Text: Science Explorer
Editor|Popular Science Explorer
Recently, Vietnam has begun to make overtures to China again. No, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh personally came to Dalian to attend the World Economic Forum, and he also praised China at the meeting.
He said China was a "success story" playing an important role in the global economy, and hoped that China would join Vietnam in advancing multilateralism. Doesn't that sound good? But don't rejoice too soon, Vietnam is not saying this for nothing.
It turned out that Vietnam had come to China for help this time. They want China to help build high-speed rail, and it's not just one or two, it's a whole five! One of them runs through the whole of Vietnam, more than 1,500 kilometers long. Doesn't that sound grandiose? But the problem is that Vietnam itself simply does not have the ability to do so.
You know, Vietnam's current railway technology can be said to be quite backward. Not to mention building high-speed railways, even ordinary railways are very difficult to build. But now, they actually want to build five railways in one go, including a high-speed railway that runs through the country. Isn't this whimsical?
But Vietnam doesn't think so. They feel that since they are not capable, there is still China. As a result, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh took the opportunity to participate in the forum to find the executives of China Railway Communication and Signal Group and began to "grind hard bubbles".
Pham Minh Chinh first said that Vietnam was in great need of China's help in the design and construction of the railway, which sounded quite normal. But then, he began to make inchs. He even hopes that China can transfer railway technology to Vietnam! This can make many Chinese netizens angry.
Do you think, China's railway technology has spent a lot of manpower and material resources to develop, how can it be said that it will be transferred? Moreover, by doing this, doesn't Vietnam want China to help them build railways for nothing, and also teach them technology? Isn't this an "empty glove white wolf"?
However, Vietnam does not seem to feel that there is anything wrong with its demands. They also said that China's help in building railways in Vietnam could boost trade cooperation between the two countries. But the question is, what is the benefit of such cooperation for China? To put it bluntly, it is Vietnam itself that benefits more.
Besides, building a railway in Vietnam is not an easy task. Although Vietnam is a small country with an area of only 331,000 square kilometers, the terrain is complex. The map of Vietnam looks like a dumbbell, with a large area at the north and south ends and a narrow middle. It is not easy to build a railway that runs through the whole country.
Moreover, Vietnam's terrain is mountainous and jungle, and the railway network is characterized by dense culverts, large slopes, and many intersections. These are the "stumbling blocks" when building railways. Without excellent technology and strength, it is really difficult to succeed in building a 1,559-kilometer railway in Vietnam.
Speaking of which, you may ask, why doesn't Vietnam ask other countries for help? In fact, before looking for China, Vietnam had already looked for Japan. But Japan did the math and found that the cost of building such a railway was as high as 64.8 billion US dollars! This is not a small amount, accounting for almost half of Vietnam's annual GDP.
When Vietnam heard about this price, it was probably also frightened. They can't come up with so much money, and Japan naturally won't make a loss-making deal. So, the plan was put on hold.
Now, Vietnam has turned its attention to China. But will China say yes? Honestly, it's hard.
First of all, the problem of money still cannot be bypassed. $65 billion is not a small amount, Vietnam cannot come up with it, and China cannot contribute money and efforts. You know, by the end of 2023, Vietnam's foreign exchange reserves will only be 100 billion US dollars. To build such a railway, it is almost necessary to empty out all the family's funds.
Second, Vietnam wants not only to help build railways, but also to China's railway technology. This is even more unlikely. Railway technology is the culmination of years of hard work by Chinese researchers, so how can it be given to others casually?
Besides, relations between China and Vietnam have not been so good. Although Vietnam has said some nice things now, who knows what will happen in the future? In case the relationship deteriorates in the future, and the technology is given to Vietnam, wouldn't it be a meat bun to beat the dog?
Therefore, Vietnam's request this time can be said to be whimsical.
Of course, this is not to say that China will not help Vietnam at all. If Vietnam is really sincere, for example, if it makes substantial commitments in terms of funding, China may consider helping Vietnam build some railways. However, it is impossible for China to unconditionally meet all the requirements.
Vietnam's current attitude, to put it bluntly, is to take advantage. They want China to help them build railways and learn Chinese technology, but they are not willing to pay too much. How is it possible for China to agree to such an attitude?
If Vietnam really wants China's help, it has to show sincerity. First of all, the issue of funding must be resolved. $65 billion is not a small number, and Vietnam will have to find a way to raise it. Second, Vietnam has to abandon unrealistic demands, such as technology transfer.
Moreover, Vietnam has to consider what benefits they can offer China. After all, cooperation between countries must always be mutually beneficial. If it is only Vietnam that benefits unilaterally, why should China help?
In the final analysis, Vietnam's current approach is like a person who has no money and wants to buy a luxury car, and hopes that the car dealer will also teach him the technology of making cars. Anyone who listens to this kind of request will feel unreliable.
So, the advice for Vietnam is: keep your feet on the ground and do what you can.
If you want help from others, you must first show your sincerity. Empty white teeth say something nice, but it can't be exchanged for actual help. Only when Vietnam truly understands this and adjusts its mentality and demands can Sino-Vietnamese cooperation be truly launched.