There are reports coming from London about an abandoned vehicle with dead Chinese nationals in it. It’s not clear yet exactly where the deceased had come from. It’s possible they had come from Macau or Hong Kong. The authorities in London are coordinating with the Chinese embassy in an effort to identify the deceased. This process is likely to be lengthy.
There are strategic ports in the Lowlands and near Manchester. Belfast and Dublin are Irish ports. Lubeck is a German port near the Gulf of Danzig. Gdansk is a Polish port. There are concerns about organized labor in these port cities. There are historical anecdotes about labor strikes in Ireland. It’s possible that labor leaders in Lubeck coordinate strikes in Belfast and Dublin. There have been nationwide labor strikes in Ireland.
The routes to London north from the Lowlands or south from Manchester are controversial. The Lowlands include Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. London uses the British Pound Sterling as its national currency and Amsterdam uses the Euro. There are high unemployment rates in Spain and Portugal. It’s difficult to maintain market prices if unemployment rates are high. There is likely inflation in Catalonia.
It’s interesting about the relationship between labor strikes and inflation. Madrid reported an unemployment rate in 2017 of 17% and Lisbon reported an unemployment rate of 9%. It’s possible that there are labor strikes in Spain and Portugal that are obscured by unemployment statistics.
In terms of currency trading in London and Amsterdam, there are outstanding issues relating to East Asian monies. Beijing uses the yuan, Tokyo uses the won, and Seoul uses the won. Pyongyang uses the North Korean Won. There are concerns about predatory money lending in East Asia. The exchange rate between USD and North Korean Won is 1:900. There are logistical problems with regulating the banks in Pyongyang.
Finally, the ports in North Africa are being monitored by British authorities. Ceuta and Barcelona are ports on the Mediterranean Sea. Rabat is a port on the Atlantic Ocean. Algiers and Tunis serve as regional trade junctions. Each of these cities allow Chinese merchants to trade by way of the commercial ports.
Within the European Union, it’s possible there are trade routes that give priority to labor unions. There are real concerns about market prices at ports where there is organized labor. If there are labor unions that specifically trade between Manchester and Dublin, then there might be inflation such that inflation rates can be observed through economic indicators.
