While leaders of North and South Korea held a historic summit along the Demilitarized Zone that resulted in a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, international observers are hopeful the two Koreas would someday sign a treaty for reunification. This evolved in East and West Germany with the reunification resulting in a more prosperous Germany. The same thing could happen if the two Koreas decide to unite.
China on the other hand has crossed the red line by installing and deploying cruise missiles on one of the reefs in the West Philippine Sea. The Philippine government, in its usual business-as-usual response, said it would file a diplomatic protest with the Chinese Embassy in Manila but will “trust its friendship with China to smooth things out.”
This latest Chinese provocation was flagged by US intelligence satellite and has raised concerns in the international community because it could impede the flow of commercial cargo vessels which use the vital navigational lanes in the South China Sea.
Parts of the South China Sea are contested by Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan. The militarization of the South China Sea by China could incur the wrath of US President Donald Trump and trigger an armed response from American jet fighters and warships. The Chinese are really pushing the red line. This is an alarm bell that the US raises when a military power like China or Russia exceeds its aggression.
Last week Chinese laser weapons nearly sent down US fighter jets over Djibouti airspace in the Horn of Africa. China denied the incident but the US pilots maintained the laser attack happened.
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Red tide of Chinese gamblers
There was an interesting article from Bloomberg News recently that didn’t draw much attention in the local newspapers.
“An estimated 100,000 migrants, mostly Chinese, have flooded into pockets of the Philippines capital since September 2016, and the deluge is rippling through the city’s real estate market in ways that are unique among the world’s urban centers. While Chinese investors have been snapping up big swathes of high-end is motivated by something different: Manila’s housing in Hong Kong, London and New York for years to move their money offshore, this new rush booming gaming industry.
More than 50 offshore gambling companies that cater to overseas Chinese punters have received permits to operate in the city since President Rodrigo Duterte’s government began awarding licenses 19 months ago. While bets are placed remotely, the operators need Chinese speakers in Manila to handle everything from marketing and customer queries to payment processing for overseas clients.
The resulting migration, while only a fraction of the metropolitan area’s 12.9-million population, is propelling home prices to record levels in neighborhoods favored by Chinese workers. It’s reinvigorating Manila’s commercial property market as owners convert offices and shops into gaming centers with card tables and webcams. And it’s boosting the bottom lines of local developers including Ayala Land Inc. and SM Prime Holdings Inc.”
The story, headlined “Chinese Money Triggers a Dizzying Rally in Manila Property,” was published May 4.
While hundreds of thousands Chinese gamblers come in from the Mainland, spur the economy and provide jobs to Filipinos, the influx poses danger to national security and is a serious concern.