Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 917 Inland Container Terminal Plan

"What are the conditions?" Yang Wendong asked.

Niu Bijian said, "I hope Mr. Yang can make a written commitment that he will not launch a hostile takeover of my Jardine Matheson's listed companies in the next five years."

Yang Wendong retorted, "Niu Bijian, is your real intention something else? Is the so-called Rio Tinto stock just a test?"

Many people in the market speculate that Yang Wendong may launch mergers and acquisitions against the remaining large trading companies, with Jardine Matheson being one of them. So Yang Wendong is quite frank at this moment.
Niu Bijian said, "I really want to sell my Rio Tinto shares. They have no real value in my hands anymore, so I hope to reach such an agreement with Mr. Yang. It would be a good thing for both of us."

“Rio Tinto’s shares are indeed a valuable asset, but I’ve already become a director of Rio Tinto and have promised the board that I won’t increase my shareholding in the short term.” Yang Wendong shook his head and said, “However, if you want to make a move, I can suggest that the Rio Tinto board or other consortiums acquire your shares.”

This is also true. After all, he only needs to become a shareholder of these companies, not to acquire them, so an appropriate shareholding is sufficient.

Coca-Cola, Pepsi, General Electric, Rio Tinto, Disney, Walmart, Intel, etc., he only controls each of them to around 10-20%, not too much;
On the one hand, having too many shares held by an individual would raise concerns with the board of directors and management, making it difficult to manage relationships and potentially affecting future acquisition plans. On the other hand, these companies are all giant enterprises that can accommodate sufficient funds. Even if one has a lot of wealth, it is not feasible to become the largest shareholder in every one of them, nor is it necessary.
Investing in these companies is to provide a high-return investment for my current surplus funds, but in terms of actual return on investment, it still can't compare to the returns from the core businesses I operate myself.

Niu Bijian tentatively asked, "So, Mr. Yang is still interested in Jardine Matheson or Hongkong Land."

"If I said I wasn't interested, would you believe me, Mr. Niu Bijian?" Yang Wendong was quite direct, and asked in return, "What about some of my properties in Central? Aren't you, Jardine Matheson, interested? And Swire's airlines? Aren't you and I interested?"
Good companies and good properties are of interest to everyone; that's only natural. If a company doesn't have any businesses that interest others, what makes it worthy of becoming a giant in the industry?

“Yang Sheng is right,” Niu Bijian nodded.

Yang Wendong continued, "Although I am interested in your company, your company is now like Taikoo, completely controlling its own shares internally. Outsiders have little chance, and I can't do anything about it, right?"

Swire Group also has many high-quality assets, such as aviation, property, and beverages. If it were possible to acquire them, Yang Wendong would have already made a move.

Unfortunately, the Swire Group has always been controlled by the controlling family, which holds more than 5% of the shares, so outsiders have no chance to participate.
Jardine Land's current cross-control scheme is a similar tactic. If Jardine Land hadn't been so heavily indebted that it forced the two parties to untie, outsiders wouldn't have had much of a chance either.
Even so, Hongkong Land may be able to slim down by selling various properties. Historically, even after the separation of Yishion Holdings, conglomerates like Li Ka-shing did not have the opportunity to take action; at most, they acquired Hong Kong Electric.

"Haha, that's true." Niu Bijian smiled and then asked, "Yang Sheng, what's your view on the current situation?"

Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "I'm just a small businessman, I'd rather not get involved in this kind of thing."

Niu Bijian then said, "Mr. Yang, we businessmen have developed to our current status, isn't it all for greater power? Being able to participate in politics is our ultimate goal. Don't you, Mr. Yang, want to have that day when you hold power in your hands?"

"What are you trying to say?" Yang Wendong realized that Niu Bijian's visit wasn't just about Rio Tinto: "Did the Governor's Office and the British send you?"

To rule the world while intoxicated is indeed a lifelong dream for many, and some businessmen, in the end, have indeed tried to participate in politics in order to gain even greater power.

Throughout history and across the world, there have been many such people. Too many businessmen, in pursuit of greater profits, have invested in politics, ultimately becoming economic parasites on the nation and its people. Many dynasties in ancient times perished because of this, and even decades later, some countries have been overly parasitized by capital, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Niu Bijian said, "Yes, the British side made a promise to us that if we stand on the British side, and Britain continues to govern Hong Kong in the future, then we will gain greater power and become the governor of Hong Kong in terms of 'economy'. From then on, Hong Kong will be our cash cow."

"The British are really generous," Yang Wendong smiled and said, "I'm not getting involved in this matter. You can do as you please."

This group's thinking has been limited by the politics of Western countries. They always think that a few businessmen can control the political situation. However, they do not realize that for the mainland, businessmen are worth winning over and can remain neutral. But if they dare to participate in politics, they will be met with an iron fist.

Niu Bijian nodded and said, "It seems I understand what Yang Sheng means. In that case, I'll take my leave now."

"Take care," Yang Wendong said with a smile.

After Niu Bijian left, Yang Wendong returned to the Kang Le Building and read through the recent media newspapers again.

During this period, the focus of various media outlets remained on the Sino-British negotiations regarding the future of Hong Kong. The two sides had held several meetings in Beijing, but no agreement was reached each time. In addition, Hong Kong media sometimes deliberately used sensational headlines, which made the whole society feel very tense.
The Hang Seng Index also fell with each round of negotiations, and the property market was in the same situation.

After a while, Zheng Zhijie arrived and asked, "Mr. Yang, there's an emigration wave in the Hong Kong market right now, and many Hong Kong residents and companies are selling off their properties. Should we buy some now at rock-bottom prices?"

“No need, it’s too early now.” Yang Wendong paused and said, “Let’s stick to the old rules. We can take over the central area or the core areas of some towns, but we don’t need to worry about other places.”

Given the current scale of Changxing Real Estate Company, ordinary properties in typical locations are not very attractive to them. There are too many of these small properties, which would only increase the cost of operation and management.

Even if there aren't many better locations in Hong Kong, he can invest his funds in Japan and wait for the currency to appreciate, or make long-term investments in mainland China.

"Okay." Zheng Zhijie agreed, then added, "The new building in Shenhai City is finished. I'm planning to go there. Does Mr. Yang have any other plans?"

"The building in Shenhai City?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll go there too. Lately, the Hong Kong media has been on edge, constantly coming to me with a ton of questions. It's getting too annoying. I'll go to the mainland to relax, travel, and see if there are any investment projects. I want to show outsiders my stance through concrete investments." Many things can be done, but it's inconvenient to say them aloud; saying them would offend people. But doing them can indirectly show one's attitude.

“Okay, I’ll go arrange it right away,” Zheng Zhijie said.

A few days later, Yang Wendong once again crossed the Luohu Port and entered the mainland.

With the opening up of the mainland and the development of Shenzhen, the number of people crossing the Luohu Port has increased significantly in recent years, and Yang Wendong had been waiting for quite a while for this.
However, he was not in a hurry. He did not give any advance notice before coming to Shenhai City. After arriving in Shenhai, he went directly to the building built by Changxing Real Estate.

"It's only been a few years, and there are so many more buildings in Shenhai City," Yang Wendong said, looking at the surrounding scenery after arriving at the top floor of the building.
This building isn't tall, only 18 stories. In Hong Kong, let alone Central, even some towns are much taller than this. But in Deepsea, it's already considered the tallest building.
Standing on the rooftop, you can see all the surrounding scenery at a glance;

A few years ago, the Deepsea city area was a collection of low-rise buildings; now, at least some high-rise buildings have sprung up.

"Our group's investment has also attracted a lot of Hong Kong capital, especially our factory, which can create tens of thousands of jobs. In the past two years, Hong Kong property prices were high, which gave many Hong Kong real estate developers unlimited opportunities for imagination." Zheng Zhijie explained: "These houses are mainly sold to Hong Kong people;

Many Hong Kong people came from the mainland. After the reform and opening up, they also wanted their relatives in the mainland to live a better life, but it was not feasible to bring them to Hong Kong because they could not obtain legal status and their living space was not enough.

Buying a house in Shenhai City would be the most suitable option. Property prices here are only 10-20% of those in Hong Kong, and you can also obtain Shenhai City residency. Our factory can also provide employment—it's practically perfect.

"Haha, that's true," Yang Wendong nodded and said;
The main purpose of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was to attract industry, but in reality, taking advantage of Hong Kong's proximity, the first thing to be developed was real estate.
Of course, this is not a bad thing either. It is precisely because of the funds from real estate that Shenzhen is able to develop various industries.
Even in the past, the rise of the mainland was largely due to the real estate industry. So many infrastructure projects, military industries, and industrial projects actually relied on real estate, and even those not directly involved in the industry indirectly benefited from it.

The real estate economy, while not necessarily rosy, is certainly beneficial for a certain period. Otherwise, with so many countries around the world, it wouldn't be involved in almost every one of them, either selling land or levying property taxes.
Zheng Zhijie said, "Mr. Yang, the Hong Kong real estate industry is not planning to invest in the short term. I want to transfer funds to Shenhai to continue building buildings here."

"Sure, you can decide for yourself. Just invest in the deep sea," Yang Wendong nodded.

All he needs to do is invest in Shenzhen. As for how to invest, he won't ask. He'll just wait for the plan to be developed and then let him review it.

For time travelers, all they need to do is choose a suitable city; how to develop the city is not their forte.

“Okay.” Zheng Zhijie nodded. At this moment, an assistant came over and said, “Mr. Yang, several bureau chiefs from the Shenzhen Municipal Government have come and want to meet with you.”

"Alright, let's go," Yang Wendong said.
When you enter Shenhai City, there will be a record at the customs, and the Shenhai Municipal Government will naturally know about it soon.

After arriving at the conference room on the 16th floor, Yang Wendong met with several bureau chiefs from Shenhai City. After exchanging greetings, they chatted casually.
"Mr. Yang, we also have something we'd like to discuss with you this time," said Director Li of the Shenhai Municipal Bureau of Industry. "We were originally planning to visit you in Hong Kong, but your arrival in Shenhai has made things much easier for us."

"What is it?" Yang Wendong asked.

Director Li said, "Mr. Yang, as you know, the industrial development of Shenhai City has been very rapid recently, and your Changxing Group has also contributed to this."

However, the rapid pace of industrial development has brought about some new problems, namely exports. Too many containers are being shipped to Hong Kong daily, and Hong Kong already has a large number of containers, leading to many goods not being shipped out in a timely manner.

"Hong Kong's port isn't enough?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "I do know that. The Hong Kong government originally planned to open a few more container terminals, but it's been delayed due to recent events."

Historically, Hong Kong's docks were already insufficient in the early 80s, and new docks were urgently approved after the economic crisis ended.

In this day and age, with Yang Wendong's massive industrial exports, plus his own exports to the mainland, the Hong Kong port will only become more strained.

Director Li continued, "We have already communicated with Hutchison Whampoa, but they also have to follow the normal rules, so we hope you can help us so that the port in Hong Kong can handle this as soon as possible."

Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "That won't work. The ports in Hong Kong have their own operating rules, and I can't interfere with them arbitrarily. Goods from the mainland are important, but the same goes for containers transshipped from Hong Kong and overseas."

"This, Mr. Yang, is there really no way?" Director Li asked awkwardly.

"The root cause is the imbalance between supply and demand. No matter what we do, people's goods will be delayed." Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "The new port in Hong Kong won't be built in the short term, so it won't solve the problem."

"Then how about we try a different approach? For example, how about building a large container terminal inland?"

"What, building it here?" Director Li and the others were taken aback.
Yang Wendong said, "Why not? With the current development speed of Shenzhen, Hong Kong Port cannot handle it. Even if we force a solution now, what will happen when your export volume increases several times in a few years?"
Although the mainland has no shortage of ports, they are all old-fashioned. Nowadays, even goods from Yuezhou City are going through Hong Kong's container terminals. This is definitely not going to work.
"Why don't we find a location along the coast of Shenhai City and build a large container terminal? That would not only meet the needs of Shenhai City, but also serve the entire eastern Guangdong province. Wouldn't that be better?"

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(End of this chapter)