China vs EU on debt conditions
Why Hacker News recommends it
Cited in threads on Chinese lending and the Belt and Road as an informed firsthand view from a former Greek finance minister.
What it is
A clip of Yanis Varoufakis answering a question about China versus the EU on debt conditions. He contrasts Chinese non-interventionist lending with EU conditionality, drawing on the Piraeus port.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2020 to 2023.
What Hacker News said
Recommends throw_away1525 · 2023-02 · on “Africa will get a new $1B spaceport in Djibouti”
Here's a great clip of Varoufakis discussing the port of Piraeus as a specific example (but also examples in Africa) of how reasonable the Chinese are to deal with: [this video]
Cites FooBarWidget · 2020-10 · on “Jack Ma's Ant Group set for record $34B market debut”
I think saying that "they are both gunning to be #1" and "undermining other countries" is more of a projection than reality. Yanis Varoufakis, former Minister of Finance of Greece, who has participated in the Belt and Road Initiative, makes it quite clear that China is "non-interventionist to the point where we can't imagine it": [this video] The current trajectory of sinophobia based on incorrect, overblown and unrealistic readings of CCP, indeed does not have a happy ending. That's why the trajectory should be changed. > the nationalism isn't just some reaction by their citizens to unfairness, it's 100% cultivated by their gov't on purpose. I'm sorry, try talking to large number of mainland Chi
Cites FooBarWidget · 2021-06 · on “Huawei HarmonyOS and New Products Launch [video]”
What sort of historical precedence? Historical precedence from the Ming dynasty showed that even when they have a big fleet, they're not interested in colonizing territories. The Ming fleet only traded, not conquered. Look up Zhang He. Historical evidence from the Qing dynasty showed that in the 18th century, Chinese mining settlers in Malaysia tried to submit themselves under the rule of the Qing, but the Qing emperor refused, saying China is big enough already. Lookup Lanfang Republic. Historical precedence from the Republican era showed that the People's Republic has given up territory compared to the Republic. See all of outer Mongolia, which was ceded (and which Taiwan, a.k.a. the Repub
Cites a0-prw · 2021-06 · on “A Chinese-Built Highway Drove Montenegro into Crippling Debt”
Note: "Soc, the former justice minister. ''But I don't think this is a problem from China. It is our bad decision.'' They can almost certainly renegotiate for easier conditions: Yanis Varoufakis on China vs EU conditions: [this video]