Picking-up a marker from the cabinet next to the map, the Russian uncapped it, placed the point of the marker at the bottom of the Kara Sea and slashed an “S”- shaped line, following the Ob River from the bottom of Ob Bay, and then down to the intersection of Mongolia, Kazakhstan and China. He put down the marker and turned to the assembled Foreign Ministers.
Scharanov looked at the expectant men for a long moment and then said bluntly, “We have sold the land east of this line to China.”
The men gasped and stared hard at map, and then at the Russian.
“We cannot exploit these resources alone, not on either side of that line,” Scharanov said bluntly. “We can exploit those west of that line – with your help and workers, but not without. China needs room to grow. She can – and will – exploit those resources to the east. We both gain. As do you, here,” he said as he swept his hand across the table.
“You sold Siberia…?” began the Czech, “For…?”
“For one trillion American dollars in US government bonds and a percentage of market prices for resources China extracts for one hundred years.” Scharanov looked directly at Dieter. “That is how we will pay these workers.”
Recovering first, Rudniski asked, “And, China? China will exploit their new resources, as well? With their own millions of workers?”
“Yes.”
“So standards of living will rise in Asia and Europe – well, within our nations, anyway, and those with whom we see additional trade, yes?” asked Svoboda.
“What of America?” asked Dieter.
“What of her?” asked Scharanov.
“What does she say? I have heard nothing from her new president or media. How are they keeping this quiet, and what have they said to you?
“They do not know.”
“What?” Svoboda asked in disbelief, putting voice to the expression on the faces of the others. “You expect us to believe you are telling us this but have not told America?”
Scharanov looked hard at the man for a long moment before answering bluntly. “Sir, you can believe what you want, but, no, we have not told America. Why would it be in our best interests to do so prior to discussing it with you, our neighbors, those we hope will provide workers to better all of our futures? America would tell us we can’t do this. We – China and Russia – of course, would tell her it is none of her business, but when has that stopped American meddling?”
“So,” commented Dieter, “Russia – and we, evidently – are going to use the interest on the American debt held by China and paid by American taxpayers, that China evidently has just used to buy Siberia, to pay European workers to extract minerals and resources to compete with America, and we are going to raise our standard of living at the same time, yes?”
The Russian did not answer the rhetorical question, so Dieter continued.
“And what, do you think, will be the reaction of America to the vast increase in raw materials and, one assumes, manufactured goods, in Europe and Asia, and to the increased energy needs causing us to use more global energy, driving up demand and raising American prices?”
Scharanov said, “America may have to grow-up and begin exploiting her own energy rather than preying off the rest of the world.”
“That would be interesting,” commented the German, smiling slightly.
“America could be left behind…” commented the Czech Minister.
“America never is behind – for long,” replied Dieter. “Nor do we want them behind. Be honest with yourselves, each of you. What has been invented that has improved our lives in the past 50 years that did not come from America? How will that change? They may not like what they learn. They may not like what they find in talking to us once this plan moves forward,” he looked over to the Russian and nodded slightly, “but America will recover and react. Frankly, I can’t see this plan not helping the entire civilized world, including America. We all need America to recover and begin paying-off this debt.” He paused, thinking, and then finished, “Or how will they ever pay off the debt of which each of us owns a part?”
The men thought this over, intrigued at the game being played by China and Russia without knowledge of America.
Scharanov listened to the discussion and then answered the men. “Two answers. One: America will and must pay-off this debt for us all to move forward, and for them to get their economy back on-track, which we all need. China will ensure the Americans understand this.
“Two: You asked a moment ago about energy prices. It is not clear that world energy prices will rise. China hired the best, most efficient American oil producers to begin drilling and exploiting the West Siberian Basin. They will manage Chinese oil workers to begin exploitation of these fields. Once those fields are producing, they will look elsewhere within Siberia, surely there is yet more oil than we know about. They will be well-paid. We – with your help – will be improving the current oil fields in the western half of the Siberian basin, the oilfields north of Kazakhstan, and exploring for more.” Scharanov paused to watch the reactions on the men.
“The new American president,” he continued after a moment and a sip of water, “already is encouraging American oil production, and providing permits to expand their domestic exploration and supply. Once America learns what is happening, she will accelerate the extraction of her own oil resources, which seem to be as large as Arabia’s, and which will keep world energy prices low. In fact, the energy needs of China and Russia will grow with this development,” he said, swinging his arm back across the map, “so we will need to keep our prices – and world prices – low. Russia, China and India need oil. As we use more, America will have to begin using her own.”
He paused and looked at the men. These were hard decisions that needed to be made for reasons of economic existence. The men before him seemed to begin to understand the stakes.
Scharanov continued. “China has hired the largest American railroad company to build thousands of kilometers of railroad, and is employing tens of thousands of American workers to build mining, smelting, drilling, refining and manufacturing facilities for those workers. That is tens of billions of dollars. Neither China - nor we when we employ your workers - will tax these earnings. All taxes will be withheld from their paychecks according to the law of the worker’s home nation, and paid directly to their tax authority. We are doing everything we can to put all of us back to work.”
Pausing and shaking his head, Scharanov continued, “Half of the Americans, it seems, do not understand that successful American workers are the only way forward for the entire world. We think these contracts, these energy resources, will generate a new spirit of work in America. You know that America now sends over $350 billion dollars to the Middle East for oil they could be drilling domestically, leaving that money in America, and they seem to think this is a rational course?” He shook his head in disgust.
Dieter bluntly changed the subject, asking, “Speaking of which, what of the danger that our workers won’t take these jobs, that our German – and Czech and Polish – workers won’t work as needed in these rather hard industries? Then what will you do, hire our lower classes? And what of the rest of Europe?”
“We will hire European workers. If not from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, we will expand our search to Scandinavia.”
Scharanov paused and looked at the men thoughtfully for a long moment before turning his gaze on German Foreign Minister Dieter. “Mr. Foreign Minister, let me answer your last question: ‘What about Europe?’ What we are discussing, Germany, Poland, and the Czechs deciding to take a step in a distinctly new direction, partly as a result of the drain on Germany’s resources by the Mediterranean countries, a step that will lead to a brighter future for Germany, for Central Europe, for Russia and for the world, is not unprecedented, am I correct?”
Dieter