Father of France

Chapter 170 Franco-Thailand Cooperation
These wealthy Chinese businessmen are among the most prominent in Thailand today. During this special period, it is essential to unite everyone's efforts to restart the rice trading center in Bangkok.

Coman waited patiently. Although the schedule was very tight, especially after arriving in French Indochina, he still understood the principle of focusing on one thing at a time.

"I never imagined that Chinese businessmen would dominate the Thai economy, especially in an independent country like this. It's so strange." Akda came to this conclusion after only a brief tour of Bangkok. "It's the same as Saigon, but Saigon was a colony. It's strange that this is happening in an independent country."

"No, this is an Indian cultural country. We and the Germans are both white. Are our cultures the same?"

Koeman chuckled dismissively and said, "France is Latin culture, Germany is Germanic, France is a Catholic country, Germany is a Protestant country. The political center of Vietnam is Confucian, and the whole of Thailand is Indian culture."

Bangkok's full name is quite long, but the most important meaning comes from the last sentence: "A city given by Indra and built by Vishnu."

Indra is the king of the gods in Hinduism, and Vishnu is one of the three main gods alongside Brahma and Shiva. The capital city has the same meaning, making it a typical Indian cultural country.

“That’s why I find it strange. This country’s religion is Indian, but the group that controls the economic center is from another country. What about their own main ethnic group? They have nothing.” Akda said with a face full of incomprehension. “Even our colony of French Indochina couldn’t do it so thoroughly.”

Eckard even wondered if France had been too lenient over the past century and should have learned more about the different cultures of other countries, which might have made colonization easier.

“This country is complex, and I can’t explain it clearly in a short time, but the current definition is an Indian cultural country with an upper-middle class Chinese population, which is quite accurate. It’s not surprising, India still has a caste system.” Koman chuckled. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with our strategy, that’s fine. Now is not the time to solve problems with force.”

Apart from Vietnam, where Confucianism is relatively dominant, almost the entire Southeast Asia is influenced by Indian culture. Even in the Philippines, which is now predominantly Catholic, and Indonesia and Malaysia, which are predominantly Muslim, there are numerous Hindu and Buddhist temples. It is clear that in the past, Indian culture was dominant in these countries as well.

Given this historical legacy, it's no wonder that Indians can't help but dream of expanding their influence in Southeast Asia, and there's even a specific policy called the Eastward Policy.

As Aikta said, Thailand's situation is quite special. This country with Indian culture has a Chinese population occupying a central position in the economy, and there are reasons for this.

The reason is that the current Bangkok Dynasty was established after the Burmese invasion. The Bangkok Dynasty was able to restore its kingdom because of the Qing-Burmese War. Although the Qing army was trapped in Burma and could not adapt to the local climate, it still managed to defeat Burma, which had not yet been digested by Thailand, and bring it back to its original state.

Therefore, the Chakri Dynasty initially respected the military might of its northern neighbor, and the Thais also considered themselves to be from the north. The dynasty's founder even impersonated a descendant of Taksin. Since even the king was posing as Chinese, open anti-Chinese sentiment was naturally out of the question.

Although they couldn't do it openly, the Chakri Dynasty had its own assimilation methods; Chinese immigrants to Thailand would adopt Thai surnames. However, the Chakri Dynasty clearly encountered the problem of plans not keeping pace with changes.

The assimilation policy of the early Chakri Dynasty was very successful. There were few Chinese coming to Thailand, so the Thais did not feel that assimilation was difficult.

However, by the late Qing Dynasty, the population of this great Eastern power had swelled to a scale unprecedented in agricultural societies. During the Opium War, there were only 200,000 Chinese in Thailand, but by the time the Qing Dynasty fell, the number of Chinese in Thailand had reached 1.3 million.

Thailand, with its large Chinese immigrant population, has been unable to assimilate them all. Even after several decades, the Chinese have not forgotten where they came from. This has led to a problem: Thais identify themselves as originating from the north, and the Chinese also come from the north. Thus, in terms of ethnic roots, Thailand is linked to the great Eastern power.

The difference is that the Dai people are a minority group in a major Eastern country, while the Chinese in Thailand are a minority.

The Chinese are still a minority in Thailand, so much so that they are divided into two groups: those who have adopted Thai surnames and those who retain their own surnames. Although the two groups have made different choices, they both remember their Chinese identity because they have not been here for long.

This time, Koman is facing a group of Chinese people who retain, or at least have both their original and Thai surnames, but this is by no means the whole group. There is also a large number of wealthy people who have given up their Chinese surnames but know that they are descendants of Chinese people, and they have not been counted yet.

At this time, the Chinese community in Thailand was already very strong. The current Thai Prime Minister, Priti Panomrong, whom Liao Gongpu mentioned, is a descendant of Chinese who abandoned his original surname. The previous military junta leader, Luang Phibunsongkhram, was also a Chinese.

The Thai military has relatively little influence over the most Thai groups in Thailand, but as long as elections exist in Thailand, the Chinese community can continue to expand its influence in the electoral process.

The Jews have set an example. In the early postwar period, the Jews only had a significant influence in the business world. Gradually, they entered the political arena. After entering the political arena, the generals at the Pentagon still do not see Jews.

However, the proxies who have been supported have seriously infiltrated the U.S. military, which is most heavily influenced by the Anglo-Saxon ideology.

Koman told Akda that Thailand is undoubtedly an Indian cultural country now, but this is by no means static. It depends on the stage at which a major Eastern power and a prominent nation develops its cultural identity.

In the 21st century, although Thailand is still a country with Indian culture, it has shown a trend of associating itself with East Asian countries in short videos.

Thailand's biggest enemy in its alignment with East Asia is the Vietnamese, who are also aligning themselves with East Asia and constantly emphasize that Thailand is a product of Indian culture.

After patiently waiting for four days and fully experiencing the rich Buddhist atmosphere, Koman finally understood why the first version of Journey to the West was filmed in Thailand.

Just then, Liao Gongpu sent someone to inform Koman that Thai civilian Prime Minister Priti Panonrong was willing to talk to Louis Fuda Company about resuming exports from the Bangkok Rice Exchange Center.

“This time, the prime minister we are dealing with is a civilian, which is very good. We can negotiate with a civilian government and talk about force with a military government.”

Koeman strode confidently toward the Prime Minister’s residence, saying, “Besides corn, the only other staple foods in the world are rice and wheat. Because of the vastness of the United States, we are at a great disadvantage in wheat. But if we can control rice, one of the two major staple foods, we can share the world food trade with the United States. Therefore, our influence in Southeast Asia is crucial.”

In fact, many parts of Africa are suitable for rice cultivation, and much of the cooperation between this major Eastern power in the 21st century has involved sharing rice cultivation experience with African countries. Rice production in Africa has already surpassed that of wheat.

Although the climate of North Africa is not suitable for rice cultivation, France is not without its own reputation as the "King of Africa." Apart from North Africa, France also has equatorial Africa, which is very suitable for rice cultivation.

"Judge, your grasp of macro issues truly surpasses that of us companies." What could Akda say? At this point, all he could do was nod. Koman really dared to treat money like dirt.

Thailand is currently facing a severe shortage of foreign exchange and needs foreign investment to alleviate its inflationary pressures. However, knowing this is one thing, and it's certainly not feasible for Akta to take such a gamble. But Koman dared to do so, and even contributed 20 million US dollars to jointly invest with Louis Fuda to revitalize Thailand's rice exports.

Having already taken the lead in the charge, how could Louis Fida possibly back down like a coward?

Ekdad keenly sensed the danger. If Louis Fida backed down, Corman wouldn't hesitate to add another twenty million dollars, and might even use the French Indochina army to kick Louis Fida out of the Saigon rice trade. In that case, Louis Fida, as a grain company, would certainly suffer a severe blow.

Upon entering the Prime Minister's Office, Liao Gongpu came out first and introduced Koman to Chen Bichen of Bangkok Bank, Thailand's largest bank; Wu Banchao, the timber tycoon; Zheng Wulou of Central Group; and Xie Yichu of CP Group.

After finishing his introduction, Liao Gongpu continued, "We are all willing to cooperate in restarting rice trade and exports; Thailand needs France's help."

"Your name is renowned and widely known." Koman shook hands with several wealthy Chinese businessmen and said to Liao Gongpu, "Many Thais refer to you as royal merchants, which speaks volumes about your influence."

The Thai term "royal merchant" is exactly what it sounds like, much like the Shanxi merchants who lent money at exorbitant interest rates on the Mongolian Plateau, which is actually quite accurate.

Finally, Koman's gaze fell on the person who hadn't been introduced yet. Liao Gongpu knew what that meant and introduced, "Our Thai Prime Minister, Prii Panomrong."

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, on behalf of General Tashanliu, I extend my greetings to you." Koman bowed slightly to show respect, then sat down in the empty seat. He expressed his sympathy for Thailand's situation and then got to the point, introducing the long history of the French company Louis Fouta and expressing his hope for in-depth cooperation with the Bangkok Rice Exchange Center in Thailand.

"We are very grateful for France's care for Thailand." Prime Minister Prij Panomrong was certainly very welcoming, showing no sign of national pride in defying imperialist powers.

This attitude is very satisfactory, so we can get down to business. Regarding Thailand's current trade difficulties, Koman also proposed some solutions. France has indeed not yet recovered from the war, but for Thailand, a purely agricultural country that relies on rice exports, it is still a genuine imperialist power.

"Our Louis Fida company is willing to invest six billion francs, or approximately fifty million US dollars, to revitalize and acquire Thailand's rice exports. This would be sufficient to cover Thailand's rice export share in 1940." Ekda coughed, using Thailand's pre-war export volume as a demonstration of his sincerity in this investment.

“However, half of it is in francs. The National Bank of France will be based in Bangkok to assist with trade settlements,” Comman added, adding that he thought the deal was very fair.

(End of this chapter)