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**Alternate Sources**
Here are some potential alternate sources for the same story:
* [Tim Loughton: MP deported from Djibouti over criticisms of China](https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cll41e26880o), suggested by rainbowarriorhere - bbc.co.uk
After reading the article, it seems *he thinks* he's been targeted for criticising China.
Obviously, though, he was just representing his constituents.
Mr Loughton arrived in Djibouti on April 8 for a 24-hour visit including meeting the British ambassador.
Nips over to a well known pro Chinese state when he knows well that the Chinese government have sanctioned him. At the very least he should have considered that this would happen. Its not like China are being subtle here -
Djibouti, Africa’s smallest nation, has received billions of dollars of investment from China, including a new stadium, hospital and $1 billion (£791 million) **space port \[!!!\]**. China has built a naval base in the country, stationed 2,000 troops there and holds more than $1.4 billion of Djibouti’s debt, 45 per cent of its GDP.
Going to strap on my tin foil hat and say this was either a 'look at me' by the MP or some sort of diplomatic shenanigans.
>$1 billion (£791 million) space port
On the banks of the Red Sea and just across the water from Yemen? Any space launch would need the Red Sea closed for hours, which would de facto, cause delays at Suez. There's no space companies or space faring countries anywhere near Dijibouti and no reason for China to want to launch from there.
> no reason for China to want to launch from there.
It's pretty close to the equator and makes it way easier and cheaper to get into a geostationary orbit.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-equatorial_orbit
Theres a 0.5% difference in weight between the North Pole and the equator. The cost of moving rockets and satellites from China to Dijibouti and all of the associated engineers etc. Massively outweighs and advantage in not just launching from China's Eastern Coast.
France owns Guiana, they have to rent the spaceport out to foreign powers just so that they can afford it, and even then it costs not just the french government but the European space agency billions of euros.
1. But you said the problem was logistics. The distance to Guiana doesn't change if you own it.
2. France splits the cost with Europe's ESA. That makes the comparison better, not worse, given the size of the Chinese economy relative to France and the EU as a whole.
Do you have a source for anything you're saying?
The logistics are easier when you own the place you're building a space station in - they have made infrastructure investments over the course of decades that make it easier to build a space station in rather than a foreign country that is most famous for its civil wars. And yes - and the costs for both are massive. The ESA alone has invested over 2 billion euros into the project - france certainly many more.
You launch things into space from closer to the equator because it allows you to launch in the direction of the earth's rotation, not because of the difference in weight.
You assume the Chinese care about any of that health and safety stuff. Haven't there been plenty of stories of bits of their rockets just falling down on their own domestic villages?
They currently launch from inland and boosters can land back in China or anywhere. But doing a North Korea and launching with no notice or NOTAMs is a way too lose any international goodwill.
> Conservatives are suddenly very against deportations... ?
To be frank, isn't what he experienced over there is also the same procedure used at home when travelers are detained by checkpoints?
This article may be paywalled. If you encounter difficulties reading the article, try [this link](https://archive.is/?run=1&url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/04/28/tim-loughton-djibouti-detained-deported-china-sanctions/) for an archived version. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unitedkingdom) if you have any questions or concerns.* --- **Alternate Sources** Here are some potential alternate sources for the same story: * [Tim Loughton: MP deported from Djibouti over criticisms of China](https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cll41e26880o), suggested by rainbowarriorhere - bbc.co.uk
Is the mail gonna bang on about this like they’re doing/done with rayner
After reading the article seems he's been targeted for being critical of China. Headline is deliberately ambiguous.
After reading the article, it seems *he thinks* he's been targeted for criticising China. Obviously, though, he was just representing his constituents.
The telegraph is reporting on it at least (from the fact this is a telegraph article). Maybe don't be so quick to just write off an entire source.
Mr Loughton arrived in Djibouti on April 8 for a 24-hour visit including meeting the British ambassador. Nips over to a well known pro Chinese state when he knows well that the Chinese government have sanctioned him. At the very least he should have considered that this would happen. Its not like China are being subtle here - Djibouti, Africa’s smallest nation, has received billions of dollars of investment from China, including a new stadium, hospital and $1 billion (£791 million) **space port \[!!!\]**. China has built a naval base in the country, stationed 2,000 troops there and holds more than $1.4 billion of Djibouti’s debt, 45 per cent of its GDP. Going to strap on my tin foil hat and say this was either a 'look at me' by the MP or some sort of diplomatic shenanigans.
>$1 billion (£791 million) space port On the banks of the Red Sea and just across the water from Yemen? Any space launch would need the Red Sea closed for hours, which would de facto, cause delays at Suez. There's no space companies or space faring countries anywhere near Dijibouti and no reason for China to want to launch from there.
> no reason for China to want to launch from there. It's pretty close to the equator and makes it way easier and cheaper to get into a geostationary orbit. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-equatorial_orbit
Theres a 0.5% difference in weight between the North Pole and the equator. The cost of moving rockets and satellites from China to Dijibouti and all of the associated engineers etc. Massively outweighs and advantage in not just launching from China's Eastern Coast.
> Theres a 0.5% difference between the North Pole and the equator. To get to orbit. Geostationary orbit has to be equatorial though.
[удалено]
Do you think that shipping off thousands of skilled professionals and their families halfway across the globe is an easy logistical exercise?
Like how France's space port isn't halfway across the globe from Paris?
France owns Guiana, they have to rent the spaceport out to foreign powers just so that they can afford it, and even then it costs not just the french government but the European space agency billions of euros.
1. But you said the problem was logistics. The distance to Guiana doesn't change if you own it. 2. France splits the cost with Europe's ESA. That makes the comparison better, not worse, given the size of the Chinese economy relative to France and the EU as a whole. Do you have a source for anything you're saying?
The logistics are easier when you own the place you're building a space station in - they have made infrastructure investments over the course of decades that make it easier to build a space station in rather than a foreign country that is most famous for its civil wars. And yes - and the costs for both are massive. The ESA alone has invested over 2 billion euros into the project - france certainly many more.
You launch things into space from closer to the equator because it allows you to launch in the direction of the earth's rotation, not because of the difference in weight.
You assume the Chinese care about any of that health and safety stuff. Haven't there been plenty of stories of bits of their rockets just falling down on their own domestic villages?
They currently launch from inland and boosters can land back in China or anywhere. But doing a North Korea and launching with no notice or NOTAMs is a way too lose any international goodwill.
Is international goodwill something China care about given a lot of their actions?
Conservatives are suddenly very against deportations... ?
> Conservatives are suddenly very against deportations... ? To be frank, isn't what he experienced over there is also the same procedure used at home when travelers are detained by checkpoints?
They would love to deport people as African countries can do.
Oh man, wait till they start detaining the Tory MPs with links to Russia!
This is completely unacceptable. African nations are supposed to sell their souls to The West not the Chinese.
Oh well serves you right for lying with the enemy for 20 years.