving China a handsome profit and us with none. This has happened several places in Africa after the EU, amongst others, have done similar. The Chinese will act no different in their economical colony.

President James Michel is, through diplomatic talks with China, no doubt making an attempt at the fine art of flirting with the Red Dragon hoping to gain its help and support now prior to the election and in the near and distant future. On a short term basis, we may gain a hospital, a new government building like the assembly we have already been 'loaned' by China(the bill will come soon, trust me on that) and/or other funding that may benefit the public in some way or other. Naturally in good communist spirit, China will without doubt throw in some coins to campaign for Michel's re-election in 2011 if the Red Dragon hasn't already donated a few of its scales that is. Grants hev been given and more grants will help the PL finance another election campaign, but what has been forgotten, or rather neglected in good old PL style, is that grants(yes, even donations) some with interest and often very high interest. Mind you, the Chinese are not the only ones that James Michel walks hand in hand with these days. As we all know, Arabs from UAE have also become great friends and brought a friendship that has made James Michel forget his own countrymens’ rights. All these are donating right left and centre as Michel beams in the sunlight of Nation as if to say ‘Look what I did for you’. What is not being mentioned however are the donors saying to their government ‘Look what I’ve caught for us’.

In the long term however, I believe that China should be kept at arm's length through hand-shakes as traders would. Allowing China to establish itself other than through an embassy would be the biggest deceit James Michel will ever do to the Seychellois as it will surely lead to exploitation and our doom as a free nation. Sheik Khalifa has been given special priveleges by James Michel. This won't happen with the Chinese as they will simply take it until there is nothing more to take.

Playing with fire and getting scorched by it affects only oneself, but when representing a nation one must consider the long term effects of the danger it imposes, especially when one is president who's main job is to lead and protect the people, not misleading them. I therefore ask President James Michel to aim that cheap Chinese produced AK-47 in the air and not at his own feet, let alone the feet of the Seychellois. China is no more communist than France Albert Rene or James Michel for that matter as she is as capitalistic as those Yankees who were asked to go home back in the 1970s, the same one we are today relying on to help fight Somali Pirates. Please remember that when the Red Dragon takes a deep breath and inhales her lungs full of our fresh clean air because you never know what she'll exhale as it could be carbon dioxide as well as flames. Both can be fatal so please keep at a safe distance, at least have the decency to keep us as a nation at a safe distance. We have enough non-endemic species that have entered our eco-system(ants, lizards and snakes to mention a few) and the last thing we need is a Red Dragon flying around above our heads.

Patrick X