How Portugal Is Using China to Get The USA
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
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An economic flash-point between the two superpowers is developing in the Portuguese port of Sines, which is the closest port in mainland Europe to America’s eastern shale basins, and has long been recognised by foreign powers for its geostrategic importance as a deepwater port.
London: Portugal is part of a battlefield between the US and China. This small country on the south-western edge of Europe rarely features in the Indian press, but perhaps these words of George Glass, the US ambassador in Lisbon, suggest why it should. Glass was commenting two months ago on the intensifying rivalry between Washington and Beijing over Portugal. A few years ago, the boss of a major Portuguese bank, Fernando Ulrich, put China’s interest another way: “I’m shocked to see Portugal used as China’s aircraft carrier for Chinese investments into Europe!”
While the world looks towards China’s build-up in the South China Sea as a potential military flash-point between the US and China, a less visible economic flash-point between the two superpowers is developing in a Portuguese port on a peninsula 65 miles south of the capital, Lisbon. Jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, Sines is the closest port in mainland Europe to America’s eastern shale basins, and has long been recognised by foreign powers for its geostrategic importance as a deepwater port.
Portugal launched an international tender in August this year for a contract to build and operate a new container terminal in Sines and is expected to pick a winner soon. There is very strong US interest in Sines, where US firms want to expand the port’s liquid natural gas (LNG) terminal in order to increase gas exports to Europe, which they argue would also help reduce the EU’s energy dependence on Russia. On the other hand, China is fighting hard to build a huge $770 million Chinese-built container port in Sines, a key project in its Belt & Road Initiative of which Portugal became a member in 2018. At the time, President Xi Jinping borrowed an ancient Chinese saying to describe the bilateral relationship: “A partnership forged with the right approach defies geographical distance; it is thicker than glue, and stronger than metal or stone.” Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa reciprocated with a state visit to Beijing in late April that also coincided with the 2nd Belt & Road Forum.
So will it be America’s huge LNG terminal, or China’s huge container port? Whoever is the winner, the geopolitical consequences will be massively significant.
By coincidence, Sines is the birthplace of the great Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, whose initial voyage to India, landing at Kappadu in 1498, was the first to link Europe and Asia by an ocean route. He had entered a world of well-established, multicultural trading networks that had existed for eons. His and his successors’ bold naval explorations converted Portugal into a global empire with a geopolitical reach far beyond its modest size. Portuguese traders reached China in 1515, when they established a diplomatic and trade mission. Twenty years later they were allowed to settle in Macau, starting a durable and friendly relationship between the two countries which lasts to the present day, even surviving the voluntary return of the colony to China on 20 December 1999.
The Macau connection has played a crucial role in the continuation of the Sino-Portuguese relationship, assisted by a group of influential politicians once posted in the former colony. Some of these were instrumental in bringing in the first wave of Chinese investors in the 1990s, mainly in real estate. Several thousands of Chinese businessmen were then granted Portuguese nationality through a “golden visa” scheme that allows anyone with a $600,000 investment, such as in real estate, to apply for permanent residency and ultimately an EU passport. China was the only country willing to step in and help Portugal at the height of the financial crisis in 2010, when its economy suffered so badly and the Lisbon government was under pressure from the European Commission to sell state assets.
Following the crisis, Chinese firms have invested vast sums in a wide range of Portuguese sectors: electricity, oil, transport, financial services, insurance, health, real estate, hospitality, and the media, to name a few, making Portugal the largest recipient of Chinese investment per capita in Europe. Chinese groups have become the biggest single shareholders in Portugal’s leading power and national grid utilities, and in 2018, the two-way trade exceeded $10 billion, an increase of more than 7% from the previous year. Last year, Portugal became the first Eurozone country to issue bonds in Chinese Yuan, so-called “Panda Bonds”.
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Não me importava de ver mais vídeos sobre Portugal. São vídeos bastante informativos. :)
😊et 3:28 😅je 😊 3:29 😅😅 3:31
The way this is going, Portugal isn't in business, it's for sale
Portugals problem is corruption. The Chinese will take advantage of it the same way as everyone else. Same in brasil. Lusiphones are some of the most talented people in the world, but we always fuck it for ourselves.
I saw your video on reddit, absolutely best research ive seen in a good while.
Wow, thanks! Glad you liked it
In my opinion you discover your true friends in times of need.
Amen 🙏🏻
The audio is really good!
thanks! I finally bought a new mic
It was the longest global power not one of the longest.
It is actually one of the longest empires in the world.
great viid
thanks!
Do not sell yourself to China Portugal.
Dont worry, we are good.
China is acc better then the usa allying with them will help us more u see the west trying to force us to only work with them
Im not so sure
They can't. No running water and only electricity from portable generators. I know, I'm Portuguese.
@@pedrodaniellopesferreira2916 What in the actual fvck are you talking about, you lying son of the Devil?
Portugal has an excellent electricity grid and a good water supply grid.
I can't remember the last time I experienced a blackout or a water supply interruption.
You're a fvcking LIAR!
Don't believe this pos. He's probably a brazilian troll.
Excelente trabalho!
Obrigado! 😊
As an American legal resident of Portugal, living in Lisbon and applying for citizenship, this is a great concern to me. Portugal, as a small country has often had to rely on diplomacy, and has been very good at it; clearly they are playing the powers against each other with benefit, but they’re allowing with increasing investments and influence over their major companies, what amounts to an infiltration by China. That may come back to haunt them.
The USA is Europe's biggest existencial threat especially if Trump gets elected in November.
Só uma correcção, não é "Era of Exploration" é "Age of Discovery". A palavra "exploration" pode ter conotações pejorativas em Inglês.
Estava a tentar usar sinónimos mas agora que o dizes, sim tens razão 😅
"Exploration" é exploração no sentido de descobrir, investigar ou conhecer.
Exploração no sentido de aproveitar-se ou abuso é "exploitation".
Portugal explored the seas and exploited the slaves.
I think the CALB factory deserves a mention
Pensei que os planos tinham ido por agua abaixo, vou verificar
@@Culturiosity Eles conseguiram licensiamento ambiental recentemente, então acho que não
Can you tell us the names of the movies/documentaries you take of those footages of colonial age battles?
No, or the Vain Glory of Command
By portuguese film director Manoel de Oliveira
He is not saying "No" hehehe
It's the name of the movie
Sotaque tuga crlhhhh
Let’s gooo 💪
Portugal has a very long way to go the even be on par with other EU countries , and is a very long way from being like SIngapore , mentalities will have to change first
Like what for example?
i am portuguese and i can say that portugal is very consevative,and currently more socialist inclined,also there is a great corruption problem
@@Culturiosity they dont respect each other, low culture qualitty, and try to advise some one to stop spiting in the floor or throw chewing gum to the floor they will become stupidly agressive... or even death threat u out of nowhere, just try it the next time u see some one spiting in the floor.
The problem is using an adjectivizing portugal with Singapore. We need to adjectivize the name Portugal first. We don't have to change our mentality we have our own Portuguese mentality and we have been around since 1134
@@andrevalente8681 Not quite true, the main problem with Portugal is that is has been controlled and governed by the far-left and the left in the last 50 years. The consequence is that the economy is always in 2nd gear, no development.
Welcome China to Portugal
Im from portugal and i dont know shit about my contrie
É uma das razoes de eu ter criado este canal 😉
Portugal gets a lot more respect as a vacation resort than as a coloniser. The same thing happened to Sparta during the Roman era.
What do you mean?
@@Culturiosity like turkey 😂 now it's an ice cream resort
What do you mean "as a coloniser"?
Do you call muslims colonisers too? Do you know what that sht people did to us? Or is it when you criticise Wht people it's ok, but when you criticise other it's ray cyst?
Sounds like you're just a passive-aggressive ray cyst hypocrite to me!
And what about trying to keep good relationships with both countries ?
That’s the approach, always play both sides
It will work for sometime, but not forever. Polaziration is a danger for this ambíguos situation.
@@vascoapolonio2309A sovereign country does what it wants.
@@SiRcErOn_YuLmEr really??? If so, why the US meddle in Cuba? Or in Iraque, or on Afghanistan? Or Chile? Or Panama? I could go on... a sovereign nation do what it wants, as long it can overcome military others???
@@vascoapolonio2309 Hence the problem of other countries is the imperialism of the usa. every other country should unite against it !
As long as the Chinese don’t mess with Portugal’s legal weed & shrooms I’m fine with all this.
😅
Portugal has no legal weed.
That's a myth. You can only buy weed from drug dealers.
Plus Portugal didn't legalize drugs, it only decriminalized use.
E falar em Português?
Ele provavelmente fala em inglês para atrair mais audiência
@@joaquimbarbosa896 Eu sei, mas falta união e estratégia entre os Portugueses.
@@completelymindfucked O que não se relaciona com este video/canal
@@joaquimbarbosa896 Claro que sim...
Glory be unto ELELOHEYISRA'EL YAHSHUAH HA'MOSHIACH.
Great video brother. The volume is less. I always had to keep the phone close to my ears to hear what you are actually trying to see.
Don't know if something is wrong with me or is the volume provided in the video is less.
Peace.
Really? I now have a new microphone so I thought the audio was way better, could you please try on a mother device and see if it is the same? Cheers
@@Culturiosity Glory be unto ELELOHEYISRA'EL YAHSHUAH HA'MOSHIACH.
OK. Sure.
@@Culturiosity To me the volume is perfect, no problems at all.
@@franciscomeggi8405 same here
A venda da EDP foi uma fraude... devia ter sido anulada
O Governo do Passos Coelho foi tão curpto quanto o do Sócrates.
O Eduardo Catroga foi contratado para assessorar a venda da EDP, passados poucos meses foi contratado pela EDP (Chineses) e mais tarde tornou-se presidente do Conselho de Administração.
Os Chineses entregaram o valor pela compra no envelope abaixo do valor que tinham indicado inicialmente no e-mail. A proposta devia ter sido invalidada.
os estados unidos que nao se ponham á tabela...
Im portuguese
As Portuguese the idea of China owning a important chunk of the economy it's a problem only for the seudo moralists .I don't care where the cash comes from . western economy it's much more obscure than the Chinese one . Government needs to keep major services national but apart from that it doesn't really matter if the capital is From a central government or from the IMF .the IMF it's the g7 banks anyway and those have quiet obscure policy too
Heeeeeyyy so the plan was to expand tye eez oh hell yeah!
It still is! We are waiting for the decision… ⏳
Está interessante. Mas deviam fazer uma selecção melhor de imagens; esta, nalgumas partes, está bastante à “molhada” e com algumas repetições a despropósito. Convinha ter uma voz com melhor inglês. O texto merece ser revisto, pois repete-se algumas vezes m partes diferentes e, a partir de certa altura, torna-se um pouco cansativo. Mas é uma bela ideia e uma boa abordagem, que merece ser melhorada na sua apresentação. Creio que, revisto, pode não ter mais se 7 a 8 minutos. Um último pormenor: Vasco da Gama nunca partiu de Sines; nasceu em Sines. As suas viagens para a Índia partiram sempre do rio Tejo.
É o melhor inglês que consigo para já… 😔mas sinto que estou a melhorar!
@@Culturiosity o inglês é excelente!
Anti socialism, piece full or violent full
Peacefully enjoying the sun and it's bit*** 😅
That's how I heard it at 0:52
Yeah it’s hard to distinguish the two words for a non native English speaker 😄 they pronounce the same
3:25
Chinese + Portuguese flags look very nice together.
Beautiful flags must admit :)
@@Culturiosity How can you say that a commie flag is beautiful? Have you forgotten the millions of dead, all the atrocities committed by the commies? Have you forgotten who supported the terrorist groups in our ultramarine provinces?
Chega 2024
Perdeste lol
no point being in a EU when u on the other side of it alone !!
eu and us policy's have not helped portugal !!! rather have kept it poor .
We can’t complain about the highways tho…
wrong, we are way better with eu. Don't bet mistaken, portugal's problem is its management and corruption. Also, shaking hands with china might not be the best idea and you should be careful who you shake hands with.
@@sebscardosoSem contar a falta de responsabilidade dos Governos de Esquerda que à anos freiam o crescimento econômico de Portugal, infelizmente...
Isso foi o trabalho do PS.
China will take advantage of our corruption same as everyone else.
Ugly drop frame/black hole at 11:16.
I totally missed that during editing, my bad. Now there is nothing I can do unfortunately 😕
The closer Portugal gets to China the closer Azores to be independent thats what happened in 1974-75 when Portugal almost fell under communism
Azoreans are Portuguese, the land was uninhabited before… there is no “independence” protests
@@Culturiosity Cape Verde was uninhabited and Portuguese also
@@azterraviva6679 and now it is independent?
So was Cape Verde@@Culturiosity
@@azterraviva6679Except Cabo Verde was mostly populated by african slaves and now by their descents and Açores is inhabited by portuguese people.
Clueless 🤡 comment.
I think England should get aggressive on china russia and india and make them pay compensation to Britian for giving them opportunities
What opportunities?
@@Culturiosity we gave them culture
You have none compared to their. Really China is older than chistianity !
@@SiRcErOn_YuLmErplease. The Chinese shit on the street and eat dogs. You can keep that culture for yourself.
false
😢
Being close to China is good
😳
@That Guy And tibetan
@@lxportugal9343 And Uighur.
No, it's *bad* to be close to a mass-murdering commie regime.
@@lxportugal9343 and Hong Kong