Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 958 The Beginning of the Wheelock Takeover Battle

For traditional oil companies, getting involved is extremely difficult.

However, as a time traveler, Yang Wendong also knew that, apart from a few years in recent years and a few years in the mid-90s when prices were relatively low, oil prices would generally remain high.
Therefore, the traditionally unprofitable oil sands industry has become more valuable. In fact, the United States has begun large-scale shale oil extraction. It is precisely because oil prices have become so high that shale oil, which is extremely costly and polluting, has become profitable.
Of course, as a latecomer, it is unlikely that one can become a top oil giant in the future. It would be enough to just get a piece of the pie in this industry.

Husky Energy was originally one of the five major industries under Li Ka-shing's group. If it could be acquired, more resources would be invested in its development, thus allowing Li Ka-shing to gain a certain share in the energy industry.

“No problem,” Matthew nodded in agreement.

Yang Wendong said, "Alright then, I'll trouble your department."

“Eric, you’re too kind. As your client, this is what I should do.” Matthew suddenly paused and then asked, “Eric, there are actually some other industries here in Canada. Are you interested?”

"Other industries? I'm not very interested in forestry and agriculture," Yang Wendong retorted.
Located at the northernmost point of the Earth, Canada is extremely cold. Although it is the second largest country in the world, larger than the mainland, it has a lot of coniferous forests, so its forestry industry is very developed and it is one of the world's largest timber exporters.

As for its agriculture and animal husbandry, although only the southernmost part of the land is relatively warm and suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry, the area is still large enough that even a small portion is a huge amount. At the same time, the population is relatively small, so the agricultural industry is also very developed.

Matthew shook his head and said, "No, I was referring to the aviation industry."

"An airline? A Canadian airline? Which one is for sale?" Yang Wendong asked in surprise.

A few years ago, it would have been normal for airlines to be sold. At that time, the global economy was bad and oil prices were soaring, so most airlines were losing money. Several companies in the United States went bankrupt or were acquired as a result.

But now that the global economy is recovering and oil prices are low, most airlines are making huge profits.

Matthew said, "It's not the airline industry, but the aircraft manufacturing industry. You should know Canadaair, right?"

"Canadair? I know that company. You want me to acquire it?" Yang Wendong asked.

Matthew said, “If you’re interested, I think this would be a good investment. Canadaair is a pretty good brand among the world’s second-tier aircraft manufacturers, but it has difficulty in research and development due to a lack of funds. Eric, on the other hand, has enough funds. If you invest in it, it will definitely be a great return for both of you.”

"This kind of aircraft manufacturing company? The Canadian government should have very strong restrictions on it, right?" Yang Wendong asked.

Matthew said, "Yes, but you also said that one of your children will become a Canadian citizen, so it will still be considered domestic capital. All of this is possible to manipulate."

Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "I'll consider it. I'll also do some research."

He neither directly refused nor agreed; he had never considered such a question when it came to the aircraft industry.
Historically, this company was originally acquired by Bombardier and transformed into one of the world's top private jet manufacturers, just like Gulfstream.
It seems pretty good, but since he's Chinese, he still needs to be cautious.

No matter how profitable an industry is, if it brings political troubles, then he would rather not have that industry.

Matthew smiled and said, "Okay, I'll send you the information."

"Okay, then." Yang Wendong nodded.
After his meeting with Matthew, Yang Wendong also spent about half a month traveling in Canada.
We went to the snow-capped mountains for a little skiing, but for safety reasons, we stayed in safe areas and on gentler slopes.

Then you go to soak in a hot spring, where the hair on your head freezes into ice blocks while your body is inside the hot spring, which is also a unique experience.

In addition, trying Canadian cuisine and hunting wolves from a helicopter are also great experiences.

Yang Wendong did not return to Hong Kong until almost the Lunar New Year;
Every year during the Lunar New Year, no matter what the situation is outside, he always returns to Hong Kong to reunite with his family.
After the New Year, Yang Wendong stayed in Hong Kong, handling affairs in Asia.
In early March, Yang Wendong called his son Yang Zhiwen and asked, "Report to me on the businesses you've been running recently, including those you've only been involved in."

“Yes, Daddy,” Yang Zhiwen said. “Back home, we have already built two large oil refineries in Shanghai and Shenzhen, specifically for producing soybean oil and corn oil. They also use plastic packaging. In addition, we have advertised on CCTV, and now the Golden Dragon brand cooking oil is very popular all over the country. We are ready to continue to expand production.”

"Okay, are the soybeans and corn sourced locally?" Yang Wendong asked.

Decades later, mainland China became the world's largest importer of soybeans because local agriculture prioritized staple food production, and soybeans were mainly imported.

But in this era, things are different. In the black soil region of Northeast China, soybeans are still a major industry.
Corn is grown all over the country; some land that is not suitable for growing staple crops is used to grow corn.

"Yes, most of them are purchased domestically, which makes it easier to balance foreign exchange. Some of the Golden Dragon fish can even be exported if the domestic market demand is met, thus earning foreign exchange," Yang Zhiwen continued.

Yang Wendong said, "Okay, if it can be exported, then the domestic support will definitely be greater."

“Yes, the scale of this industry far exceeds our imagination. According to current forecasts, if we can really capture a small portion of the mainland market, the future production capacity will easily exceed one billion US dollars.” Yang Zhiwen laughed, “Daddy, you’re really amazing. You can achieve this scale in just any industry.” “There are still many untapped markets in China. If you have the ability, you can find a market gap yourself and make it big too.” Yang Wendong smiled, “I’ll be even happier if you ever make that discovery.”

“Yes, Daddy, I will try my best to achieve that as soon as possible,” Yang Zhiwen replied.

Yang Wendong asked, "Besides Golden Dragon Fish, what about other industries?"

Yang Zhiwen said: "We have reached an investment agreement with Jianlibao in Sanshui County. We will acquire 49% of its shares and arrange for Hang Seng Bank to lend us US$300 million."
Jianlibao's factory in Sanshui County began a large-scale import of beverage manufacturing equipment from Hong Kong, enough to expand its production capacity tenfold.

“Okay, we’ll just look into this factory a little bit later. According to my verbal agreement with Li Jingwei, I won’t get too involved in their affairs.” Yang Wendong nodded and said.
Jianlibao has always been able to rise to prominence in the past, and now that it has its own foreign exchange support, its development will only be faster.
As for the issues more than ten years from now, now that I own half of the shares, it's unlikely that there will be any more disputes over the shares. If any conflicts do arise in the future, that will be a matter more than ten years from now.

“Okay, Daddy.” Yang Zhiwen continued, “Also, Carrefour has already opened its first store in seven inland cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hankou.”
As per your requirements, we will retain full ownership of the land, source goods locally as much as possible, and begin large-scale training of relevant personnel locally to prepare for future expansion.

“Okay, the supermarket is what I value most for the future. We need to build up our talent pool as soon as possible so that we can expand on a large scale when the time is right,” Yang Wendong nodded and said.
Before the internet industry, among traditional industries, the supermarket sector had the lowest technological content and was most suitable for ordinary people to rise up.

Of course, because the technology is low, too many people have entered the market. Of all the supermarkets in the world, only a few can become the largest. The technology required for management is extremely high.

Another advantage is the first-mover advantage. Once you have the first-mover advantage, you're basically in control unless you make any major mistakes later on.

Walmart has the US domestic market; Auchan and Metro have the European domestic market; Carrefour, on the other hand, relies on only the Hong Kong market, which is far too small.
Only by expanding its presence in mainland China and becoming the "Walmart" of the mainland, coupled with the future rise of the mainland economy, will it have the opportunity to become a top global retail giant.
Yang Zhiwen said, "Yes; in addition to these, several large-scale infrastructure projects in China are also progressing normally. The Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway and the Tianjin-Beijing Expressway are under construction smoothly, and the foundation of the Beijing International Trade Center has been laid. Everything is within the plan."

"Yes, keep a close eye on this, especially regarding quality issues; absolutely no problems can be allowed to occur," Yang Wendong reminded him.
“Okay.” Yang Zhiwen suddenly added, “By the way, Daddy, the mainland has agreed to send two pandas to Hong Kong, one male and one female. On our side, we will provide eight South China tigers to the mainland.”
Both parties are leasing, and the prices are temporarily offset against each other.

"Have the pandas arrived in port yet?" Yang Wendong asked rhetorically.

Yang Zhiwen said, "Not yet. The process on the mainland is quite slow. I've already prepared the tigers here."

“Alright, let’s wait until things are confirmed on the mainland before making the exchange. If the pandas come to Hong Kong, it might be a huge boost to the entire Hong Kong tourism industry,” Yang Wendong nodded and said.
Although from a biological perspective, the South China tiger is more important than the panda;
In theory, even if pandas were to become extinct, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the natural food chain. However, the South China tiger, being at the top of the food chain, plays a crucial role.

However, from many people's perspective, they like pandas, after all, they are round and chubby, mainly herbivores, and have a cute appearance.
After the rise of the terrifying upright ape, many horrifying-looking mammals went extinct, while the more adorable animals survived.
“Yes, Daddy,” Yang Zhiwen replied.

That day, after returning home, Su Yiyi brought a bowl of white fungus soup to Yang Wendong and said, "Brother Dong, this soup is hot, have some."

"Hmm," Yang Wendong is now quite concerned about nutrition control and often drinks some supplements;
However, these are all normal foods, not medicine;

After chatting for a while, Su Yiyi said, "Brother Dong, Liming is planning to open a lighter factory in the mainland."

"Lighters? How did they come up with the idea of ​​making lighters?" Yang Wendong asked curiously;

Su Yiyi smiled and said, "Didn't you tell him to stay in the mainland for a while to see what the mainland lacked? So he listened to you and went to live in the mainland for a period of time."
Then, while chatting with people from the mainland, he would encounter smokers and noticed that many locals still lit their cigarettes with matches, which was inconvenient and easily blown out by the wind. So, he thought of making lighters.

"Yes, that's a good idea, and it is indeed a viable business approach," Yang Wendong nodded and said.
In China today, there are so many opportunities, and the supply of goods is generally insufficient to meet demand. As long as you have good products, you will not have to worry about selling them.

He then said, "Changxing Industrial also has a factory in the deep sea. Just have him order the plastic casing from Changxing Industrial. He can figure out how to fill the lighter with liquid himself."

Su Yiyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, he knows what to do. Li Ming doesn't plan to cooperate with your company either. The relationship is too close. He also said that he doesn't want to affect our friendship because of business ties with us."

“That’s a good idea, that’s a valid point,” Yang Wendong agreed.
In his early years, he did not want Lin and Zhao to participate in his business, because he was worried that people's hearts could not withstand the test of interests, and that conflicts might arise over time due to interests.
Therefore, they were assigned to the charity department, and the two later left.
It is precisely because of this that they have been able to maintain their previous relationship;

April arrived quickly, and at the beginning of the month, the Patent Law was introduced in mainland China. Yang Wendong immediately ordered all his companies to register relevant patents and copyrights in China.
At the same time, one of Yang Wendong's secretaries also received a phone call from a mysterious family in Hong Kong;

"The Zhang Yuliang family? They're looking for me?" After receiving the report from his secretary, Yang Wendong asked, "Did they say anything on the phone?"

The secretary replied, "No, Mr. Zhang said the matter is quite important and he needs to discuss it with you in person."

"Okay, let's set a time," Yang Wendong nodded in agreement.
But in his heart he wondered if the Zhang family was planning to sell their Wheelock shares at this time.
Wheelock's two major shareholders are the Zhang family and the Ma Deng family. The former controls more shares but does not participate in management, while the latter has a smaller share but manages the company.

Theoretically speaking, the Cheung family was the first Chinese family in Hong Kong to acquire the four major trading companies, but outsiders have never known this.

Neither of these two families had a positive outlook on Hong Kong's future, so they both wanted to cash out their shares, but because they had different motives, they sold them to different people.
This led to the subsequent Wheelock acquisition battle.

(End of this chapter)