CK Hutchison is not a British colonial company. Hutchison Whampoa was acquired by Li. The closest is Jardine Matheson which has business dealing with the British East India company. Jardine's descendent is still a majority share holder of the company. Speaking of business and politic, it's like the 2 sides of a coin. Trump is businessman cum politician.
search for li ka-shing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Knights_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire?from=L kbe doesn't give out randomly. to say li family would take orders from ccp is far from the truth, below average iq. there were no issues on waterways, it is in an equilibrium and transit fees were paid, before taco version of the wild goose chase. now the chinese officially blocked the deal unless their companies can own at least part of it. taco created an opportunity for the chinese to get piece of the pie.
no it is not a colonial company, but old money never leave the table. that can be said about india's tata, hsbc, reminisces of east india company, etc.
If you are referring to Jardine, it was the legs and arms of the British East India Company. Someone has to do the dirty job aka mercenaries. Just Google this "Did the British East India Company spearheaded the expansion of British colony?" Stamford Raffles who was an employee of the British East India Company started the trading post in Singapore and later it became a British colony.
there is a difference between legitimate mercantilism via buying and selling goods, and illegal exploitations such as slavery and opium. then there is a whole debate about colonialism. when money becomes really dirty, that is unacceptable.
Li is one of the world's wealthiest and Honk Kong Chinese who owns much of HK's activities, from real estate to logistics; definitely not a communist. His willingness to unload his port operations to Anglo American concerns speaks volumes of his disdain for Xi's China. But, like other Chinese billionaires, he must be very careful not to offend real power. This is what Elon Musk experienced recently with Trump.
Historically, the Navy of a country that "rules" the high seas also rules the traffic in the ports. Witness the 1940s game plan of General Curtis "Bombs-Away" LeMay. Get-er- done, boys. LeMay is generally considered the father of the U.S. Air Force. Before his time (1944-1945), it was called the U.S. Army AirCorps. Interestingly, the Navy that controlled the high seas also produced the "Reserve Currency."
that's a bit short, go back to rome, chinese, mongols, ottoman, to name a few, great wars were fought on the heartland. imagine there are no north and south american continents to be found, british would be just fishing somehwere around offshore islands. there is no reserve currency, just a tradable paper everyone agrees on for now. if there is a disagreement, such as russian ruble sactions, china-us trade embargoes, the green paper is worth nothing. having said that, we live where we live now, not 200 years ago nor 100 years from now, history will inevitably change as always.
Yes, but all the folks fighting the wars, need food and water. North America is crisscrossed with a multitude of navigable rivers. Then throw in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, dams, levees, etc. Not the case for most continents. That's why Hitler and his henchmen were in way over their heads. Just ask any cadet at West Point. The Battle of the Atlantic (Jan 1942-July 1942), was an exercise in public Insanity. I live in Delaware. There are still numerous massive towers to lob cannon shells at the U-boats offshore. The military pays to maintain them all for a reason. The high level problem facing politicians (the "leadership class") is to define "a fulfilling and meaningful life", and what program you sign up for to get that. That's right, Cookie cutter, just like food stamps. I think that's what the population wants now. Social Security and Medicare are just moldy/smelly old baubles from the days of your grandparents. IMHO
we got involved because we are bored out of our minds. nothing to do, and watch things happening in the old countries is more fascinating than dealing no even our own kind. but also, executive branch runs foreign policy exclusively, an unchecked power.