Quite a few East African enterprises, like Carson Department Store, had set their sights on the Belgian Congo market. Many companies from Cabinda City and Kinshasa City had joined in, and even enterprises and capital from farther-off cities such as Luanda, Lobito, and Benguela had thrust a foot into the fray.
This would clearly stir up a storm in tiny Belgian Congo. In the end, it would depend on who had the superior skill and emerged as the final winner.
Of course, Belgian Congo was, at its root, merely a colonial market with several hundred thousand people. East Africa had several cities whose populations exceeded that of Belgian Congo, so the competition unfolding there was little more than a small squabble to the East African government.
Europe was now the global market East Africa valued most. Beyond that, many parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America were no less promising. Compared with them, Belgium's Congo Colony market could only count as one of the appetizers.
Rhine City.
East Africa's transportation departments had recently been run off their feet, with railways, roads, waterways, and maritime shipping all firing on all cylinders.
A ceaseless stream of supplies flowed from East Africa's interior toward the coastal regions, then passed through East African ports to Europe and other regions, before hurriedly returning to the East African mainland.
Europe's demand alone had already left the East African government feeling strained, let alone its grand ambition to care for Europe while also taking into account the vast markets of Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
John Liar, director of East Africa's Maritime Administration, reported, "The total tonnage of merchant vessels registered in our country has now exceeded five million tons. More than three million tons of that is responsible for transporting goods for the European market.