nucmednet Chapter 61: Invitation to Invest in the "Inland" Region
Chapter 61: Invitation to Invest in the "Inland" Region
Banquet hall at The Peninsula Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui.
All the guests who attended the groundbreaking ceremony for "Hong Kong Electric" were present and raised their glasses to exchange greetings.
Li Jiagang, accompanied by a group of senior executives from Hong Kong Electric, including Huo Jianning, Neil Hua, and Li Haimei, each carrying a glass of champagne, moved around the venue to greet guests and clink glasses in thanks.
"Mr. Li, congratulations!"
"Thank you, thank you for coming."
"Congratulations on the successful groundbreaking of Mr. Li's new power station! Congratulations!"
"You're too kind. Thank you for coming. Let's all have another drink today."
Congratulations poured in like a tide, and Li Jiagang responded to each one with his undiminished smile. He had lost count of how many times he had repeated "thank you for coming" that day.
Keeping him smiling made his face stiff.
Behind him, Huo Jianning and the others followed closely, their eyes sharp as eagles, silently scanning the entire room. Neil Hua and Li Haiming stood on either side, one as steady as a mountain, the other with a gentle smile, toasting the guests respectively.
To be honest, there were many guests in the venue that Li Jiagang didn't even recognize, and even if some looked familiar, he couldn't recall their names.
"Congratulations, Li Sir."
At this moment, a voice came from behind. Li Jiagang turned around and saw Bao Dafu, the general manager of Land Development, walking towards him in a sharp suit, raising his glass.
"Thank you, Mr. Paul Todd." Li Jiagang greeted him with a smile, raising his glass lightly. "It is truly an honor to have the helmsman of Hongkong Land present today."
"Mr. Li, you flatter me." Paul Boda took a sip of champagne, but his eyes subtly swept over the management team behind Li Jiagang. "Mr. Li's company is truly full of talent."
"Neil, it's been a long time."
"Mr. Barton, it's been a long time."
As the general manager of HK Electric, Neil Ward acted like the helmsman of HK Electric during the joint ownership period, and thus he and Paul To were acquainted early on.
After the two nodded and greeted each other, Paul Tok looked at Li Jiagang again and said, "Hong Kong Electric Company is making quite a move this time. Two 25-kilowatt combined power plants on Lamma Island. Once the new power plants are completed, Mr. Li will probably truly become the owner of Hong Kong Electric."
Li Jiagang was slightly taken aback, but his face remained expressionless. In his heart, however, he was thinking, "What do you mean by 'I'll only be the true owner of Hong Kong Electric after it's built'?"
From Paul Toh's words, Li Jiagang could sense that Jardine Matheson had absolutely not given up on Hong Kong Electric.
Li Jiagang was not one to suffer losses, saying, "For public utilities, we only ask for a stable power supply. But Jardine Matheson has been making quite a splash lately; I heard they're planning to connect several buildings into Asia's largest commercial complex?"
Li Jiagang pretended to ask tentatively.
Since Bodafoe's words were subtly and overtly directed at him, he certainly didn't want to suffer a loss.
Didn't he just say that he would only truly become the owner of "Hong Kong Electric" after the new power station is built?
Does that mean it's not certain now? The implication is that the words are subtly criticizing him, and the intention is to give him a hard time?
How could Lijiagang tolerate that?
The Jardine Matheson Group has been secretly planning to redevelop and interconnect multiple buildings in Central, creating "a super complex" that will become a landmark building in Hong Kong.
Others might not know this, but how could Li Jiagang, a person from the future, not know? So he revealed some of Jardine Matheson's secret dealings as a form of retaliation. His message was to tell Paul Todd, "I also know a lot about Jardine Matheson's secret dealings; don't mess with me."
What Li Jiagang just mentioned is the future "Landmark Plaza" project. After Jardine Matheson completed this complex, it indeed became a fashion landmark.
It's just a pity...
Landmark could not become the number one commercial complex in Hong Kong, and was always overshadowed by Harbour City, owned by the shipping magnate. In terms of both scale and value, Landmark could not compare with Harbour City.
"Mr. Li is very well-informed." Upon hearing this, Bao Dafu was incredibly shocked, but as the general manager of the company, he was used to big events and remained calm as he smiled, "No matter how big the building is, it still needs Mr. Li's electricity to light it up, so..."
He lowered his voice, "I am here today not only to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new power station, but also to sign a long-term power supply agreement with Lee Sang Electric Company on behalf of the Jardine Matheson Group, to prioritize the stability of the power supply to the Jardine Matheson Group."
Li Jiagang's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.
I also understand that Barton is trying to change the subject.
In a moment, he made his decision. Li Jiagang raised his glass again, looking directly at Bao Dafu, "I toast you, hoping to become the most reliable power partner with Jardine Matheson."
Although there are some issues with Jardine Matheson.
But he still had to do the business as it was supposed to. He understood that business competition wasn't something that was out in the open.
At the same time, he certainly understood that this was not an alliance with Jardine Matheson, but merely a necessary business collaboration.
Jardine Matheson was afraid he would sabotage the electricity supply, and Li Jiagang could not possibly cut off Jardine Matheson's power supply.
Therefore, this cooperation was inevitable.
Paul Daf raised his glass and clinked it against Li Jiagang's glass, "Cheers..."
The two drank it all at the same time.
After parting ways with Barton.
HSBC's Sim Bi stepped forward.
"Li, did that guy cause any trouble?" Shen Bi glanced at Bao Dafu.
"No, and Jardine Matheson also wants to reach a long-term power supply cooperation agreement with Hong Kong Electric Company."
Upon hearing this, Shen Bi laughed immediately: "Haha, so Newbijian is also worried that you will tamper with his Jardine Matheson's electricity supply." A smile appeared on his lips.
"Never mind him for now. Mr. Shen Bi, I need to excuse myself. I need to go over there." Li Jiagang pointed to Huo Dongdong and the others.
Shen Bi nodded slightly: "Go ahead."
Li Jiagang nodded in response to Shen Bi, then looked at Huo Jianning and the others behind him: "You are in charge of taking care of the guests here."
"OK, Chairman, you're busy."
After Li Jiagang left, Huo Jianning, Nier Hua, and Li Haimei also went their separate ways to greet the guests.
"Sorry everyone, I've kept you waiting," Li Jiagang said, bringing a glass of wine to Huo Dongdong's side. At that moment, he and the others were having a pleasant conversation with Director Yuan.
"Mr. Li, you're too kind. Today is your big day, and you should be busy." Director Yuan raised his glass in return with an elegant air. "The groundbreaking ceremony for the new power station is a major event for Hong Kong Island. There's no need to take care of us too much."
"That's right, Director Yuan is right. We appreciate it that Mr. Li thought of us despite his busy schedule." Huo Dongdong replied with a smile.
Li Jiagang chuckled and shook his head, then raised his glass slightly, also toasting Bao Yugang and Li Ka-shing, saying, "It is an honor for HK Electric to have Director Yuan and everyone here today. If we talk about being busy, compared to your busy schedules, my social engagements are nothing."
His tone was gentle, flattering the other person without appearing subservient. Director Yuan exchanged glances with the others, and they all laughed heartily at the same time.
"Young Li is indeed extraordinary. His speech and demeanor reveal a natural air of sophistication. He is truly a young talent."
"Director Yuan, you flatter me."
At this moment, although Director Yuan's smile remained, his tone suddenly became much more serious. He asked, "Young Li, do you have any plans to return to your hometown to visit relatives recently?" He kept staring at Lijiagang. "In recent years, the motherland has been very welcoming to overseas compatriots to return to their hometowns and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the motherland."
It was a tentative step, definitely a tentative step.
Director Yuan's words seemed to be asking about his return to his hometown to visit relatives, but there was a lot of unspoken meaning in his words. How could Li Jiagang not understand the hidden meaning in his words?
It's nothing more than the fact that the mainland is about to select certain areas for development and reform, and wants to invite some overseas Chinese businessmen with good social standing and love for their motherland to return and conduct exploratory business investments, etc.
Just as Li Jiagang was about to respond.
Just then... a voice came from afar.
"Of course, a tree may grow a thousand feet tall, but it will never forget its deep roots. How can we forget the roots of our ancestors? Although the ancestral hall in our family has weathered many storms, it is still the source of our incense offerings."
To my shame, we grandchildren have been so busy with worldly affairs that we haven't been able to return to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors for many years; this is truly unfilial. Now that Director Yuan has invited me, and I have become an elder in the Li family, I will certainly make the decision to return home to visit relatives soon.
Everyone looked in that direction upon hearing the sound.
Then, Li Yongsen, the elder from Lijiagang, walked over calmly.
"I apologize to Director Yuan and everyone for interrupting your conversation," Li Yongsen apologized to everyone. "I overheard about your return to your hometown, and I was afraid that I, as a junior, would not know how to behave properly, so I spoke out of turn. I hope you will not take offense."
When Director Yuan saw that the visitor was Li Yongsen, and after hearing his words, his smile widened even more.
"It's Comrade Yongsen, please have a seat."
"Thank you, Director Yuan."
"Comrade Yongsen's filial piety is commendable," Director Yuan said, emphasizing his words. "Now that the motherland is about to open up and the policies are clear, it is a good opportunity for those who have left home to return and work together for development."
At the same time, we also greatly need patriotic overseas Chinese businessmen to return and support development, inspect infrastructure projects, invest in factories, and contribute to the construction of our motherland.
If Comrade Yongsen and Xiao Lisheng intend to return to their hometown to visit relatives, I will personally handle the border crossing arrangements. If time permits, they can visit the reform area for further investigation.
After hearing this, Li Yongsen immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. Thank you for your help, Director Yuan." He then added, "I will trouble you again, Director Yuan, after I have settled things at the company and confirmed my return date."
"Alright, alright, Comrade Yongsen, you're too kind. There's no trouble at all." Director Yuan happily shook Li Yongsen's hand, the two looking like they had known each other for a long time.
Li Jiagang did not interrupt at all.
He even tacitly approved of his uncle's decision.
Putting aside his intention to invest and build a factory there, after all, with the launch of his appliance company's "washing machine" products, he also needs to expand his production scale to meet the demand in overseas markets.
In addition, the company will soon begin research and development of other electrical products, which will require more and more factory land, manpower and resources.
However, the costs in Hong Kong are relatively high. If he chooses to build factories in Hong Kong to produce so many of his products, it will definitely increase his company's investment costs.
Therefore, building factories in the mainland is currently the most suitable option. Of course, the Hong Kong factories will not be closed; if products produced in the mainland are restricted, at least there will be factories in Hong Kong to produce and supply products.
This is why Li Jiagang did not object when his uncle made the decision.