In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 183 The Head of the Li Family
In Chen Shoulin's office, Lin Haoran dialed a number.

This number is exactly the work contact number of the current chairman of China Gas Company, Li Mingze.

Soon, the call was connected.

"Hello, this is Li Mingze. Who is this?" An old man's voice soon came from the other end of the phone.

"Hello Mr. Li, I am Lin Haoran, Chairman of Hong Kong Electric Group. I would like to pay you a visit. I wonder if you are free?" Lin Haoran said directly.

"Mr. Lin? Of course. I'm at the China Gas Company office in Crusoe Bay, North Point now. Mr. Lin is always welcome to come." Li Mingze responded quickly on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, Mr. Lin, then wait for me for half an hour. See you in half an hour!" Lin Haoran said with a smile.

The title of Chairman of Hong Kong Electric Group is indeed useful. No one dares to look down on me when I tell them about it. Basically, I can visit anyone I want and no one will refuse me.

After all, this is a giant enterprise with a market value of more than 2 billion Hong Kong dollars.

In comparison, the market value of China Gas Company is just over HK$500 million.

As one of Hong Kong's public utility companies, the reason why the market value of China Gas Company is so much lower than that of Hong Kong Electric Company is mainly because although China Gas Company has a similarly long history, the company has accumulated much less land than Hong Kong Electric Company, and most of the land is small, and it also has few self-owned properties. Just in terms of the valuation of fixed assets, China Gas Company has much less than Hong Kong Electric Company.

In addition, Towngas' annual profit is much less than that of Hong Kong Electric Company Limited, and it is indeed not as profitable as Hong Kong Electric Company Limited.

The combination of various factors ultimately resulted in a four to five times difference in market value between China Gas Company and Hong Kong Electric Company.

"Mr. Chen, let's go there together!" After Lin Haoran put down the phone, he turned and said to Chen Shoulin.

"Okay, boss, please wait for me for a few minutes. I need to tell the operations director about a few things first." Chen Shoulin nodded and replied.

"Well, I'll wait for you in the garage. You can just take my car over there. I'll go back to the Hong Kong Electric Group after the talk." After Lin Haoran finished speaking, he turned and left the office.

The headquarters of Hong Kong Electric Group is not far from Lin Haoran’s villa on Sze Hoon Road, so he just passed by on his way back.

Lin Haoran brought two bodyguards to the underground parking garage downstairs, got in the car and waited for Chen Shoulin.

Less than three minutes later, Chen Shoulin came hurriedly down.

Li Weidong specially opened the car door for him, then closed it before returning to his passenger seat.

"Boss, this car is so luxurious. It's my first time to ride in one. It really is true that you get what you pay for." Chen Shoulin looked at this special edition Rolls-Royce curiously.

Although Chen Shoulin was previously the chairman of Hong Kong Electric Group, he was ultimately just a professional manager.

Over the years, he has indeed made a lot of money in the Hong Kong Electric Group. The basic salary and the dividends from senior management have made him one of the highest-paid "working emperors" in Hong Kong.

However, even if he is doing well, his assets are still less than 10 million Hong Kong dollars. He may not be willing to buy an ordinary version of Rolls-Royce, let alone a customized limited edition car that costs millions of Hong Kong dollars.

"Actually, it's okay. For me, a car is just a means of transportation. It's enough as long as it's comfortable and safe." Lin Haoran said with a smile.

The vehicle quickly left Kennedy Road and headed for Carp Bay in North Point, ten kilometers away.

Although it was already the rush hour after get off work, there was no traffic jam at all.

More than twenty minutes later, the Rolls-Royce slowly parked in the parking space in front of the China Gas Company headquarters building.

The China Gas Company can be said to be the oldest public utility organization in Hong Kong. It was founded in 1862, which is even longer than the history of the Hong Kong Electric Group.

The company's core business includes production, distribution and marketing of gas, sales of gas stoves, and provision of comprehensive after-sales services.

Although the business structure is single, since it belongs to a monopoly industry, they are the only one in Hong Kong that supplies gas and serves millions of people in Hong Kong. Therefore, the income and profits are extremely stable without any liability, making it one of the few high-quality companies in Hong Kong.

After entering the building and speaking to the front desk, they were soon led by staff to an office. On the door of the office was a golden plaque that read "Office of the Chairman of the Board of Directors."

The staff knocked on the door, and soon an old man's voice came from inside: "Come in."

"Mr. Chairman, the two distinguished guests have arrived."

Lin Haoran and Chen Shoulin had already entered the office. An old man had stood up from his seat and came out from his desk to greet them.

This is the famous head of the Li family, Li Mingze, who is 75 years old and wears a pair of black glasses.

The Li family's way of getting started was not very glorious. They started out by trading in public tobacco, which also quickly accumulated the first pot of gold for the Li family's rise.

After Li Mingze's father inherited the family business, he established Lixishen Industrial Co., Ltd. and invested in the real estate industry, while also continuing to operate the public tobacco trade.

However, since Li Mingze inherited the family business, the "Li Xishen Family" has completely cut off all businesses related to public cigarettes, and instead moved further and further into legitimate industries.

As the heir of the Lee family, Li Mingze has made great progress in his career after inheriting his father's Li Xishen Industrial Co., Ltd., which has surpassed the original family business of the Lee family, Li Xishen Industrial Co., Ltd., and has a total of more than 20 large-scale industrial and commercial enterprises, developing the family business into a diversified enterprise group. In recent years, Li Mingze's diversified business has expanded to real estate, trade, textiles, tourism, hotels, shipping, banking, trust, gas, oil, telecommunications, and Hong Kong-Kowloon Undersea Tunnel Project. The Xinghua Semiconductor Industrial Co., Ltd. he founded has opened up a new path for the production of integrated circuits in Hong Kong.

If we ignore the way the Li family's ancestors made their fortune, Lin Haoran feels that Li Ming is a very respectable business elder.

"Mr. Lin, Mr. Chen, you are such rare guests. Please come in and sit down!" Li Ming pointed at the sofa next to the coffee table and said with a loud laugh.

"Mr. Li, sorry to bother you." Lin Haoran responded with the same smile.

After the three of them sat down, Li Ming looked at Lin Haoran, the young businessman, curiously.

Although the man in front of him was a junior in the business world, no one dared to look down on him, including Li Mingze.

After all, at the age of just over 20, he acquired two British companies one after another, and one was bigger than the other. In just two years, he had walked a path that others could not walk in their entire lives. The emergence of such a person is a good thing for the Chinese consortium, which greatly increases the power of the Chinese consortium.

Not to mention the Hong Kong Electric Group, just the position of chairman of the Ching Chau Cement Company is enough to give him a certain status in the Chinese financial consortium.

Not to mention, Lin Haoran is now the chairman of the famous Hong Kong Electric Group.

"Mr. Lin is really young and promising, and the younger generation is pushing the older generation forward!" Li Ming said with some emotion.

Since he inherited the position of the head of the Lee family, he has led the Lee family to rapid development, making the Lee family one of the four major families. It can be said that he is also the pillar of Chinese-owned enterprises in Hong Kong.

But compared with Lin Haoran, he felt deeply that the achievements he had made in his life were no longer worthy of pride.

In just two years, they took over two large British companies, which is definitely a very honorable thing among the Chinese consortium.

"No, no, I'm just lucky. Compared with Mr. Li, I'm just a newcomer into the Hong Kong business world." Lin Haoran said modestly.

"The fact that the Hong Kong Electric Group was transformed from a British-owned company into a Chinese-owned company has caused a sensation in our Chinese Chamber of Commerce. British-owned financial groups have always dominated the business world in Hong Kong. We Chinese people all hope that the Chinese-owned financial groups will one day surpass the British-owned financial groups and become the masters of Hong Kong's business world. This is the lifelong pursuit of many of our Chinese businessmen.

I am very pleased to see more and more Chinese entrepreneurs rising up. Unfortunately, I am old and I don’t have many years left. Otherwise, I would really like to fight like you and make the Chinese consortium one step ahead!” Li Ming continued to speak. It was obvious that he was very touched when he saw Lin Haoran. He even sighed at the end.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce that Li Mingze mentioned is the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 1900, this chamber of commerce has a history of 80 years. Basically all the famous Chinese entrepreneurs in Hong Kong have joined this chamber of commerce, including Li Jiacheng, Bao Yugang, Zheng Yutong and other business tycoons, and even Lin Haoran's father Lin Wanan.

However, Lin Wanan is just an ordinary member of the Hong Kong Chinese Chamber of Commerce, while Li Ming is the vice president of the chamber of commerce.

Although the China Gas Company has the word "China" in its name, it was actually a British-owned company in the past, and a very purely British-owned company at that. In its early years, it was under the control of Wheelock and Company, and was later acquired by Li Mingze and several Chinese businessmen, who eventually took control of the controlling stake. Only then did the China Gas Company become a Chinese-owned company.

In Hong Kong, since Chinese people make up the majority of the population, in order to gain the favor of these Chinese people, some foreign-funded enterprises named their companies with the word "China", such as China Gas Company, China Light and Power Company, etc.

The China Gas Company has now become Chinese-owned, but the British financial consortium is still eyeing it covetously. It was almost acquired by the British financial consortium again five years ago.

As for China Light and Power Company, a company controlled by the Japanese, since they have almost absolute control, it is basically impossible to acquire it from them.

"Mr. Li, speaking of which, five years ago I had a meeting with you on behalf of the British financial group. In the blink of an eye, five years have passed. Looking back on the past, I am filled with emotion!" At this time, Chen Shoulin on the side also said with emotion.

"Yes, time flies. In the blink of an eye, I have already taken half a step into the grave. From now on, this world belongs to young people like Mr. Lin!" Li Ming said with a smile.

"I see that Mr. Li has a ruddy complexion. He doesn't look like a man who has taken a step halfway into the grave. You can tell at first glance that he is a long-lived person." Lin Haoran laughed.

In fact, Lin Haoran knew that the old man in front of him would not live long.

As far as I can remember, he died in 1983 at the age of 78, which means he only had three years left to live.

However, Lin Haoran naturally would not say these.

"By the way, Mr. Lin, Mr. Chen, what brings you here?" After exchanging pleasantries for so long, Li Mingze finally got straight to the point.

"Mr. Li should also know that our Hong Kong Electric Group is also one of the shareholders of China Gas Company. I have an idea and hope to acquire China Gas Company. I wonder if Mr. Li has any plans to sell shares?" Lin Haoran did not continue to beat around the bush.

"Acquire China Gas Company?" This caught Li Mingze off guard.

He didn't expect that the other party came here just for this matter.

"Yes, Mr. Lee, China Gas Company, like Hong Kong Electric Group, is a listed company of Hong Kong public utility institutions. I like such companies very much. Although there is little room for future appreciation, they have stable returns. This is true for Qingzhou Cement Company, Hong Kong Electric Group and China Gas Company.

After acquiring Hong Kong Electric, which happened to be one of the shareholders of China Gas, I had the idea of ​​acquiring China Gas. I wonder what Mr. Li thinks?" Lin Haoran continued to explain.

After saying that, Lin Haoran looked at Li Mingze with expectant eyes.

Of course, this is not what he really thinks, but what he said does make sense.

Whether it is Hong Kong Electric Company Limited, China Gas Company Limited, or Tsing Chau Cement, they all have one thing in common, that is, they are monopolistic in nature. They have no competitors at all in their own market turf, and their income is very stable.

(End of this chapter)