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2011-04-06 Africa North

Chinese frigate arrives off Libyan coast, first time for a warship in the Med, ever

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Posted by gromky 2011-04-06 02:13|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 Zheng He is worth reading about. He died in 1433, a few years after traveling to East Africa with his fleet & returning with African animals for the imperial zoo. Shortly after his death the Chinese emperor forbade oceangoing shipping, and the records of Zheng's last two voyages were destroyed. By 1499 the Europeans were establishing trading links past Somalia to India, and by 1854 European naval power was imposing upon the Chinese (in their view).
A big deal indeed.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-04-06 13:50|| 2011-04-06 13:50|| Front Page Top

#2 It's been one of my 'what ifs' of history that is intriguing. Had the Chinese not gone closed shop and instead embraced the explorations of Zheng He and had contacted the Europeans first and established functional trade links, what would have been the motivation of the Europeans to make the effort to Go East [or the Columbus model of Go West to Go East]. This would have been a far different world than the one we know. However the Chinese acted to culture* and here we are today.

* That is anti-mercantile and xenophobic [we have nothing to learn from the outsiders].

Posted by Procopius2k 2011-04-06 17:42|| 2011-04-06 17:42|| Front Page Top

#3 Ok, so it must be a Chinese tanker taking on oil at the "rebel" terminal today.

Posted by crosspatch 2011-04-06 21:45|| 2011-04-06 21:45|| Front Page Top

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