This was East Africa's "reputation" in the international community. Apart from Britain and France, no one had expanded overseas colonies more aggressively than East Africa over the past fifty years. If East Africa's mainland were included, even Britain and France would have to bow in defeat.
After all, East Africa's mainland had also been acquired through colonial expansion. It had merely since undergone thorough assimilation and effective governance, becoming a nation rather than simply being regarded as a colony. In this respect, it resembled the United States.
Zhang Jin had no idea what criticisms Governor Badoglio was harboring toward East Africa. At least on the surface, Governor Badoglio's attitude was quite satisfactory.
"Your Excellency, the North African Railway will be an important transport route for both East Africa and Italy in the future. Therefore, maintaining security along the railway is extremely important."
"East Africa is an important global market, while Italy stands backed by the European market. The North African Railway may not have prospects as clear as the Suez Canal or the Strait of Gibraltar, but it is ultimately a new option, especially for our two countries."
Measured by individual countries alone, East Africa was in fact the world's largest market in 1933, followed by the United States, Britain, Germany...
East Africa's territory, population, agriculture, industry, and economic scale all ranked among the world's foremost. The United States lagged somewhat behind East Africa, though compared to other countries, it was still in a league of its own.
Then came Britain. Its family fortune was deep and solid, and its overseas colonies ranked first in the world in both number and scale. It controlled and guided the course of numerous overseas markets, such as India, Canada, and Australia, while the market regions it influenced indirectly were too numerous to count.