Unleashing the voracious appetite

Behind every economy powerhouse there exists a multitude of suppliers, designed to synchronize with a vast expanse of logistic network to carefully replenish the rapidly depleting resources. In a microeconomic scale, the powerhouse represents anything from a convenient store to a local superstore. In contrast, it can be anything from a multinational conglomerate to even an entire nation in a macroeconomic sense. This circular chain of supply and demand depicts the daily life of everyone in a modern cash exchange system. Superficially, it somewhat represents individual earning a living to a public company in need of polishing its bottom line. Although with different purpose, both share the identical prospects of production, delivery, sale, and resupply. However, when production skyrockets, it becomes increasing less transparent for a company to disclose its multitude of suppliers than an individual. The transparency becomes specially murky when we are dealing between nations. China, with a population of 1.3 billion, has seen a tremendous growth over the years since the economic reform of the late eighties. Rapid economic boom puts a heavy and continuous toll on the supplies, which quickly strains the limited raw material China possesses. Instead of reining in its economy, China feeds its voracious appetite from its foreign partners. From African countries, such as Sudan and Angola, to Latin American nations, such as Peru and Brazil, and even its arch rival Japan, couldn't escape the pinch of an emerging China. A generous humanitarian aid with a one-of-a-kind trade incentive is something any third-world country could not possibly forgo, even if it means the unconditional compliance of every demand China poses. But what they failed to foresee within the bilateral agreement is the ultimate betrayal of their next generation. When the resources native to their country dwindles over time, with depletion hits a generation later, the regret and discontent will no longer register, and the once-friendly China will no longer response. Exploitation of the third world has been a well-known issue, exemplified by Nigeria and Iraq, both holds the ever-so-popular precious resource - petroleum - with abundance, and both, due to a lack of national framework, laws, and policies, are being victimized by US-sanctioned multinational oil companies. Together with the rampant corruption, scarcely anything trickles down to relieve the poorest of all inhabitants, making both Nigeria and Iraq two of the world's most deprived countries. Although China came with open arms, the fervent courtship revolves around a similar theme of total resource extraction to feed China's ambitious economic program. Synonymous to natural selection, a country's usefulness runs dry when it no longer benefits China. That's when the abrupt display of China, its wraith and devastating power occurs.

Until then, we should always be vigilant and safeguard against the voracious appetite of a monstrous regime.