Question

are china and japan economic outreach programs benign

Answer 1

Solution

Both China and Japan were and are the economic super powers in the world along with the United States.The economy of China overtook the economy of Japan to become the 2nd largest economy just behind the U.S in the year 2010 displacing Japan to the third place.

Both the countries follow their own economic outreach programs for a variety of reasons.Some of the reasons include cooperation,strategy,creating economic dependence ,relationships and goodwill with different countries etc.,

Both the countries have been very successful in their own approaches.But in my opinion China has been more aggressive in this area.

For example,China uses these programs to achieve different motives.For Example,one of it's very aggressive  strategy is called "String of pearls" under which extends it's economic outreach program to countries that are in vicinity / strategy to India.In other words,China wants to become the undisputed leader in the South Asia region ,so as a part of this program they offered various financial assistance programs (by offering huge debts at very low interest rates) to countries including Sri Lanka,Pakistan,Djibouti,Maldives,etc.,.When those countries failed to fulfill the financial obligations,they acquire a stake in those projects thus establishing their influence in those countries.Ex: They acquired Hambantota port from Sri Lanka and Djibouti in Africa in the same manner.They even came up with an initiative called "Belt & Road Initiative " and countries like Pakistan already have fallen in their trap.

Japan also has economic outreach programs but they are not too aggressive.

Ex:With the help of some of it's institutions like JICA - Japan International Cooperation Agency which has a vision to providing security and promoting quality economic growth across the world has one of the initiative to provide loans to underdeveloped and developing countries to improve infrastructure,health etc.,

Ex: JICA has financed the Bullet train project in India at very competitive interest rates connecting two Indian cities of Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

So,in a nutshell,the economic outreach programs are NOT AT ALL BENIGN.

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