Like Tree166Likes

Belt & Road

Closed Thread
Page 30 of 36 FirstFirst ... 22 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 ... LastLast
  1. #291

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    Which as I say is the problem, if the stories on one country are false how to trust all the others.

    For stories on the debt trap you could look on here. Do you really want me to post a selection from the media?
    I did a quick look on Google and there didn't seem to a large body of thought that China has pushed Philippines into excessive debt. I am not sure why you think it is a general assumption - it isn't

  2. #292

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,768
    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    I did a quick look on Google and there didn't seem to a large body of thought that China has pushed Philippines into excessive debt. I am not sure why you think it is a general assumption - it isn't
    You were talking about debt traps. You have now changed that to excessive debt and can't find anything. Try googling "Philippines Chinese debt trap".

  3. #293

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    You were talking about debt traps. You have now changed that to excessive debt and can't find anything. Try googling "Philippines Chinese debt trap".
    Same result. Still there are a spectrum of actions under the initiative. If you want all countries to be the same in the scheme they are not.

  4. #294

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,768
    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    Same result. Still there are a spectrum of actions under the initiative. If you want all countries to be the same in the scheme they are not.
    Are you just making stuff up? Who said anything about wanting all countries to be the same in the scheme? No one did. You know no one did. Why say that? You do have this terrible habit of changing an argument to one that no one has made. You do it way too frequently for it to be a mistake.

    By the way you need to improve your Google skills.

  5. #295
    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    Are you just making stuff up? Who said anything about wanting all countries to be the same in the scheme? No one did. You know no one did. Why say that? You do have this terrible habit of changing an argument to one that no one has made. You do it way too frequently for it to be a mistake.

    By the way you need to improve your Google skills.
    Hence we call him Mr Mouthstufah.

  6. #296

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    By the way you need to improve your Google skills.
    I looked at 5 articles - all had a similar theme of 'unequal treaties' I did not see any let alone a consensus of a debt overhang. I could continue looking but that would probably feel like I was looking for the answer I wanted.

    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    Are you just making stuff up? Who said anything about wanting all countries to be the same in the scheme? No one did. You know no one did. Why say that? You do have this terrible habit of changing an argument to one that no one has made. You do it way too frequently for it to be a mistake.

    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    One of the problems is not only the lack of transparency but perhaps related to this is the total bollocks that is published. Obviously the one I know, Philippines sinking into Chinese debt trap.

    At the end of 2018 total external debt was USD 79 billion of which less than USD 1 billion was owed to China. Yes the total exposure to China was only 950 million. At the same time foreign reserves rose again, to USD 86 billion. Yesterday they borrowed USD 850 million in a Euro bond almost the same as owed in total to China.

    So this is why I am very cynical when I read about the supposed Chinese debt trap. I can only assume that a lot of what I read about other countries is also bollocks.
    This looks as if you are arguing that the concept of debt trap diplomacy is not really something that should be considered as there is not debt trap diplomacy in the Philippines. I may be jumping a little but that is how I read it.
    TheBrit likes this.

  7. #297

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,768

    [QUOTE=East_coast;3630080]I looked at 5 articles - all had a similar theme of 'unequal treaties' I did not see any let alone a consensus of a debt overhang. I could continue looking but that would probably feel like I was looking for the answer I wanted.]

    My argument is simple and clear. If I know the reports on the Philippines with regard to the risks of a debt trap are bollocks then how do I know the other stories are not bollocks. Not that all countries are the same, not that because it is is false in the Philippines it must be false in all the other countries, not that you should not consider debt trap diplomacy. Simply how can I trust what I read about other countries?

    I am not a complicated person, if I argue point A I tend to mean point A so no need to expand or infer from point A to B,C and Z.


  8. #298

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,768

    The first two articles when I googled, do you want me to look for more? Perhaps they only come up in the Philippines?

    https://www.rappler.com/nation/22472...ff-loans-china


    https://www.rappler.com/thought-lead...hina-debt-trap


  9. #299

    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    猴山
    Posts
    23,652
    Quote Originally Posted by hullexile:
    The first two articles when I googled, do you want me to look for more? Perhaps they only come up in the Philippines?

    https://www.rappler.com/nation/22472...ff-loans-china


    https://www.rappler.com/thought-lead...hina-debt-trap
    Neither of these state the current level of debt is the primary issue, they both focus on the unequal terms and then point to other countries that have taken on too much debt as what could happen. I am not sure what your argument is?

  10. #300

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Pampanga, Philippines
    Posts
    29,768
    Quote Originally Posted by East_coast:
    Neither of these state the current level of debt is the primary issue, they both focus on the unequal terms and then point to other countries that have taken on too much debt as what could happen. I am not sure what your argument is?
    Oh come on EC. Just look at the headlines. Yes they are not saying the Philippines is about to default tomortow, what they are clearly saying is that risk is there in the future - except it isn't outside of "the moon could turn out to be an alien spaceship waiting to attack earth" type probabilities. But if you want to continue arguing that no one is talking about the Philippines having fallen into a Chinese debt trap (despite that being the headline) what can I say. I am glad you agree that the Philippines is not in or likely to be in a debt trap.

Closed Thread
Page 30 of 36 FirstFirst ... 22 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 ... LastLast