I was looking through the Ultima Hora newspaper today whilst having a coffee; I came across an interesting item concerning the collapsed travel company, Thomas Cook.
Actually, the article was only incidentally about Cook, but generally about the problems facing Britain and America with the trade wars they are waging with China, the main thrust being about the way China has managed to spread its influence across most of the business world without firing a shot.
The point was made that Britain, desperately trying to position itself as the numer uno ally of the States, has made itself subject to pretty much the same Chinese disapproval as the States receives. And here's the interesting thing, which I have never seen published or mentioned regarding Thomas Cook's collapse: Chinese money controls 75% of the company.
Does it take a genius to figure that when it comes to international trade battles, a delicate little lesson for the British Tory party might come in useful now and again? Withholding more required funds worked very well, I guess. I wonder how many TC employees or Tory voters knew about that 75% holding? I sure had no idea; I imagined it was German money from Neckermann had bought it. Instead, two birds and a single stone...
And meanwhile, a post-Brexit Britain is dreaming of expansive trade deals with China.
Which goes to show you that if you want to find out more about your own country, whoever you are, you gotta read the foreign press.
