I'm reborn and I'm an international student again?

After receiving this task, Duan Yixiong couldn't help but complain in his heart.

Have these relevant departments been hit on the head with a stick? Is it environmentally unfriendly? Wasteful?

Damn it, everyone else has important things to do, but I have to worry about this stupid corn.

Actually, using corn as fuel is not a new thing; it appeared as early as the oil crisis.

Soaring oil prices in the United States have forced many countries to look for alternatives to oil, leading to a surge in the development of biofuels.

From an agricultural perspective, choosing corn as fuel can consume excess corn production, stabilize corn prices, and protect farmers' interests.

From an environmental perspective, there's not much of a problem. The only issue is that direct combustion is economically uneconomical because corn, as a fuel, has a much lower calorific value than coal, liquefied petroleum gas, or even specialized biomass pellet fuel. To achieve the same heating effect, more expensive corn would be needed.

However, if aged grain is used, then it is considered economical and environmentally friendly.

In the United States, for example, starch from corn has been converted into ethanol through fermentation and distillation processes. This ethanol is then mixed with gasoline to produce ethanol gasoline. The carbon emissions from burning ethanol are considered lower than those from fossil fuels, which is considered environmentally friendly.

As for the current domestic corn production, using it as fuel is certainly not wasteful. Think about it, supermarkets and bakeries throw away countless amounts of food every day, so what's a little waste?

In an office in Huajing.

The man had just sat down after meeting with guests from various countries when his secretary came to report with several documents.

"Boss, we've made progress on the matter you asked us to investigate last time. A company called Huahetong is connected to that case; they're collaborating with the supply and marketing cooperative to advance agricultural projects… According to our investigation, this company is related to Chen Yifeng's son…"

"Oh?"

The man was somewhat amused upon hearing the information reported by his secretary.

The father just had some bad luck, and now his son is in trouble too.

“We also found that he was involved in the recent problems with bank credit cards. If you ask me, this kind of person should be arrested and punished properly…” Secretary Shi added cautiously as he expressed his opinion.

"The market reaction to the policy was predictable before it was introduced. Human nature inherently leans towards self-interest, and when policies offer incentives, all participants will naturally respond positively. This could lead some companies to deviate from their core business and chase after policy dividends… You're still young. What's the point of punishing him? Why even bother?"
There are differing opinions within the organization regarding the evaluation of policy benefits. Some believe it will waste public resources, while others point out its positive role in promoting industrial development. Historical experience shows that the concentration of power and interests can easily lead to entrenched problems, reminding us that any system needs to establish effective oversight and checks and balances.

Decades ago, it was argued that a system truly dedicated to public service should maintain an open and inclusive attitude, humbly accepting opinions and suggestions from all sectors of society. As long as criticism is constructive and in the public interest, we should listen carefully and make timely improvements.

"Under the current circumstances, encouraging fair competition among different market players and stimulating economic vitality is beneficial to promoting overall development. Chen Xi's willingness to challenge the status quo and promote diversified market development also plays a positive role to some extent...it may not be a bad thing..." the man said, pushing up his glasses.

"What you're saying, boss..." Secretary Shi became a little nervous after hearing this.

"There are deafening noises of rise outside, but do you and I not know what the reality is?"

"This……"

"See? I knew it... You didn't say a single word you were supposed to say..." The bespectacled man picked up the documents his secretary handed him and shook his head.

The pages were densely covered with details about the operations of various companies involved in this subsidy program.

"Boss, I'm only thinking of you... You understand, some people are determined to push the chemical company down..."

"Hmph, just a small group of people. We've worked hard for decades to get to where we are today; we can't let these people ruin it. They'll bide their time, and so will we..."

Despite saying that, his expression grew increasingly grave. Concealing one's strength and biding one's time sounds easy, but if things continued like this, the whole situation might...

"Boss, what about this Chen Xi..."

"Just give him a gentle nudge, don't let him go too far." The man waved his hand, his gaze already back on the documents in his hand.

Wulin City.

After concluding his trip to the World Manufacturing Convention, Musk met with Chen Xi and Wu Wanrong, and then traveled to this city.

This time, he was going to meet Feng Yun, a well-known domestic entrepreneur.

According to Jia Riting's plan, meeting with top domestic entrepreneurs is an essential step in order to successfully advance the financing plan.

Even if the cooperation fails, media attention and coverage can still generate momentum for future plans.

From Musk's own perspective, he also wanted to meet one of the country's most representative business leaders in person.

As a self-proclaimed technology company, Musk had hoped to spark some collaboration with a competitor like Tesla.

However, after actually meeting Feng Yun in person, he was somewhat disappointed.

The man in front of me, who looked somewhat like an alien, seemed quite different from the image of a tech company leader in his speech and mannerisms.

In his office, Musk sat quietly in his chair, drinking mineral water, far less enthusiastic than when he had spoken with Chen Xi earlier.

Feng Yun, standing before me, spoke fluently and showed no sign of stopping.

"New energy vehicles, rockets? What's the point of those things? It's not that they're bad, but you simply can't make money here. AI? To put it bluntly, it's just a search function disguised as high technology. Abroad, you can make a profit by manufacturing products and selling them to consumers, but that doesn't work here. Many companies only realize in the end that the fastest way to make money is still through finance." Feng Yun spoke eloquently, as if lecturing a student.

"You mean lending money?" Musk understood the implication and a sneer appeared on his lips.

"Doesn't technology require funding? Talking about R&D without money is just empty talk. How many Teslas would you need to launch a rocket? I've read the reports; you've failed several times in a row, and that costs a fortune. Why doesn't Alibaba make new energy vehicles? Because I don't care about that kind of money. If you ask me, you need to learn how to make quick money before considering those far-fetched ideas," Feng Yun retorted dismissively. His words held some truth.

Without financial support, any technological innovation is just a castle in the air.

"So, with all that money Alibaba has made, what high-tech achievements has it made? As far as I know, apart from Alibaba Cloud, there doesn't seem to be any particularly high-tech accomplishments." Musk shook his head slightly.

"You expect me to build rockets here? The day after the news gets out, I'll probably be invited for tea." Feng Yun wasn't angry at all; instead, he laughed and patted his thigh.

Upon hearing this, Musk seemed to understand the other person's situation.

It's not that I don't want to do it, but that I have the ability but can't use it.

Just as he was about to reply, Feng Yun laughed again, "But it doesn't matter. If I can't do it domestically, I can acquire foreign technology companies. Once Ant Financial successfully goes public, the funds will flow in continuously. At that time, I can invest in any cutting-edge field, not just rocket companies. I'm planning to visit various countries recently to build good relationships with local leaders, and everything will fall into place naturally."

He paused, then said meaningfully, "You're a foreigner, you don't understand what can be done here. Look at some companies, they're also tech companies, their gaming revenue accounts for a very high percentage. Many parents here hate games, but they still do whatever they want. Hmm, it's like how Confucianism in ancient China was systematically promoted because of its huge role in maintaining social order and the authority of the rulers. Meanwhile, the Mohist school, which competed with it and advocated different ideas, gradually disappeared because its ideology posed a potential threat to the ruling structure..."

"I disagree with your view on AI. It is fundamentally different from search tools. AI is a conversational partner that can understand and generate content, and it will permeate every corner of human life in the future..." Musk pondered for a moment.

“I’m not interested in that. What I’m concerned about is that you met with Chen Xi and announced the cooperation in front of the media. With Aba’s strength, can’t you offer a better cooperation opportunity?” Feng Yun waved his hand to interrupt.

In his view, AI, being a mechanical system, simply cannot survive in a society that values ​​human relationships. No matter how advanced AI is, it will only become hesitant and incoherent in certain situations.

Faced with this person with such different ideas, Musk was momentarily at a loss for words.

"How about this," Feng Yun suddenly said with a smile, "Tesla is expanding rapidly, and both the Shanghai factory and the battery cooperation in Xinlu require funding. Why don't we join forces to promote a project? It will definitely be technology-related, and it will be based on Tesla's existing business, guaranteeing profitability."

"What project?" Musk became interested; he had initially thought the other party was trying to persuade him to start lending again.

"Photovoltaics! Tesla's SolarCity solar roof is essentially similar to our photovoltaic panels, except that your product is building-integrated, while ours is installed later. However, your product has never been able to penetrate the market, mainly because the cost is too high. Installation in the US can easily cost $50,000 to $100,000. If it were manufactured and installed here, the situation would be completely different."

“Even so, this product is probably not suitable for the market here.” Musk shook his head after a rough estimate.

"You may not know this, but my country provides subsidies for distributed photovoltaic power generation, at 37 cents per kilowatt-hour. If Tesla can shift its high-end positioning to more affordable projects, it could very well turn a profit. Of course, this requires joint efforts from Alibaba and Huatong..."

"Making a profit through subsidies?" Musk frowned, feeling that the other party's vision seemed narrow.

Feng Yun smiled knowingly: "Of course not. I wouldn't even bother with subsidies for new energy vehicles, let alone such a small amount of money. This cooperation is beneficial to both of us. Alibaba can gain incremental revenue from cloud computing services and e-commerce, and charge fees for providing technical services through smart photovoltaic cloud. At the same time, it can also showcase our energy solutions capabilities and strive for more official projects. Of course, the financial services revenue is also quite considerable. For Tesla, it can not only increase sales of Powerwall energy storage devices and solar roofs, but also enhance product competitiveness and obtain stable and efficient power generation revenue. Most importantly, it can open up the market and establish an energy brand image. Aren't you going to promote electric vehicles and build charging stations? Why not use photovoltaic products to generate buzz in the media first?"

Upon hearing this, Musk seemed to understand, and the two exchanged a smile.

A few days later, news of Musk's meetings with various business leaders appeared in a flurry of media reports, and a series of positive news pushed Tesla's stock price up to $468.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.

A fat man in a suit was sitting in the office, drinking cola and staring at the computer screen with an unhappy expression.

"Where did these rats come from?" The fat man looked displeased as he looked at the charts of several agricultural stocks that were rising against the trend.

His earlier announcement of plans to cut agricultural subsidies caused agricultural stocks to fall.

The original plan was to buy at a low price and then release positive news to boost the stock price, but the plan was completely disrupted.

The stock prices of several companies he had his eye on suddenly rebounded, with a barrage of positive news: breakthroughs in agricultural technology, expansion into the Asian market, and so on.

With his keen business sense and access to official intelligence channels, the fat man quickly found out the reason.

The shareholder lists of these companies all included foreign nationals, and all of them were of Japanese descent. Further investigation revealed clues pointing to the Japanese agricultural cooperatives.

Although he knew that in the free market, he could manipulate stock prices, and others could do the same, he still frowned at the Coke bottle, feeling frustrated.

"Heh, trying to steal my thunder in the stock market? No way!" After a long silence, the fat man suddenly burst into laughter.

Chen Xi originally intended to make money with this fat man, but little did he know that the other party had no intention of sharing the profits at all, and wouldn't even let anyone else have a sip of soup.

Soon, the fat man picked up the phone from the table.

A short while later, a group of people filed in.

These are members of his private think tank, who handle his personal business affairs.

"Isn't this against the rules?" a woman said seriously after hearing the fat man's idea.

"CFIUS has been nothing but a decoration since its inception! Look at how many companies are now controlled by foreigners? If this continues, national security will face a serious threat. I'm doing this to ensure that key companies are firmly in the hands of our own people!" The fat man waved his arms, delivering a speech like a king.

The CFIUS he mentioned, or Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, is an official agency responsible for reviewing the impact of foreign investment on national security.

However, since its inception, the agency has only overseen non-controlling investments involving critical technologies, infrastructure, or sensitive personal data. With tens of thousands of U.S. companies and frequent shareholder changes, despite the enactment of the FINSA (Foreign Investment and National Security Act), its actual implementation has consistently fallen short.

"We must introduce new legislation to limit the control of foreign investors and bring companies back into the hands of our own people! Nobody knows the stock market better than me! Nobody knows the art of governing a country better than me!" The fat man became more and more excited as he spoke.

In the office, everyone who was already familiar with his style rolled their eyes inwardly! (End of Chapter)