There are updates coming from London about an abandoned vehicle with deceased Chinese nationals in it. The deceased were thought to have come from China but it’s possible that many of them were Vietnamese nationals. The authorities in London are coordinating with the Chinese embassy to identify them. Macau and Taiwan are historically Portuguese trading posts. Manchester is in northern England. There are routes between the Lowlands and Ireland. Belfast and Dublin receive commercial shipments from the Lowlands.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City is a port in the south. Hanoi is inland and in the north. Vientiane is the capital of Laos. Hanoi sits across the border from Vientiane. Da Nang is a Vietnamese port near Hanoi. Ho Chi Minh City is the same city as Saigon. Laos doesn’t trade much internationally and there aren’t any Laotian ports on the ocean. There is a border between China and Laos. There are historical anecdotes about Chinese military operations on the Laotian side of the border. There are modern accounts about the politburos in Hanoi and Beijing coordinating in the political arena.
Vientiane uses the Laotian Kip as its national currency and Hanoi uses the Vietnamese Dong. The exchange rate between USD and Vietnamese Dong is 1:23,200. There are logistical issues pertaining to energy trading in Southeast Asia. There are petroleum reserves in Indonesia and there are coal reserves in other parts of Southeast Asia. The terrain is remote and the monies aren’t easy to regulate in terms of money lending or exchange rates. For example, it’s not well understood if Laotian merchants can borrow money from Vietnamese banks or if they can trade by way of Vietnamese ports. Additionally, there are ports along the Mekong River.
There are Ming Chinese populations in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s controversial about the sealanes between Ho Chi Minh City and Shanghai because there are disputes about commercial jurisdiction and military jurisdiction. Shanghai has seasonal ports. There are concerns about inflation in Shanghai because the ports are seasonal. There are problems levying taxes and regulating the financial districts in Shanghai. Hong Kong uses the dollar as its national currency and Macau uses the Macanese Pataca. The exchange rate between USD and Macanese Pataca is 1:8. Regionally, there is a demand for commodities and it’s contested about the prices of food stuffs as well as consumer durables.
It’s believed that the abandoned vehicle in England had come through Varna, Bulgaria which is a port on the Black Sea. There are routes north through the Balkans. Sarajevo uses the Bosnian Convertible Mark as its national currency. There are strategic ports in both Bosnia and Albania. The British authorities are monitoring the ports in North Africa and in the Balkans. There are ongoing disputes about commercial sea lanes in North Africa. Rabat and Tunis serve as regional trade junctions.
