As Malaysian election looms, China quietly spreads tentacles across region

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While most of us are caught up with a flurry of news ahead of the general election, we should not forget what lurks in the background: the extending tentacles of China spreading across Asia through its US$4-8 trillion One Belt, One Road initiative.

The initiative comprises:

  • an overland Economic Belt (railways, gas pipelines, etc). Think of the ECRL, which is part of a larger South East Asian rail network.
  • a Maritime Silk Road (via a chain of sea ports). Think of Kuantan and Malacca ports.

What does it mean to us? Are investments of China the sort we need at the moment? In what way exactly will it benefit Malaysia if we are left with huge debts owing to China banks? How much technology transfer will there be if most of the workers are going to come from China? And now, we hear the ECRL will be exempted from GST, for whatever reason.

What about the strategic concerns over the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca?

I thought the above video was revealing in that it shows us where Malaysia fits in, in the larger scheme of China’s strategic network across the region. Something to bear in mind in the heat of the election campaign.

Is this what we want to be a part of? And what are the implications for our sovereignty as an independent nation?

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Raj 777
Raj 777
20 Apr 2018 7.41am

China influence long long already established in Malaysia, especially in Penang.

Ask non-Chinese on island, they can understand and speak hokkien.

We pick up the essence of success through hard work, no striving no victory

Dont believe see video below :

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
20 Apr 2018 11.54am
Reply to  Raj 777

He speaks and sang solid hokkien better than some local chinese !
If he stands for GE14, sure many followers.
If he goes to China to perform, suite earn good living.

shriek
shriek
21 Apr 2018 7.17am
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Go n tell the Engineer. Dedak said Other languages not important ti learn. … his paymaster is spinning around. Paymaster overbudget … Orso, paymaster is using tax payer to ronda here and there unlike pakatan state gomen

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 7.49pm
Reply to  shriek

Too bad Engineer can’t speak Mandarin! Much less Hokkien!
How to survive???

Norman
Norman
20 Apr 2018 9.30pm
Reply to  Raj 777

Everybody ‘Heng, Ong, Huat’ music video:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l48RcaKKyg8

大家兴旺发

Raj 777
Raj 777
22 Apr 2018 7.37am
Reply to  Raj 777

We hope Penang Forum can organise song festival featuring locals singing of different dialects to attract foreign tourists on true living heriatage.

For example, can get Bangkok Lane Mee Mamak to rap in hokkien, baba chinese to sing dondang sayang etc.

can Anil bring forward such idea to the forum ?

KhunPana
KhunPana
19 Apr 2018 7.31pm

Hopefully both countries will do away with the Tourist Visa requirement. Malaysia desperately needed more tourist to fill the quota/projected arrivals for this year and beyond. At the moment, only China is able to provide tourist by the millions. Maybe the plan includes Chinese tourist to board that train to KB in order to view how … public caning/shaming is executed? Common Malaysian folks don’t know how and what is ECRL and that we are the ones going to pay for the said “investment” when it is actually a loan. Malaysians paying for a foreign “investment” is really a great… Read more »

DinH
DinH
21 Apr 2018 1.17pm

Umno’s legality now in question.
Even Rise Yatim felt so.

ROS cannot make itself a laughing stock to the world. It must apply the same set of rule she has applied to DAP and PPBM to be seen as fair and just. Nothing more, nothing less. Otherwise, just dump away the party’s constitution and be prepared to face disputes.

ktwong87
19 Apr 2018 12.19pm

A week ago:

“IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned China on Thursday about saddling other countries with a “problematic increase in debt” through its ambitious global trade infrastructure project.”

See:
IMF head warns China on exporting debt through ‘Silk Road’
http://www.theborneopost.com/2018/04/12/imf-head-warns-china-on-exporting-debt-through-silk-road/

glissantia
glissantia
19 Apr 2018 9.08pm
Reply to  ktwong87

Very curious. Why did IMF not warn the Great Shaitan about saddling (and strangling) so many countries with debt for so long?

YB Loh
YB Loh
20 Apr 2018 10.08am
Reply to  glissantia

Because same skin colour and they support each other. So Asians must support China .

tunglang
20 Apr 2018 9.46pm
Reply to  YB Loh

Support Renminbi?

shriek
shriek
21 Apr 2018 7.18am
Reply to  YB Loh

Tell it to nippon n viet cong

shriek
shriek
21 Apr 2018 10.41am
Reply to  YB Loh

Ask hokkiebs in taiwan, japs n VC to support China??

tunglang
20 Apr 2018 9.46pm
Reply to  glissantia

It’s a legalised (by IMF + World Bank) way to profitably practise financial slavery of countries brought to the knees by financial crisis brought about by currency speculators. It will still happen.
Ask Georgie Sorowful how to speculate & get away with it.

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
21 Apr 2018 9.39pm
Reply to  tunglang

You can go to Bank of China at Beach Street to deposit your saving as renminbi with annual interest of 2.68%, could be safer investment.

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 7.29pm
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

2.68% is higher than most local banks’ meagre interest!
If not for PRC monetary control of Rmb exchange, could be much higher.

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
18 Apr 2018 10.06pm

Balik Tongsan not that derogatary nowadays after all the negatives in Bolehland?

shriek
shriek
21 Apr 2018 7.18am
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Dummo says selamat datang tongsan

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 7.33pm
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Karma has a way to deal with these ‘balik tongsan’ bashers.
Balik tongsan may become a welcome gesture for overseas Chinese who are talented, have money & politically persecuted.

Richie
Richie
23 Apr 2018 11.45am
Reply to  tunglang

They have forgotten Bukit Kepong incident?

Phua Kai Lit
Phua Kai Lit
21 Apr 2018 8.17pm

The “Malay nationalists” of UMNO Baru under MO1 are a real joke i.e. selling out the country’s sovereignty to Mainland China, in return for $$$ to save MO1’s political neck.

shriek
shriek
22 Apr 2018 8.19am
Reply to  Phua Kai Lit

Dummo good in spinning and create more deficiencies. When certain items in ecrl are not exempted from GST, who and how it is going to check? GST involves paperwork at every stage when changes hand. So more inefficient work. Tell us more than 60 years of Dummo not enough? Want some more? Sick of Dummo telling us development. Look at South Korea. After wall in 5Os , they started like Malaya. Now they are a few times more advance than Malaya. Lucky Malaya has oil, timber and plenty rain. Leaders of South korea who are corrupted found themselves in jailhouse… Read more »

Mah HS
Mah HS
20 Apr 2018 9.06am

Sri Lanka has formally handed over its southern port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease, which government critics have denounced as an erosion of the country’s sovereignty. The $1.3bn port was opened seven years ago using debt from Chinese state-controlled entities. But it has since struggled under heavy losses, making it impossible for Colombo to repay its debts. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/e150ef0c-de37-11e7-a8a4-0a1e63a52f9c There have been signs that China’s partners are starting to become wary over the terms being dictated to build projects under the One Road banner. Pakistan, Nepal and Myanmar have all recently cancelled or sidelined major hydroelectricity projects planned… Read more »

Mah HS
Mah HS
19 Apr 2018 8.06am

“China is aggressively taking over all the ports in the country and building massive infrastructure. This is not a normal business investment plan; it looks to me to be something more. They are building universities, railways and power plants in Malaysia for their people to take over 20 years from now,” Zaid Ibrahim said this in May last year. Zaid welcomes investments, but adds that “we must have leaders who are able to tell the difference between foreign investment and foreign acquisition of national strategic assets.” “The Chinese have already taken control of the South China Sea,” he said. “What… Read more »

tunglang
19 Apr 2018 10.03pm
Reply to  Mah HS

Universal Hua Xia International School (Penang), a PRC overseas education setup?

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
23 Apr 2018 8.38am
Reply to  tunglang

Many opt for international school. Noticed not many young parents made such choices because vernacular school too exam focused, while national school over relaxed.

tunglang
18 Apr 2018 7.05pm

China = Big Brother Along.
Beg them for investment loan money?, must give GST exemption!
Many generations of profit repatriation back to China.
Bank of China laughing every night with SingTao beer yamseng!

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
18 Apr 2018 10.11pm
Reply to  tunglang

Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss or literally The Big Brother from Tongsan now carry deeper meaning!

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 7.51pm
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Bruce Lee’s legacy is now claimed by Big Brother China.
Have you seen the Li Xiaolong series produced by China some yrs ago?

Ranjit Devraj
18 Apr 2018 3.41pm

A matter of great concern, Anil. Thanks for posting up the video.

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
18 Apr 2018 10.12pm
Reply to  Anil Netto

The red army of Bolehland can be derivatives from mainland liberation army?

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
21 Apr 2018 6.53pm
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Chin Peng era red army dissolved, now Jamal and Mahathir red armies???

Norman
Norman
18 Apr 2018 2.46pm

Only those within elite circle of HuaZhong and MCA stand most (as middlemen) to gain the most from PRC ‘investment’.

KhunPana
KhunPana
20 Apr 2018 9.27pm
Reply to  Norman

From previous & current observations, you are spot on. Within Malaysia,the Kuomintang and Communist working hand in glove . But the bigger and best part of the pie goes to whoever is in control and that is Umno. To be direct and honest, irrespective of BN or Harapan are in control. Not just Malaysia but nearly the entire ASEAN will have to bow to China. Just take it as a new chapter in history. BN loves to play up about Western power & Zionist hands to “takut-takut kan” their Melayu supporters. Now the CPC is coming in a big way.… Read more »

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 7.38pm
Reply to  KhunPana

A replay of Melaka sultanate gestures to China?
By today’s value, Bunga Emas may be multiplied for a longer time to come!

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
23 Apr 2018 8.40am
Reply to  tunglang

Many “Hang Li Pohs” coming to entertain local rich sugar uncles in return?

Song
Song
24 Apr 2018 7.55pm
Reply to  KhunPana
Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
18 Apr 2018 1.55pm

Tentacles oredi reach Malaysian homes via Oppo, Huawei, Vivo extensively. They are “sky eyes” tracking your lifestyles.
Our engineers too busy with election gimmicks instead of breakthrough in Bolehland designed smartphones.

tunglang
18 Apr 2018 7.36pm
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Opportunities for lucrative private detective services if one knows how to work with China’s smart phone corporations.

glissantia
glissantia
19 Apr 2018 9.10pm
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Bolehland spent some huge amount creating our own CPU chip about 15 years ago. Unfortunately, no one wanted to buy it.

Ho Wan Lai
Ho Wan Lai
23 Apr 2018 8.36am
Reply to  glissantia

There was once local branded phone CSL but now not in the market radar now. Could be same fate as it’s namesake of that former MCA President. Engineer can elaborate?

Norman
Norman
23 Apr 2018 9.07am
Reply to  glissantia

Likely that those are non-bumi companies…

Norman
Norman
23 Apr 2018 9.06am
Reply to  Ho Wan Lai

Jack Ma’s Ali Baba TianMao is making money online from Malaysian cosumers via lazada.com.my.

Tay Soon Poh
18 Apr 2018 1.28pm

Spoken like an CIA operative

Sage
Sage
27 Apr 2018 2.41pm

Selling the country to China? Debate spills into Malaysia’s Election

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malaysia-election-china/selling-the-country-to-china-debate-spills-into-malaysias-election-idUSKBN1HY076

There have been concerns in some BRI host countries, such as Sri Lanka and Pakistan, about rising debts levels, over-reliance on China and the environmental impact of mega-projects. Critics also say some projects give China access to strategic locations and trade corridors that could hurt the sovereignty of nations.

Objections to Chinese investments in Malaysia, however, have focused on the presence of thousands of Chinese workers, heavy dependence on Chinese materials, and limited opportunities for local companies.

tunglang
26 Apr 2018 9.42am

Pakatan Harapan unveils 68 promises for Penang
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/421590
GE14 | Penang Pakatan Harapan unveiled its state election manifesto today, which contains 68 promises for the coalition to fulfil if they retain the state after the 14th general election.

At a packed ceramah in the Penang Chinese Town Hall, they vowed to continue the various infrastructure projects implemented in the state, including highways, the undersea tunnel, and the Penang Transport Master Plan, which incorporates the LRT and public bus systems, to address the state’s traffic woes…

tunglang
26 Apr 2018 9.36am

Q. to Anil + readers:
DAP manifesto to continue with controversial PTMP including the sea tunnel should it win. Will you still vote for these controversies?
Tough decision. BUT look at the whole picture of a better future for all, ie get rid of the thieves (first) & pink diamond lovers. The controversies in Penang can be dealt with later.
Agree? Anil?

Tak senang lupa: A vote for Gelakan = a vote for a replay of Bo Hoot Ostrich (subservient idiots). Jangan senang-senang lupa.
MCA? Mana (ada) Cina angkat?

Wonder Woman
25 Apr 2018 7.41pm

Some many… China tourist at Northam Road. I hope they don’t… hang undergarments everywhere

KhunPana
KhunPana
24 Apr 2018 2.15am

I hope Anil will approve this and post this youtube link ( hilarous )
A message to all voters.
Thank You
https://youtu.be/cyotxmGe34I

shriek
shriek
23 Apr 2018 8.16pm

Pg forum and the dream tram. In sydney, the spanish is building a tramline from uni nsw to circular quay close to opera house. The project is over budget now and over delay for one year. The business in city is crying for me argentina as the roads havd to be close. Talk is good but to do it is impractical. The delay is caused by utiliities. The spanish is laying extra claim but the gomen is counter claim for delayd but rakyat but pedestrians, motorists and shopkeepers are the real victim.

Norman
Norman
23 Apr 2018 4.27pm

The mystery behind Kuantan’s ‘Great Wall of China’
https://malaysiakini.com/news/397677

Sage
Sage
27 Apr 2018 2.43pm
Reply to  Norman

In Kuantan, a laid-back coastal town with tropical beaches, China’s shadow is looming large.

Chinese firms are leading the construction of a 3,000-acre industrial park, which is rising out of sight behind what locals call a “Great Wall”, and they have taken a 40-percent stake in the operator of a deep water, multi-cargo port nearby.

Meanwhile, China Communications Construction Co Ltd (601800.SS) is building a 55 billion ringgit ($14 billion) rail line that will link Malaysia’s east coast on the South China Sea to Kuala Lumpur and the strategic shipping routes of the Strait of Malacca in the west.

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 8.00pm

Like it or not, Big Brother China is already 2 feet behind our doorsteps.
The next decade will see much geopolitical changes that may cause Asean countries to change their socio-economic play game away from US.
SingLand better take note or ‘die’ economically.
The only countries in the Asia Pacific to khia-siu (struggling afloat) are Australia, NZ & Fiji. Unless they also Ubah!

tunglang
22 Apr 2018 7.46pm

Those who cannot speak or write Putonghua will be left behind in social & economic progress in a wider regional paradigm shift.
Smart are those enlightened parents (regardless of race) who started sending their children to SJK (C) schools for their future survival.

Read Daniel Burstein’s Big Dragon – The Future of China: What It Means for Business, the Economy, and the Global Order (published March 1999).

Norman
Norman
22 Apr 2018 12.18pm

Sunday Star’s Wong Chun Wai today defended PRC ‘investment’ in Msia, said ‘don’t brush goodwill’. He concluded ‘Those who have dealt with China will tell you they value friendship. They remember their friends – and their foes, too.’

https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/on-the-beat/2018/04/22/dont-brush-aside-the-goodwill-before-launching-into-a-tirade-against-china-and-how-our-country-has-a/#xfIfUgFok0AFCxWu.99

Richie
Richie
23 Apr 2018 11.45am
Reply to  Norman

Cannot read The Star, full of propaganda for BN.

tunglang
26 Apr 2018 8.50am
Reply to  Richie

What they care about are their blue rice bowls.
Notwithstanding the country is going to become beggars’.
Esp. the ones who professes to be true Christians.

Johan Khun Pana
Johan Khun Pana
8 May 2018 4.38am
Reply to  Norman

In the early 1900s,Japan brought goodwill , investment and development to Manchuria. And that the Chinese should be grateful to them. If history is to repeat itself, Beijing might using the same ploy. the OBOR have all the slick tactical plans to take over “renegade” countries & annexing them. Don’t be alarm if 1 fine bright day we all wakes up and read Malaixia as part of New China in The Star & Utusan tabloid. It is very alarming when Najib mentioned “investment from China’s company” when it is all about getting a mega loan from Chinese Communist Party. This… Read more »

Bhaskal
Bhaskal
21 Apr 2018 1.00pm

Ah Jib gets easy PRC loan, then use it to support Trumps US economy?

shriek
shriek
22 Apr 2018 8.21am
Reply to  Bhaskal

Buying dream liners?

Norman
Norman
23 Apr 2018 9.09am
Reply to  Bhaskal

Jho Low had helped US economy with Malaysian money.

glissantia
glissantia
19 Apr 2018 10.34pm

One journalist (Pepe Escobar) wrote that while the Empire is struggling at the game of draughts, China is playing not just chess but Go. Many earth-shaking events are coming: – Yuan contertible to gold as payment for petroleum. Rouble is also being used. China and Russia have been stockpiling gold. The Empire can’t repeat what it did to Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi. The pressure on Saudi Arabia is growing. – China replacing the Empire as the major lender. Why buy bonds in fiat currency (that the Empire will then use to lend) when you can lend directly? – Lack of… Read more »