African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1276: Chapter 285: The New East Africa–Netherlands Treaty

Frier was quite satisfied with Prime Minister Kaiboer’s attitude, yet he reminded, ”Your Excellency, Prime Minister, such matters must be handled decisively, as the opportunity presented by the European war might end at any moment.”

”I can assure you that we have no ambitions for the East Indies, after all, we have already obtained what we wanted.”

Frier naturally referred to those islands that East Africa secured from the Netherlands, though not many in number, they could fully guarantee the strategic stability of East Africa in the South Sea Region.

With this, the colonial security of East Africa in the South Sea Region could be essentially assured, and the transportation between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean is no longer restricted by others.

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That night, Frier reported the preliminary situation of his negotiations with the Dutch government back to the homeland and authorized the East African embassy in the Netherlands to continue refining the subsequent contents with the Dutch government.

December 7, 1916.

The ”Treaty of East Holland and the South Seas” was officially released.

According to the treaty, fourteen islands including Belitung Island and Sangiang Island originally under Dutch control were sold to East Africa by the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the Dutch government and East Africa would jointly develop the Sunda Strait route, and the two countries reached several cooperation agreements regarding the ports along the route, infrastructure, etc.

Both countries committed to maintaining the smooth passage of the Sunda Strait and jointly combating pirate activities between the Sunda Strait and the South Sea, providing a safer passage experience for passing ships.

Finally, East Africa and the Dutch government mutually confirmed the interests of both countries in the South Sea Region, clarifying for the first time the spheres of influence of both countries in the South Sea Region through a treaty.

Rhein City.

Even before Frier went to the Netherlands, the East African government had already systematically arranged for the islands they coveted.

Navy Commander Bruce said, ”The area of Sangiang Island is too small, and the nearby Pantai Island is less than one hundred square kilometers, leaving very little room for maneuver.”

”Besides, both islands are covered by rainforests; there are hardly any other resources to exploit. We should ask the Dutch for other places, preferably lands on both sides, rather than these two less useful places.”

Lieutenant General Kuymann said, ”While these two islands might not be large, their location is exceedingly important, especially Sangiang Island, which sits right in the middle of the narrowest part of the Sunda Strait.”

”As long as the island has enough area to build an airport, it will suffice for us. Deploying just a few planes locally can completely block the entire strait.”

If placed in the past, the location of Sangiang Island indeed would be difficult to manage. According to previous conventional operations, it would be used as a base to build a military fortress and use artillery to blockade the strait, but with the advent of airplanes, East African Navy now has more choices.

”The only drawback of this island is the issue of supplies, which need to be supplemented regularly. However, this does not affect its strategic value.”

”After all, what we need more locally is deterrence, not the illusion of achieving everything with this island.”

”To truly control the Sunda Strait requires the combined strength of the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean fleets.”

Lieutenant General Kuymann spoke frankly because naval battles depend on systems and strength. Even if East Africa has no bases in the Sunda Strait, does it mean East Africa cannot control the Sunda Strait?

On the contrary, the Sunda Strait can be said to be sandwiched between the two major East African fleets, which ensures it cannot escape East Africa’s control.

If the Netherlands were to block the Sunda Strait, East Africa also has the capability to seize control of the route.

Bruce sighed and said, ”I am not opposing the significance of these two islands, only that we originally had better choices, so it feels a bit frustrating!”

After all, there are many good harbors on both sides of the Sunda Strait, and the land available for construction is more useful than what these two islands could offer.

Bruce continued, ”If we could obtain the ports on both sides of the Sunda Strait from the Netherlands, we could build a comprehensive military port similar to the one on Phuket Island.”

”The room for development on Sangiang Island and Pantai Island is very limited; Sangiang Island can at most construct an airport but lacks space for large vessels to dock.”

”The situation on Pantai Island is barely better; at most, it can host a small fleet for escort duties or provide simple repair services to warships.”

”Also, the construction cost for these two locations is higher, and they require careful design to maximize their use, which would inevitably sacrifice some functions.”

Kuymann said, ”Contentment brings happiness. For us, these two islands are more about deterrence, making other countries think twice, as most countries dare not provoke us.”

”Of course, the Empire also needs to consider the attitude of the Dutch, as the relationship between the Netherlands and the Empire has always been good. We cannot be greedy, and it’s already very generous of the Dutch to give us these islands, so a few flaws are no big deal.”

”Moreover, we are also seeking to acquire Belitung Island, which is quite a decent island; Belitung Island is a big island, and no ordinary country would easily let us take advantage of it.”

Belitung Island once had a population of over 200,000 in previous times, so it is absolutely a large island. It’s just that the other islands around Belitung Island are more prominent, which makes its size somewhat overshadowed.

With an area close to 4,000 square kilometers, it is basically equivalent to a city. If this island were in Europe and a country were to cede such a large territory, it would certainly feel painful.

Only before countries with vast territory like East Africa and Russia would it seem quite insignificant.

Bruce said, ”Only islands like Belitung Island in the South Sea Region can give me some comfort. By controlling these islands, our influence in the South Sea Region will further increase.”

Kuymann said, ”Now let’s allocate these islands! This dish of delicacies is right for the Indian Ocean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet to divide, just like the Kra Strait Territory.”

Bruce said, ”Sangiang Island and Pantai Island will be assigned to the Indian Ocean Fleet as planned, similar to Phuket Island, to ensure the containment of the homeland on the Pacific Region’s military forces.”

The Indian Ocean Fleet is at the core of East Africa’s interests since the economic focus of East Africa is along the eastern coast, with the Indian Ocean essentially being a semi-inland sea for East Africa. Of course, this is the view within the East African Navy.

So places like Phuket Island, Sangiang Island, controlling the core areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, naturally fall under the control of the Indian Ocean Fleet.

This facilitates the Indian Ocean Fleet’s easy access to the Pacific Region at any time, a privilege not shared by the Pacific Fleet.

The Pacific Fleet finds itself in an awkward position among the three major fleets of East Africa, seeing a chance for overall development only in recent years due to East Africa’s colonial activities and expanded influence in the South Sea.

Even so, the Pacific Fleet is still much less developed than the Indian Ocean or Atlantic Fleet.

And this time, with East Africa gaining so much territory in the South Sea Region, aside from what the Indian Ocean Fleet must control, the Pacific Fleet can also claim a share.

Bruce could be heard saying, ”Islands like Belitung Island can further expand the Pacific Fleet’s control range and grasp over the South Sea Region.”

”Being located between Sumatra and the Lanfang Overseas Province, Belitung Island offers excellent conditions and can serve as one of the sub-bases for the Pacific Fleet, alleviating the pressure on the original Kundian port.”

Kundian, the capital of the Lanfang Overseas Province, has long been the homeport of the Pacific Fleet. However, with the economic development of the Lanfang Overseas Province,

The East African government is considering relocating the Pacific Fleet’s homeport from Kundian to another location, given that Kundian Port, beside its role as a naval port, has always been the most important civilian port for Lanfang.

The emergence of Belitung Island provides an additional option for the East African Navy. As for the original naval plan, it was to find a bay in the southern part of the Lanfang Overseas Province to serve as the new homeport for the Pacific Fleet.