As minhas viagens pelo chá

(Originalmente publicado no "Chás Andorinha Blog" no dia 6 de Dezembro de 2017)

(com republicação editada na "Alameda Digital" no dia 22 de Dezembro de 2017)

As primeiras foram da sala para a copa e da copa para a sala, era eu criança e ficava a ver a Mãe a escaldar o bule e a preparar as chávenas, o pão e os scones, as bolachas de água e sal, a manteiga, o doce de tomate e o mel. Um pouco mais crescido, já com alguns escudos no bolso, a viagem era já fora de casa mas ainda dentro de Lisboa, e acompanhando os Pais e os irmãos ia à Casa Pereira na Rua Garrett e comprava chá para no Natal dar às tias. Passou a ser o meu presente para as minhas tias cada ano, não sei se as tias deram conta no meio de tantos presentes e sobrinhos…

Casa Pereira – R. Garrett 38, Chiado

Portugal: sempre gostei de chá, chá a sério, e não tanto das infusões de outras plantas aromáticas. Em casa cresci a tomá-lo sem açúcar, muito raramente com um farrapinho de leite para o arrefecer e, de vez em quando, a garganta doía-me e eu juntava ao chá uma colherinha de mel e uma lasquinha da casca do limão. Mas o chá que na altura encontrávamos em Portugal, mesmo se em folhas soltas para fugir à sem-saboria das saquetas, era todo muito igual: pretos e verdes, parecidos entre si e de qualidade mediana.

Qatar: o primeiro contacto que tive com uma cultura de chá diferente foi há uns anos no Qatar, onde fui recebido logo no hotel com um copo de prata gravada com motivos árabes que continha um chá quente e ao mesmo tempo refrescante, tal como é hábito nestes países onde as pessoas se socorrem da menta para momentaneamente esquecer todo aquele calor. Assim se faz aquele que por nós é chamado de “chá marroquino”: chá verde (1/5 a 1/3) e menta (2/3 a 4/5). Esta bebida pode ser encontrada no Norte de África, no Médio Oriente e em zonas da Ásia, sendo comum no mundo árabe. A mistura é muito simples e pode facilmente ser replicada em sua casa.

Igreja do Santo Rosário, Dhaka

Bangladesh: em Bengala encontrei outra cultura do chá. No Bangladesh o chá que se consome é sobretudo produzido na região de Sylhet, no nordeste do país, perto do Assam (Índia) que tem chás parecidos e muito interessantes. Fui ao Bangladesh mais que uma vez e percorri-o de lés a lés, viajando em condições climatéricas e sanitárias que não ouso pormenorizar diante de pessoas mais impressionáveis. Muitas vezes fui de noite em autocarros velhos que quase se desconjuntavam a cada buraco que a estrada de lama nos oferecia… e a todo o momento, em cada paragem nocturna ou diurna, o chá preto de Sylhet com leite e açúcar era presença constante, e por vezes também lhe juntavam especiarias para ficar uma espécie de “chai”. É uma bebida quentinha, muito aromática e reconfortante. Só que, quando o chá é bom, faz pena juntar-lhe outros sabores que lhe tapam o aroma original.  Mas concordo que muitas vezes o chá não é lá grande coisa, e aí então faça-se como os ingleses ensinaram e ponha-se leite e açúcar para disfarçar todos os seus defeitos!

Açores: mais tarde, casei com a minha querida mulher. De lua-de-mel passámos por São Miguel, nos Açores, uma ilha idílica onde estão os campos ondulados de onde se abastecem marcas como a Gorreana, o Porto Formoso e o Chá Canto. Lá visitámos as plantações, lindas, com os azuis do mar e do céu a costurar o horizonte com as fiadas de arbustos de chá verdinhos… Vale bem a pena visitar estas plantações e casas, e tomar um chá a olhar para aquele pequeno pedaço de paraíso. Também no Minho houve experiências com a cultura do chá no século XIX, entretanto extintas, e penso que é importantíssimo para o património cultural de Portugal que nos Açores se continue a plantar, colher, processar e comercializar chá.

No entanto, não sendo açorianos, a minha mulher e eu decidimos experimentar outra forma muito portuguesa de comercializar o chá: cruzar mares e oceanos para os ir buscar às melhores plantações que há do outro lado do mundo!

Casa de chá com vista, Longjing

China: mais tarde, por razões de trabalho, comecei a ter que ir à China com bastante frequência. Mas que choque, mas que diferença! Os chás que lá provei eram uma completa novidade para mim, e não tinham quase nada a ver com os que sempre encontrei nas lojas de Lisboa. Como é possível que a partir das mesmas folhas de Camellia sinensis se façam chás de aromas tão diversos sem lhes juntar nenhum outro elemento? E porque é que estes chás nos foram vedados no “ocidente”? Se era assim em Hong Kong e Macau, como seria nas regiões produtoras? Eu estava muito impressionado com estes chás e tinha que tirar a limpo todas estas questões. Para investigar as respostas, visitei várias regiões do Sul da China onde se produzem chás muito especiais. Cada um desses sítios daria (e dará!) um artigo, e este já vai longo. Mas aqui fica um pequeno apontamento sobre algumas regiões que me marcaram:

Plantação de chá, Longjing

Zhejiang: o único Museu Nacional do Chá na China, com selo oficial, fica nos campos de Longjing, província de Zhejiang. Cruzando o famoso Lago Oeste da cidade imperial de Hangzhou, um pouco mais adiante, numa planície rodeada de lindas montanhas, está o museu em plena plantação de chá atravessada por um pitoresco ribeiro. É um museu muito completo que vale bem a visita, tem bastante informação, boas lojas, livraria e casas de chá para experimentar o ex-libris deste lugar: Longjing é um chá verde delicadíssimo, feito com pequenas folhas inteiras e espalmadas, e muito tenras após a infusão. A partir destas folhas também se faz o molho de um dos pratos típicos regionais: os suculentos camarões em molho de chá verde. Vale a pena visitar as aldeias de Longjing 龙井, Mei Jia Wu 梅家坞, as inúmeras estátuas budistas das grutas de Fei Lai Feng 飞来峰, o Lago Oeste 西湖com os seus imponentes pagodes e a cidade de Hangzhou 杭州市.

Caixas de munições ou canteiros?

Fujian: desta província chegavam quase todos os (poucos) chás da China que se podiam encontrar numa loja especializada de Lisboa nos anos 90. Em Fujian, há duas zonas especialmente conhecidas pela produção de chá: a região do Monte Wuyi 武夷山 de onde provêm bons chás oolong e conhecidos chás pretos como o Da Hong Pao e o fumado Lapsang Souchong, chás estes que estariam entre os que foram atirados ao mar na revolta do Boston Tea Party em 1773; e a região de Anxi 安溪县, que se intitula de “capital chinesa do chá” por produzir excelentes chás brancos (a par de Fuding 福鼎, mais a Norte) e por ser a origem do extraordinário chá oolong Tie Guan Yin, um dos meus favoritos. Para além destes lugares, tenho saudosas memórias de Xiamen 厦门市 (ou Amoy) e da pequena ilha de Gulangyu 鼓浪屿 em frente, com as velhas moradias de mercadores e diplomatas e que outrora foi chamada de “a milha quadrada mais rica do mundo” tal era o volume de negócios que ali se fazia entre chineses e ocidentais. Uma palavra especial para Quanzhou 泉州 (a que nós, portugueses, antigamente chamávamos de Chincheu), onde se terá inventado o cetim e onde começava uma das mais célebres rotas da seda. Hoje é uma cidade portuária com cerca de 7 milhões de pessoas, moderna mas cheia de História e de património. Estive 4 dias nesta cidade, visitei monumentos e templos de várias religiões, pedalei vários quilómetros de bicicleta, subi ao Monte Qingyuan 清源山 com belas vistas sobre a cidade, não parei de me surpreender com a cultura daquela cidade milenar e fiz bons amigos. Hei-de voltar.  

Estátua de Lao Zi, Quanzhou

Plantação de chá, Yunnan

Yunnan: nas bordas dos Himalaias, a província montanhosa do Yunnan é onde tudo começou no que toca ao chá. Diz a lenda que a nossa bebida preferida foi descoberta em 2737 a.C. nesta região pelo Imperador Chinês Shen Nong. Por aqui passou a mítica “Antiga Rota do Chá e dos Cavalos”, que levava aos tibetanos chá da China e trocava-o por cavalos do Tibete segundo as necessidades chinesas. O chá mais conhecido do Yunnan é o Pu’er (temos 2), que se pode apresentar em folhas soltas ou prensado em discos ou pequenos tijolos para facilitar o transporte, e envolvido em papel que não raras vezes é artisticamente decorado. Trata-se de um chá escuro, fermentado, que se pode guardar como se vinho de cave se tratasse, pois por vezes aperfeiçoa os seus sabores com o tempo, ganhando suavidade e uma maior elegância de aromas. Os chás de Menghai 海县e Xishuangbanna西双版纳 têm boa fama, mas é a terra de Pu’er 普洱市que dá o nome ao chá. As plantações dos nossos chás Pu’er ficam num lugar de difícil acesso, um pouco mais a Norte, a uma hora de Eshan 峨山 e a cerca de 2300m de altitude. Numa próxima oportunidade quero visitar os lugares históricos de Lincang 临沧市, Dali 大理 e Lijiang 丽江市, que são sítios dos quais ouvi falar muito bem. Mas marcou-me pela beleza natural quando visitei Shilin 石林, a “floresta de pedra” impressionante, não muito longe da capital de província Kunming 昆明. Seja no campo ou na cidade, fica também na memória a quantidade de pessoas que, de minorias étnicas e falando línguas próprias, vão na rua vestidas com coloridos trajes foclóricos.

Junco à noite, Hong Kong

Macau e Hong Kong: Já perdi a conta das vezes visitei Hong Kong e Macau, foi certamente mais que uma mão cheia delas. São lugares diferentes mas próximos e em constante relação. Por serem economias abertas ao mundo, aqui podem provar-se os melhores chás da China e de outros lugares como a Índia, o Ceilão, a Formosa, o Japão… são cidades onde os melhores produtos encontram as merecidas montras para serem expostos. As casas de chá na região de Cantão merecem profunda análise sociológica, pois ali se podem observar as interacções entre gerações, as hierarquias sociais, os costumes, a hospitalidade e a etiqueta. Todo o bom português deve visitar Macau e Hong Kong pelo menos uma vez na vida. Mas se gostar de chá, para além de procurar boas lojas e casas de chá, vale a pena visitar a Casa Cultural de Chá em Macau e a Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware em Hong Kong, que mostra ao visitante peças excepcionais como bules, xícaras e demais instrumentos e obras de arte relacionadas com a cultura do chá.

Casa de Nagatani Soen, Uji

Japão: o Japão é uma história diferente. Este povo, talvez pela sua condição insular, teve tempo e a oportunidade de olhar para si com mais cuidado e meditou durante séculos sobre as coisas de que dispunham. Não encontro outra razão que explique como a cultura do chá foi ritualizada e elevada a um estado artístico cuja estética não encontra entre nós rival. A cerimónia do chá é a imagem mais óbvia, mas o cultivo, a colheita, o processamento, tudo é feito com sabedoria e beleza. A leitura de Wenceslau de Moraes e laços de amizade já existentes precipitaram o destino: tínhamos de trazer também para Portugal os chás especiais do Japão.

Quioto: escrevia em 1905 o Cônsul de Portugal em Kobe acerca das plantações de chá em Uji 宇治que “mercê da riqueza do torrão, que de então até hoje o chá daquele sítio tem sido celebrado como o melhor de todo o Império; dele exclusivamente se serve o imperador” (Wenceslau de Moraes, in “O Culto do Chá”). Este chá tinha de estar em Portugal! Visitei as plantações de Uji, perto de Quioto, e mandei-o vir.

Aprendendo em Umegashima

Shizuoka: fui igualmente a outras plantações e fábricas extraordinárias, nomeadamente na região de Shizuoka 静岡県. Não é qualquer marca que vos pode apresentar um “sencha” do Monte Fuji tão bom como o nosso; ou que arrisque uma experiência como o Aires, um chá preto fumado como o chinês Lapsang Souchong, mas feito no Japão e substituindo a agressividade do pinho pela elegância da madeira de cerejeira… Mas o meu preferido é o chá verde da mais alta plantação do Japão: Umegashima 梅ケ島, a 1000m de altitude. Não voltarei a subestimar a capacidade de um chá me emocionar. Eu já provei muitos, mas este mexeu realmente comigo e cometemos a loucura de o trazer também. Temos todo o Japão numa xícara.

Mundo: também sei de vários sítios onde se planta bom chá e ainda não fui. Sonho por exemplo em ir a Uva na Ilha do Ceilão (Sri Lanka) conhecer suas plantações e provar aquele chá preto local tão consistente e elegante, ou a Darjeeling (Índia) para ver os seus famosos jardins de chá, e conto também um dia visitar as montanhas da Ilha Formosa (Taiwan) onde se produzem chás oolong extraordinários. No que toca a chá a minha curiosidade não tem fim, mas sinto-me privilegiado por tudo o que já pude ver.

Um óptimo presente de Natal

As histórias do chá são para mim roteiros de viagens, nem seja ao final do dia quando me sento no conforto da sala e visito uma memória antiga, que surge qual D. Sebastião por entre o nevoeiro e os aromas que se libertam da xícara de chá que elevo. O chá, como os livros, leva-nos a correr mundo sem serem necessárias as inconveniências de descolar e aterrar num avião. Daí o lema que nos acompanha:

Chás Andorinha – viaje pelo requinte!

Os nossos Chás Andorinha são mais que simples chás, cada um tem uma história e uma origem especial. Sugerimos assim que neste Natal dê chá, que é um presente tão bom! Para saber mais acerca da história de cada chá, por favor consulte: http://chasandorinha.pt/#chas

Lusophone opportunities in the Indian Ocean

O artigo em baixo foi inicialmente publicado na revista The Brussels Europe Press Club Magazine nº5, de Novembro de 2015.

Lusophone opportunities in the Indian Ocean

by António Vieira da Cruz

Por mares nunca de antes navegados

Passaram ainda além da Taprobana

(Luís Vaz de Camões, “Os Lusíadas”, Canto I)

Portuguese presence in the Indian Ocean

Portuguese is the 6^th largest language in the world by number of native speakers and it is spoken by around 250 million people in the five continents. [1] But we might say that Portuguese culture is a tale of three oceans: the Atlantic, the Indian and the Pacific. Most of the times we hear news in Portuguese from Atlantic Brazil, Angola or Portugal; we may also think of Macau and Portuguese interactions with Pacific China or Japan; instead, I chose to write here about our relation with the Indian Ocean. By travelling through this ocean you will certainly face many people with Portuguese surnames, find Portuguese fortresses and churches, or even taste Portuguese cuisine influence in local gastronomy. There is a strong link between those people, those places and Portuguese culture. This is the intangible value of lusophony. But we can go forward – as Portuguese sailors did in the past – and find also very tangible ways to connect people and produce wealth.

Today, 90% of international trade and two thirds of all petroleum supplies travel by sea. Around 70% of the world traffic of petroleum products passes through the Indian Ocean. [2] What happens in the Indian Ocean always had repercussions in other regions. Two proverbs from the 15^th century are significant: one says “if the world were an egg, Hormuz would be its yolk”; the other said “whoever is lord of Malacca has his hand on the throat of Venice”. [3] Well, the Portuguese conquered both Hormuz (1507) and Malacca (1511). When the Portuguese conquered Malacca, Ming China’s economy suffered. [4] Former President Hu Jintao recognized China’s “Malacca Dilemma”, by which the country is still dependent on the strait for over 25% of its exports and 15% of its imports. [5] Moreover, “40% of world trade passes through the Strait of Malacca and 40% of all traded crude oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.” [6]

From the early 16^th century until mid 17^th century we may say Portugal dominated trade in the Indian Ocean by setting up forts at the important straits and ports along the coasts of Africa and Asia. Like Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid draw maps to sail in the Mediterranean Sea, we could use The Thousand and One Nights’ Sindbad the Sailor story or Camões’s The Lusiads to sail in the Indian Ocean. From Camões we will find some clues to understand the importance of the Indian Ocean to Portugal and vice-versa. Inspired by the poet I would like to enumerate some key places for the lusophony, starting by South Africa and going through three continents by the ocean’s coastline until the end in Australia.

Cape Town, South Africa

The first European to cross the cape was Bartolomeu Dias in 1488. Until then the cape was called “Cape of Storms” (Cabo das Tormentas), but it was renamed by King John II of Portugal as “Cape of Good Hope” (Cabo da Boa Esperança), revealing his optimism to find a sea route to India. Camões writes about Adamastor, a terrible monster that sunk many ships and tells how the heroic Portuguese sailors overcame this obstacle. [7] The main exports of Cape Town are wine, petroleum products, grapes, apples, pears and quinces. It is also worthy to mention the growing tourism industry and the relevant financial, business services and real estate sectors.

Mozambique

Mozambique is the biggest Portuguese-speaking country in the Indian Ocean. Gas reserves are estimated to be the fourth largest in the world. [8] Mining and quarrying sectors accounted for 1.5% of the economy and energy accounted for 5%. However these sectors were expected to expand by more than 10% per year due to increased output of coal and gas. Important mineral extracted in the country are aluminum (2% of world’s production), beryllium (5%) and tantalum (6%). There is also a significant extraction of marble and production of cement. The main agricultural products in Mozambique are cotton, sugar cane, cashew, copra and cassava.

Zanzibar, Tanzania

Vasco da Gama passed in Zanzibar in 1498 and the island became a Portuguese possession for almost two centuries (1503-1698). Zanzibar's main industries are spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper), raffia, and tourism. The island where Freddie Mercury was born also exports seaweed. It is relatively autonomous from mainland Tanzania and Saul Bernard Cohen points out the island’s geopolitical potential: “the durability of the union of Zanzibar and Tanganika is increasingly in doubt. Should Zanzibar become independent, it could benefit from its location to become a gateway state linking East Africa to South Asia and Middle Eastern areas oriented to the Indian Ocean.” [9]

Mombasa, Kenya

Vasco da Gama was not well received by the King of Mombasa, who tried to ambush his units. With 1.3 million people, Mombasa is now the 2^nd largest city of Kenya and it was part of the Portuguese Empire for more than 100 years (1593-1698 and 1728-1729). Mombasa has the largest port of Kenya and exports refined oil and cement. Tourism is its main industry.

Malindi (Melinde), Kenya

Pillar of Vasco da Gama in Melinde

Contrasting with the hostile reception south in Mombasa, Vasco da Gama was very well received by the Sheik of Malindi. This is where in The Lusiads the hero Vasco da Gama narrates a part of Portugal’s History. That is already a good reason to visit the place. In reality they signed a trade agreement and the Portuguese explorer hired a Muslim sailor– probably Ahmad ibn Mājid El-Melindi – to guide him through the Indian Ocean water until India. Then, the main exports of Malindi were ivory, rhino horns and agricultural products such as coconuts, oranges, millet and rice. In 1499 the Portuguese established a trading post in Malindi that served as a resting stop on the way to and from India. Malindi remained the center of Portuguese activity in the Eastern Africa until 1593 when the main base was moved to Mombasa. Nowadays the main industries in the region are tourism, cement and cashew.

Adding to the previous mentioned conquests of Hormuz and Malacca, we must ackowledge other strategic places that the Portuguese conquered, such as Socotra Island (Yemen) and Aden (Yemen) to control the entry of the Red Sea; Muscat (Oman), Sohar (Oman), Khor Fakkan (United Arab Emirates), Bahrain, Qeshm (Iran) and Bandar Abbas (Iran) to – with the help of Hormuz (Iran) – control the Persian Gulf.

India and Ceylon

The Portuguese presence in India is well known and lasted for 450 years. I will not take long about this here. Places like Goa, Daman, Dadra and Nagar Aveli, Diu, Kochi, Cannanore or Calecut were part of the Portuguese Empire. Also Mumbai was Portuguese for 127 years (1534-1661) and it was given to the British as a wedding dowry when Portuguese Queen Catherine of Braganza married King Charles II of England. This Portuguese queen was the one who introduced in English society the culture of tea and the use of a fork at the dining table. And today, Mumbai is the largest city in India and one of the world’s biggest with more than 12 million inhabitants. Spices and tea were the main imports from Portuguese India and Ceylon. Ceylon was Portuguese for 153 years (1505-1658), until it was conquered by the Dutch. Nevertheless, there are still many lusophone elements in current Sri Lanka and many people still bear their Portuguese names. Besides tea, Sri Lanka is rich in rubber, coconut and graphite. It is also important to note Sri Lanka’s tourism growing industry and its indisputable centrality in the Indian Ocean.

Chittagong, Bangladesh; and Bago, Myanmar

Also known by Portuguese as Chatigão or Porto Grande de Bengala, Chittagong has now a population of 7 million people and it is the second largest in Bangladesh. In 1598 there were around 2500 Portuguese in Chittagong. In 1616 Chittagong and the island of Sundiva were conquered and the remaining Portuguese people dedicated themselves to piracy. There are many descendents from Portuguese in that area and I met some Christians with Portuguese surnames still. Main industries nowadays are shipping, tea, consumer foods, textiles, cement, real estate and tourism. Chittagong is also central in the BCIM international commercial corridor, which will link Kunming (China) to Mandalay (Myanmar), Chittagong (Bangladesh), Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Kolkata (India). Likewise, other Portuguese adventurers went south to Myanmar and installed themselves in the Kingdom of Pegu (now Bago). Two of them were even acclaimed as kings: Salvador Ribeiro de Sousa and Filipe de Brito e Nicote. Unfortunately, that history did not end well. Brito e Nicote was impaled, his troops were made prisoners for life. Their descendents are still Christians, have Portuguese names and faces and can be found in rural areas in Ava and Bago areas. They are known as the “Bayingyi”. [10]

East Timor

Finally, and leaving many lusophone places to name, we must consider a country that has Portugal’s best support: East Timor. Where the Indian Ocean ends and the Pacific Ocean starts, the eastern part of the island of Timor was governed by the Portuguese and it is a Portuguese-speaking country on the other side of the world. Timor has been developing a partnership with Australia for the extraction of petroleum and natural gas resources in the waters southeast of East Timor. Regarding Australia, some theorists say that the first Europeans to reach Australia were Portuguese. But what we know for sure is that there is a large hardworking Portuguese community in Australia nowadays. [11]

Conclusion

Like the Portuguese, other great nations explored the Indian Ocean. The Ottomans, the Omanis, other Arabs and Persians, the Chinese, the Dutch, the French, the English, and now the Americans, the Indians and the Chinese again, all of them had different experiences on the region. But as we see the Portuguese experience is especially rich. If we dare to rediscover the lusophone Indian Ocean and reconnect with its people, we may find a very interesting advantage for trade and investments. For that, we must embrace lusophone values like the courage to turn a Cape of Storms into a Cape of Good Hope; or to partner with valuable people to achieve better results, like Vasco da Gama and Ahmad ibn Mājid did in Melinde; to think strategically like Afonso de Albuquerque did; and to conquer the hearts of native people, like St. Francis Xavier did in Goa and Malacca where he is venerated still today. So, the remaining question is… when will you start your lusophone enterprise?

---

References

[1] http://www.lavanguardia.com/cultura/20140627/54411368382/portugal-celebra-800-anos-del-nacimiento-oficial-de-su-lengua.html 

[2] http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/31/business/worldbusiness/31indiaarms.html
?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[3] KAPLAN, Robert D., in “Monsoon”, p. 7, Random House Trade Paperbacks, New York 2011.

[4] KAPLAN, Robert D., in “Monsoon”, p. 10, Random House Trade Paperbacks, New York 2011.

[5] http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2015/04/01/the-shadow-of-a-malacca-dilemma-on-an-iranian-hormuz-dilemma/ 

[6] http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/rivalry_in_the_indian_ocean.html 

[7] CAMÕES, Luís Vaz de, in “Os Lusíadas”

[8] https://www.bci.co.mz/Mozambique_JuneSite_2012.pdf 

[9] COHEN, Saul Bernard, in “Geopolitics of the World system”, p. 376, Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Oxford 2003

[10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HWMj-7DPhg 

[11] http://www.bbc.com/portuguese/reporterbbc/story/2007/03/070321_portugalaustralia
_ir.shtml 

China, Indonesia, India and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative

China’s President Xi Jinping announced last November that China will promote Asia’s connectivity by creating a $40 billion USD fund for the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road. This is part of the now called Chinese Dream, which according to President Xi Jinping consists on “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. [1] And according to SCMP, the “New Silk Road Economic Belt” and the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road” will build roads, ports, airports and railways across Central and South Asia”. [2]

President Xi Jinping was also quoted saying that “the Silk Road Fund will be open and welcome investors from Asia and beyond to actively take part in the project”. [3] It is therefore evident that this investment is not only a business opportunity for many regional and global companies, but also a political opportunity of regional cooperation for the countries of Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, East Africa and Middle East. This is a project that might have a positive global impact and could even re-launch the much needed regional cooperation with strategic partnerships in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.

 

Picture 1 - Current and Xi Jinping's routes [2]

The main challenges and opportunities of the “21^st Century Maritime Silk Road” initiative are considerably dependent on how other key regional players – such as Indonesia and India – will engage with or influence the Chinese plan.

Let’s start by Indonesia. Indonesia has a new leader, President Joko Widodo, who is a pro-business reformer with an ambitious modernization plan for the country, projecting Indonesia as a “maritime axis” between the Pacific and the Indian oceans. Last Thursday, the 5^th of March 2015, I was privileged to meet in Brussels the Indonesian Deputy Minister of the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Mr Arif Havas Oegroseno. As he said, the 5 pillars of Indonesia’s new maritime strategy are:

- Maritime Culture

- Maritime Economy

- Maritime Connectivity

- Maritime Security

- Maritime Diplomacy

According to Mr Oegroseno, next 4 years Indonesia will invest $57 billion USD in upgrading 24 harbors and 5 deep sea ports. Additionally, Indonesia will invest $70 billion USD in building 7 new yacht and cruise harbors and 9 new airports. This fundraising is currently being done and in Europe the main investors are from Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Germany. All of these goals seem to work well for the Chinese Maritime Silk Road initiative. Moreover, general perception is that China and Indonesia have very close relations and Indonesia’s leadership in the Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA) next 2 years could play favorably for China’s projects in the Indian Ocean. Indonesia could also be helpful in softening relations between China and other ASEAN countries as Vietnam and the Philippines, with which there are some sovereignty disputes over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. The Silk Road Fund has definitely a big potential to be a key diplomatic and economic integration tool from which China and ASEAN countries can benefit.

Historically Indonesia has had an important role in Chinese exports to places like, for instance, Oman. Indonesia’s efforts to restore its infrastructures are crucial for the country to maintain that status of “maritime axis” between the Pacific and Indian oceans. Economic projections are also positive for the country. Indonesia is currently the 16^th biggest economy in the world. As we can see below, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) projects that Indonesia will be the 11^th biggest economy by 2030 and the 8^th biggest economy by 2050. While China will have a stable status quo as leader, India will dispute the 2^nd place with the United States. [4]

 

Table 1 - Actual and projected top 20 economies ranked based on GDP in PPP terms [4]

Regarding South Asia, the situation is not simple. We must bear in mind India’s crucial role in it. China has a strong alliance with Pakistan, as we can see by emblematic Chinese sponsored infrastructures such as the Karakoram highway and the Gwadar deep-sea port. Besides that, China has a close relation with the current government of the Maldives [5] and has major investments in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This is why the String of Pearls Theory is popular not only in India but also within international analysts. According to this theory, China would have as strategy the encirclement towards India, its economy and military, in order to dominate the Indian Ocean. In fact, the “21^st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative” has been seen by the Indian media as a Chinese rebranding of its String of Pearls. [6]

With the election of Prime-Minister Narendra Modi in India last year, many things have been changing India as well as in South Asia. With programmes like “Make in India” [7] or by reducing bureaucracy, the new Indian government has shown that pro-business policies are their main priority. Also in neighbor countries like Sri Lanka things are changing. Sri Lanka’s previous President Mahinda Rajapaksa developed in his 10 years consulate a very close relation with China, endorsing China’s Maritime Silk Road initiative and welcoming Chinese investment in the country’s infrastructures, such as in the ports of Colombo, Tricomalee and others. [8] But in January 2015, against all odds, President Rajapaksa lost the elections and the new President Maithripala Sirisena took office. President Sirisena is much closer to India than its predecessor was and he promised to establish “equal relations” between China, India, Pakistan and Japan. [9] In Sri Lanka, as in Bangladesh and also in inland countries as Nepal and Bhutan, China must have India’s role in consideration for its Maritime Silk Road project. China has some diplomatic challenges in these cases, since cooperation and even coordination with India will probably be much more effective for business than competition or confrontation. Prime-Minister Modi is visiting its neighbor countries in South Asia in a second round since his election last year. This tells us that India will not open hand of his leading role in the region.

Other countries like Japan, Australia or New Zealand could be also interested in the new infrastructures and opportunities generated by the “21^st Century Maritime Silk Road” initiative. Arguably, the ongoing negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) can somehow affect the flow of investment, commerce and partnerships related to the Maritime Silk Road. However, for the time being, this threat is not meaningful for two main reasons: first, the negotiations completion will take time; and second, it will probably result in a complementary market rather than in damaging competition.

 

Picture 2 - CSCL Globe, the biggest cargo ship in the world, with capacity for 19100 TEU containers

In Europe the “21^st Century Maritime Silk Road” initiative is being received with great expectations. Just this week the Chinese cargo ship passed by the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, increasing people’s interest on the issue. [10] Illustrating this, the Port of Zeebrugge has offices in Shanghai and the King of Belgium will visit China by June 2015.

Finally, this week Heritage Foundation and New Direction Foundation presented in Brussels [11] the 2015 Index of Economic Freedom [12]. According to this index, Hong Kong maintained the status as the world’s freest economy for the 21^st consecutive year. Singapore ranks 2^nd in this index that considers as indicators the rule of law, government size, regulatory efficiency and open markets. As Goldman Sachs recognizes, the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect launching in the 17^th of November 2014 “allows mainland Chinese investors to purchase select Hong Kong and Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong, and lets foreigners buy Chinese A shares listed in Shanghai in a less restrictive manner than has previously been the case.” [13] Such policies and the Maritime Silk Road investments will allow Hong Kong and Singapore to reinforce their status as the main business centers of Southeast Asia.

António M.C. Vieira da Cruz

Brussels, the 7^th of March 2015

--- 

Sources:

[1] http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/05/opinion/global/xi-jinpings-chinese-dream.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1

[2] http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1657213/road-chinas-past-future

[3] http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/08/us-china-diplomacy-idUSKBN0IS0BQ20141108

[4] http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/world-2050/assets/pwc-world-in-2050-report-january-2013.pdf

[5] http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1593453/maldives-supports-chinas-plan-maritime-silk-road

[6] http://thediplomat.com/2014/02/the-maritime-silk-road-vs-the-string-of-pearls/

[7] http://www.makeinindia.com/

[8] http://www.maritimesun.com/news/sri-lanka-supports-chinas-initiative-of-a-21st-century-maritime-silk-route

[9] http://www.the-american-interest.com/2015/01/09/a-snag-in-chinas-string-of-pearls-strategy/

[10] http://www.marinelink.com/news/zeebrugge-globe-calls386567.aspx

[11] http://newdirectionfoundation.org/content/how-free-are-european-economies-brussels-march-4th-2015

[12] http://www.heritage.org/index/

[13] http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/trends-in-our-business/stock-connect/

book review "Forgotten War: Forgotten Genocide"

Author: Wali-ur Rahman

Publisher: Bangladesh Heritage Foundation

Place: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Year: 2011

181 pages

If someone ever asks me how to understand Bangladesh better, my advice is: start by studying its International Crimes Tribunal. I would say this is perhaps the best way to know about Bangladesh contemporary history and politics. That is what happened with me. The International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh tells us a lot about the country’s past and present; about its independence; about its cultural, ethnic and political tensions; and about its struggle to find justice, peace and prosperity. The book “Forgotten War: Forgotten Genocide” was written in 2011 by my good friend H.E. Ambassador Wali-ur Rahman and it is an ideal tool to understand everything about these issues.

From 1947 to 1971 Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and before it was under the British Raj. Bangladesh, or East Pakistan, had a very different culture and language than West Pakistan, which the rulers of Islamabad did not recognize. On the end of 1970, Pakistan held the first general elections in its History and the Awami League party (from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh) won the elections by far, gaining more than half of the parliamentary seats. However, President Yahya Khan refused to hand out the power to the Awami League and, on the 7^th of March 1971, its leader Sheik Mujibur Rahman declared in front of 2 million people in Dhaka “our struggle is for our freedom, our struggle is for our independence”. Yahya Khan met with Pakistan Armed Forces and started a terrible crackdown in East Pakistan, which resulted in 9 months of war, ending with the independence of a new country, Bangladesh.

But meanwhile, heinous crimes against humanity were committed and probably the biggest world genocide after the Holocaust happened, causing the death of about 3 million people. As Wali-ur Rahman says in the book,

In the short period of 9 months we lost 3 million people and 2 lac mothers and sisters lost their virginity. It is believed in certain quarters that a figure of three million has its origins in comments made by Yahiya Khan to the journalist Robert Payne on 22 February 1971: “Kill three million of them and the rest will eat out of our hands.” (page 31)

The Pakistani military forces and its local collaborators were particularly brutal and, as ordered,

attacked systematically and on a widespread basis the Bangalees on an ethnic ground; they attacked Hindu Bangalees on a religious ground; they attacked Awami league supporters on a political ground. So it is evident that they made their attacks being discriminated politically, racially, religiously and ethnically and the attack was systemic and widespread if we take into account the occurrences of the attacks during 9 months and the number of victims. (pages 41-42)

From this results that

by September 1972, nearly 41.000 collaborators were arrested and charges were brought against 37.491 collaborators against whom there were specific allegations. Till October 1973, 2.848 cases were heard by the 73 Collaborators Tribunals and 752 were convicted. During the trial, on April 17, 1973 the government issued a Press Release as regards war criminals for the first time. In the Press Release 195 persons were termed as war criminals. (page 35)

According to the book, the religious affiliation of victims during the 1971 war were Muslims (56,50%), but also Hindus (41,44%) and Christians & Others (2,06%). Incidents of History – explained in the book – only allowed Bangladesh to form a fully working tribunal to judge the 1971 crimes against humanity on 2010, almost 40 years later. But it is better later than never. The idea of such a tribunal comes from a considerable tradition of International Crimes Tribunals formed since the 2^nd World War in many occasions and places. This is a list of them:

• Nuremberg Tribunals (Nuremberg, 1945-6)

• Tokyo Tribunals (Tokyo, 1946)

• The International Crimes Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia ICTY (Hague, 1994)

• The International Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda ICTR (Arusha-Tanzania, 1996)

• Special Courts for Sierra Leone (Sierra Leone, 2002)

• Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia ECCC (Cambodia, 1997)

• Hybrid Tribunals for East Timor (Dili, 2000)

• International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh, 2010 - present)

It is very important for Bangladesh to finally overcome this wound. Present democratic leaders of Bangladesh realized that if impunity keeps triumphing like it did for the last 40 years in Bangladesh, the country would never overcome this wound and punish some of the worse war criminals of the 20^th century. It is very important for Bangladesh that the international community supports its International Crimes Tribunal. Proper justice is crucial to gain peace and for the nation to move forward.

I strongly recommend the reading of this book because it helps us to remember the forgotten war and to know why and how the International Crimes Tribunal was formed: for the sake of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Reading this book you will be able to understand the importance of judging these crimes still today, as the impressive Shahbag youth protests in 2013 clearly showed. When this process ends, Bangladesh will be finally able to move forward and embrace exclusively its future. May this beautiful country and its heroic people be blessed with the best things that exist.