Beautiful Country, Black Palace!
Judith pushed the intelligence report onto the table and said, "Mr. President, this is the situation. On the day you completed your inauguration ceremony, the Jieke Group announced the completion of the Kra Isthmus Canal."
From behind the firm desk, the newly inaugurated President of the Beautiful Country, Jesmin, picked up the intelligence report and read it word for word.
It contained detailed intelligence and analysis about the Kra Isthmus Canal, including photos taken by onsite reporters, satellite overhead images, and the potential consequences of the canal's completion.
After reading through it all once, Jesmin laid down the docunt expressionlessly and said in a deep voice, "Is the Jieke Group doing this to provoke ? I used to think the Jieke Group's actions were arrogant, and now it seems I have sowhat underestimated them."
Jesmin didn't expect that just as he had beco President of the Beautiful Country, the Jieke Group would give him such a show of force.
Why didn't the Kra Isthmus Canal get completed earlier or later? It happened to be completed on the sa day he attended the inauguration ceremony and officially beca the 48th President of the Beautiful Country. It's clear who this is targeting.
"This is exactly how the Jieke Group operates; otherwise, they wouldn't have beco our crucial threat."
Judith shook his head. He knew the Jieke Group best, having dealt with them for many years.
Under Su Jie's leadership, the Jieke Group grew from a local warlord in Chan Country to a major force, always relying not on courtesy and modesty, but on strong and aggressive tactics.
Generally, a force growing this way would likely provoke widespread anger and be destroyed midway, and the Jieke Group was no different, attracting many enemies.
However, unlike the normal trajectory of developnt, most of the Jieke Group's adversaries were wiped out by them in turn.
Because besides being aggressive, Jieke Group's core strength lay in their military power.
Even if others disliked the Jieke Group, it was extrely difficult to do anything about them.
"Has any country made a statent on the completion of the Kra Isthmus Canal yet?"
Jesmin didn't dwell on that and asked about the Kra Isthmus Canal's situation.
"Hua Country, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iran..."
Judith listed off dozens of countries, basically those that frequently traverse the Eurasian Continent, especially those with significant oil trade.
The opening of the Kra Isthmus Canal ans sea voyages will be more than a thousand kiloters shorter than passing through the Malacca Strait, saving nearly a week's ti.
A large ship traveling through the Kra Isthmus Canal will save significant shipping costs.
The reduced ti will also improve the operational efficiency of the ships.
Originally, a ship could only make ten round trips between the Eurasian Continent in a year; now, with the ti saved by the Kra Isthmus Canal, it could make an extra one or two trips per year, and this increased operational efficiency translates directly into money! Not to ntion that many goods have ti requirents, and the faster they are delivered, the better.
"So many countries..."
Jesmin frowned, the Malacca Strait is one of the busiest straits in the world, with about 100,000 ships passing through it annually, 70% of East Asia's energy is transported through the Malacca Strait, accounting for one-quarter of the world's mariti trade.
Now with the Kra Isthmus Canal disrupting things, the importance and strategic position of the Malacca Strait will greatly diminish.
"There are still many countries hesitating. The European Union, Japan, Korea, and others are considering whether to join this canal."
As Judith was speaking, his phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated a few tis.
Taking it out, Judith saw a ssage from a subordinate, regarding the Kra Isthmus Canal.
"What is it?"
Jesmin noticed Judith's expression change, with a hint of joy in his eyes.
"Mr. President, the Jieke Group has just announced the toll charges for the Kra Isthmus Canal. They will charge Friendly Countries based on cargo tonnage, at rates of 4-8 US Dollar per ton, averaging 5 US Dollar per ton. For a large ship carrying 100,000 tons of cargo, the average transit cost would be around 500,000 US Dollar. However, the Jieke Group has classified our Beautiful Country, Japan, Korea, the European Union, and several other nations as unfriendly, doubling the rate to 1 million US Dollar."
Judith showed the information on his phone to Jesmin, which made him heave a sigh of relief.
"I was originally wondering how to force those countries to use the Kra Isthmus Canal, but now it seems we don't have to worry; the Jieke Group has helped us."
Jesmin couldn't help but laugh; seeing the Jieke Group's blatant targeting, those European Union and Japanese shipping companies would save him the trouble of issuing mandatory orders.
Moreover, his administrative orders could at most govern the Beautiful Country; the shipping companies of other nations might not necessarily comply.
Earning profits and saving costs is the instinct of any business, or rather, any capitalist. With the Kra Isthmus Canal offering such savings in shipping costs and ti, it would be hard for those shipping companies to resist the temptation.
But now it's different. With the Jieke Group's differentiated toll sche, those Europe and Arica Shipping Companies wanting to use the Kra Isthmus Canal will likely reject such blatant robbery and return to the Malacca Strait.
"The Jieke Group made a bad move. They thought controlling the Kra Isthmus Canal would give them power over everything. Such high tolls will surely prevent a significant reduction in traffic through the Malacca Strait."
Judith smiled. Originally, he was worried that the Malacca Strait's shipping volu might reduce by seventy to eighty percent, as the Kra Isthmus Canal was indeed too convenient.
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