Editor:
I have lived most of my 57 years in Delta and have seen a number of proposals in regards to Deltaport expansion. I believe the merits of this project and the business case has collapsed. I would like to explain the rationale behind this belief to your readership.
The 21st century was moving towards the Asian century. As part of the geopolitical pivot to Asia that Deltaport was going to be Canada’s gateway to Asia and beyond. This was always the assumption, however this has is not the current reality.
The pivot to Asia has been deliberately disrupted largely by the 45th President of the United States (POTUS) who intentionally put Canada in a compromising position with the arrest of Meng Wanzhou on “trumped” up charges, of a prominent Chinese citizen that resulted in the unwarranted arrests of the two Micheals that has likely caused irreparable damage in our relationship with China.
Additionally he excluded America out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) that represented 40 per cent global GDP. The TPP’s main objective was contain China within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, as well as other global countries. Last year China negotiated the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) with many of those ASEAN nations that currently represents 30 per cent of global GDP. This coupled with Xi Jinping signature project the Belt and Road Initiative (a 21st century Silk Road), of which is oriented towards the rest of the world that excludes North America.
The 45th POTUS and his abject ignorance handed the sphere of geopolitical influence to of the ASEAN region to China on a silver platter.
The COVID pandemic economy has exposed the geostrategic fragilities of the shutdown of the global economy and the global supply change coupled with “just in time supply “inventory management. The need to repatriate some critical industries back to Canada and the continent of North America and some degree deglobalization does need to occur.
Glenn Kirkwood
