Chapter 1405 Betraying India Again
Promoting the affairs of two major Asian countries at once, I, the British, are invincible. Alan Wilson felt that even Bismarck was nothing more than this when he was alive. Bah, bah, the Germans are not worth learning from in the field of diplomacy.
Alan Wilson, who feels so satisfied, behaves as if he is possessed by Chang Gong, whether in Whitehall or at home, and really feels that he has begun to win the battle thousands of miles away.
"What's so happy about this?" Pamela Mountbatten couldn't see her husband being so complacent. Of course she understood that her man was advancing diplomatic work in Asia, but was it worth being so happy?
"You have long hair but short knowledge, what do you know?" Alan Wilson puffed up his chest proudly, "If the civil war in Pakistan triggers an attack by India, it can increase public awareness of the importance of the military. As for the normalization of diplomacy, it will have a greater impact on the British economy. It has a stimulating effect. If there is another dollar crisis, even if the Bretton Woods system, which has already existed in name only, has completely come to an end, in fact it is just countries pretending to be fine, and maybe they are secretly preparing to jump ship."
"What will support the pound then? Of course, it can also be supported by influence in the Middle East, but it is still a little thin. The economic and trade relations in East Asia will be a strong support for the pound. After all, currency has to buy things. If it cannot buy things, then Isn’t it just a piece of waste paper? In fact, according to Hong Kong statistics, including re-export trade and smuggling, the UK has a long-term trade surplus. This situation will continue.”
Contrary to people's impressions decades later, when it first opened up, a certain big country had a trade deficit for more than ten consecutive years. Becoming the largest surplus country has been achieved year by year through gritted teeth.
Alan Wilson doesn't know which country is the biggest beneficiary of this long-term trade deficit, but from common sense, the biggest beneficiary should be Japan, because Japan was the most expanded at the same time, which is no good. Will Japan do this?
If Japan still votes against returning to the United Nations, it will definitely be profitable for China and Japan to enter the honeymoon period in a few years.
There is no trouble in this world. The Japanese are clearly not willing to keep smiling faces. How can the Japanese bear this kind of grievance? Being a production base in the United States is already so hard. We cannot continue to bear the mental insult. Or It would be better to let Britain, the supreme no-go zone, be the villain.
There will no longer be a Sino-Japanese honeymoon period. There will only be a golden decade between China and the UK. The growing economic and trade relations in East Asia will become a boost for the barriers to the pound area.
"To waste so much effort to retain Malaya is to wait for the normalization of Sino-British relations. If there was only Hong Kong, the potential for increasing economic and trade relations between the two countries would be limited. Now it is much easier."
"Is it really such a big help?" Pamela Mountbatten listened to her husband shouting, and couldn't help but ask, "Then what does the collapse of the Bretton Woods system have to do with the development of economy and trade?"
"The pound will be converted into a sovereign physical currency after the collapse of the Bretton Woods system. At that time, production capacity will be needed."
Alan Wilson did not want to hide anything from his wife. "In the long run, they may become formidable opponents in the future, but that is for the future. The problem at hand is Japan. Even Japan can't figure out what to talk about in the future?"
The Japanese yen had a brief period of glory in the 1970s and 1980s. Wasn't it still supported by Japan's production capacity?
Either you have energy or you have industry, you have to have one. If neither is strong, then wait to be harvested by the US dollar tide. Even if it has both, it is still quite strong. It also depends on whether there are US troops stationed in the country.
In fact, the bright future Japan longs for is, at best, close to the level of Cold War Britain. However, at a certain time, the Japanese had an illusion that Japan could even surpass the United States. In the end, Japan also paid a heavy price for this illusion.
In fact, both Japan and South Korea have a dumbbell structure of economy, importing raw materials and exporting goods, and Japan and South Korea only serve as a production base in the middle. The development is really thanks to the indulgence of the United States. It is impossible for the two countries to achieve that kind of status based on their own poor domestic foundation.
As long as you have a little understanding, you will know that the living standards in Japan and South Korea are far worse than those in Europe. The cost of 30,000 US dollars per capita is unimaginable in Europe. And what is the level of 30,000 US dollars per capita in Europe, that is, the level of Greece? Greece is a country that has experienced a debt crisis.
"You want to insist on using pounds as the settlement of trade?" Pamela Mountbatten asked, "Can you succeed? For so many years, we have not understood the situation there."
"Nyerere can do it, there is no reason why the UK can't do it." Alan Wilson mentioned the economic and trade contracts signed by Nyerere, which were settled on the basis of pounds sterling.
What could be achieved by a former colony in East Africa, but could not be achieved by Britain? Isn’t it a bit unreasonable?
"But in a short period of time, we need a substitute. Bangladesh will be completely destroyed after this war. After 60 million Bangladeshis are impoverished, we use loans to set up debts for this new country as a temporary The textile base maintains production in the Sterling Area."
After all, reform and opening up will have to wait for some time. Between the formal disintegration of the Bretton Woods system and the opening up, the UK must find a place to temporarily allow the pound to circulate.
Bangladesh, which has a population of 60 million, will not be a problem for a few years, and it won't take too long. Of course, in exchange, although Bangladesh will be burdened with heavy debts, the UK can provide a strategy to rejuvenate the country through real estate, which will at least Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, was built.
The UK can be considered a veteran when it comes to real estate development. The capitals of various countries in British Africa were all built by the UK ten years ago, which increased the circulation reserves of pounds and the debts of these countries. These countries got a capital that they can look at, and everyone appreciates each other. Have a bright future.
Alan Wilson is still very optimistic about the future of Bangladesh. After this war, the current situation faced by Bangladeshis is that if they do not work in sweatshops, they will starve to death. Having lost almost all the Bengalis in the war, there was no choice.
"The country is really lucky to have you." Pamela Mountbatten's eyes were full of admiration, and she whispered directly into the man's arms.
"There is such a thing as patriotism in this world." He reached out to touch the back of his wife's head and boasted enthusiastically, "Of course we all know that this is the credit of the Prime Minister."
Harold Wilson sneezed for no reason at No. 10 Downing Street, with a thoughtful look on his face. Could it be that he caught a cold?
In order to avoid being overwhelmed by the excessive issuance of the US dollar, the UK actually has another option, which is to join forces with France. In addition to the pound zone, there is also the franc zone. The currencies of various countries in the zone maintain a fixed parity with the French franc and can freely interact with each other. exchange.
The French franc is the main reserve currency in the area. All countries in the area use the French franc for mutual payment and settlement. There are generally no restrictions on the movement of funds within the area. The gold foreign exchange reserves of various countries are concentrated in the French custody area and a "common fiscal and financial policy" is implemented.
In fact, the franc zone has existed until the 21st century due to France's strong control, and its vitality is much more tenacious than the pound zone.
But what if we unite with France? To be honest, it is better to think of a solution in Asia. The French will feel that they are at a disadvantage, and the United Kingdom cannot fully trust France. Even cooperation is full of filth.
African countries in the franc zone are definitely at a disadvantage, but how should we look at this disadvantage? Although the franc is disadvantageous to them, the level of African countries' own currencies is not as good as the franc.
Nyerere, who was already independent, issued his own currency, but the depreciation rate exceeded that of the Kenyan shilling, which was still issued by the British. As a result, the newly issued currency was not as stable as the British colonial period.
This was of course a good thing for Britain, which immediately used the media to use Nyerere as a negative example, saying that breaking away from the pound system would be a dead end for a newly independent country.
According to gossip, Myanmar intends to invite Britain to stop the war in its neighboring country because of the refugee crisis in the Pakistani civil war.
This news spread in the UK, coupled with the recent broadcast of images of the repression of Bangladeshis, leading some people to start discussing whether the UK should shoulder international responsibilities and use some means to stop the continuation of the war.
Of course, this kind of public opinion was sternly rejected by the British Foreign Office, saying that independent countries were capable of handling their own affairs, and Britain's sending troops would only make things more complicated.
"Of course we have to express our position like this. At this stage, we must make the United States and the Soviet Union believe that Britain is not interested in the situation in South Asia. Let the main battlefield be released." Alan Wilson held a cigar in his mouth, and the cigar on his mouth danced with the words when he spoke. , "As for what citizens think and whether they will be disappointed, that doesn't matter. The will of citizens is only useful during elections. After the votes have been cast, who cares what they say?"
Whether the UK sends troops or not, it has nothing to do with public opinion. It is purely a consideration of national interests. Myanmar’s statement will then become an excuse for the UK to intervene, but not now.
With the arrival of the Himalayan mountain closure season, for India, the possibility of interference from external forces has disappeared.
On this day, Indian Army Chief of Staff Sam Manekshaw came to the Prime Minister's Office with a detailed combat plan. He knew that Indira Gandhi and the ministers had been waiting patiently for several months.
"Dear Prime Minister, ministers, I've been waiting for a long time." Sammanekshaw got straight to the point and explained on a giant map of South Asia. "The main direction of attack is East Pakistan. We will take a defensive position on the western border and withstand the main force of the Pakistan Army. Attack. After defeating the East Pakistan defenders, we will concentrate all our efforts on dealing with the problem on the western front. There is no doubt that these two fronts will be fought, but I firmly believe that it will not take too long to occupy the entire East Pakistan."
John Mansfield, the first ambassador to China, received the first task of explaining Britain's original intention of not wanting war to break out, although India was about to attack. But Britain must not leak information to Pakistan that a large-scale war is about to begin.
But there is no such problem when a certain major country leaks. Everyone knows that China and Pakistan wear the same pair of trousers, and this has nothing to do with the United Kingdom.
Half of Pakistan's population is in civil strife and cannot withstand India's attack. However, in order to prolong the conflict between the two countries, Alan Wilson is also worried about whether he can withstand it for one more day.