Posted on 08/16/2023 5:46:54 PM PDT by McGruff
Oh, boy, that shows how little you understand China. Bribery, large and small, is a way of life there. Unless the Chinese shippers have a credible fear of being boarded and inspected by the Russians, or, I suppose, the Chinese Navy en route (complicated, bribery could well even enter into that), there could be pretty much anything that could be concealed onboard an inbound ship to Ukraine. Maybe not really heavy stuff, as a ship riding low in the water would be suspect.
(I never was involved in said bribery itself, but I have quite a bit of direct background in this through past business contacts, friends, and family*.)
*(Family — My brother married a moderately wealthy Chinese business-woman from a moderately wealthy family.)
Agreed, which makes it curious why Russia would keep hitting the grain depots. It certainly gives them a black eye internationally. SFAIK, all the depots / terminals hit so far are export terminals.
This in consideration of my last post, and also considering even Chinese ships can't load grain from a destroyed terminal or depot. The offer to China, much like the insignificant offer of free grain to Africa, may well be smoke and mirrors.
Not much of a celebrity...
The Africans will decide who’s screwing them more, the US/EU or Russia.
As to Ukrainian grain, my understanding is that the Russians left one loading terminal operational, but I don’t remember where I heard that.
It is assured she thinks she is.
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