China's string of pearls first began attracting attention in the Bush White House of the early to mid-2000s, when America noticed Beijing was quietly building a presence in ports and sea lanes to and from the Middle East
Eric Ellis, Business Day
WHAT is ''The String of Pearls?'' If you are a mainland Chinese ''bizoid'', it is your toil for the motherland in joining strategic points of the globe, including Australia, to secure China's imminent dominance of the world economy. And in doing so, you'll be ably assisted by compliant locals wherever you labour, all eager to help if there's some quick yuan to be made.