The Goblin Nation has received a massive financial bailout from China, raising eyebrows and fears of creeping "Gobbmunism."
Facing mounting debts and the threat of repossession, the Goblin Council of Elders has reportedly secured a deal with Chinese investors, who will clear the elders' debts in exchange for exclusive trade rights to the nation's vast reserves of fermented mushroom ale and hallucinogenic fungi. The elders, who until last week denied that debt existed, signed the deal in under four minutes.
"This is a win-win for both our nations," said Elder Gnarltooth, his eyes gleaming. "China gets our finest exports, and we get to keep our hats and our dignity. Mostly the hats."
Critics accuse the Council of selling out to foreign interests.
"This is Gobbmunism in disguise!" shouted Glurp from the public gallery. "We are trading our freedom and independence for a short-term financial fix. No goblin with principles would ever take money from a mysterious foreign source."
The Chinese government denies any ulterior motive, calling the bailout a gesture of goodwill toward a fellow developing nation. Rumors of backroom deals and a planned military base on Mudwick Isle persist, though China already held exercises there in August, so goblins are unclear what the base would add.
"We are not interested in colonizing the Goblin Nation," said a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. "We simply want mutually beneficial economic ties and cultural exchange. And the mushrooms."
Some goblins fear the nation is becoming a puppet state. Others have asked whether puppet states get free puppets.
