During their investigation of the purchase of a large estate in New Zealand by Peter Thiel, Matt Nippert and Anne Gibson, reporters for The New Zealand Herald, noticed that certain processes required by the Overseas Investment Act had not been followed. The explanation: Peter Thiel is a NZ citizen and hence wasn't required to follow the procedures for an overseas investment.
If Thiel is so sure that Trump will deliver, why does he need a bolt hole and more importantly, citizenship in another country?
One question being asked was why Mr. Thiel became a New Zealander in 2011. Close behind that was how it happened.
If you like New Zealand enough to want to become a citizen, the country's Internal Affairs Department noted on Wednesday, one requirement is "to have been physically in New Zealand for a minimum of 1,350 days in the five years preceding the citizenship application." Another requirement is that you "continue to reside" there after becoming a citizen.
Mr. Thiel, 49, does not appear to have done either.
[...] If Mr. Thiel was not a resident in New Zealand for the necessary amount of time, an exception must have been made. The government has not responded to questions about whether that happened and, if so, what the reason was.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday January 27 2017, @07:53PM
Maybe I'm missing your point, but you do know that the People's Republic of China has thousands of miles of coastline, right? Even if you strangely discount that as access to "blue water," they still have Hainan.
Yes, they have to contend with American naval power, but that's no less so after building a harbor upon those reefs in the Spratly Islands.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday January 27 2017, @08:03PM
Look at that map again. To get from their coast to open international waters (the Pacific), they always have to go past a US base or ally. It would be a major issue in case someone turns too bellicose, but it's a already permanent issue that they can't come and go discreetly (which is kind of important when you have nuclear subs).
The islands are more for resources and pride, but the Blue Waters access is why they love the new Filipino guy.