In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 434: Forced to Confess to the Securities Regulatory Commission in Advance
Hong Kong's business community is still immersed in speculation about the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company.

Major media outlets and business leaders have tried to uncover the mystery of the man behind the scenes, but there is still no definite answer.

Although Lin Haoran's name is occasionally mentioned, most people do not believe that he is the driving force behind the acquisition because he is currently in the United States.

But, if Lin Haoran is not the person behind the scenes, who is it?

After all, acquiring the Hong Kong Telephone Company was a big deal.

There are not many consortiums in Hong Kong that can carry out such a big deal without making any noise, only a few people.

Chinese tycoons such as Li Jiacheng, Bao Yugang, Chen Songqing, Guo Desheng, Zheng Yutong, and Li Zhaoji have become objects of suspicion one after another.

These people have made a lot of money in the real estate industry and are able to participate in the acquisition.

So, some reporters went to the door, hoping to get useful information.

However, when faced with the reporter's probing, everyone directly denied that the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company was theirs.

Even the Bank of Hong Kong and Jardine Matheson became objects of suspicion.

However, Shen Bi and Simon Keswick also denied it one after another.

Simon Keswick, in particular, directly announced Jardine Matheson's plan to withdraw from Hong Kong.

In this way, everyone discovered that all the suspects did not seem to be the person behind the scenes.

Could it be that this is an outsider?
At this moment, everyone can only guess that it was not done by people from Hong Kong.

……

At 12:28 p.m. on December , a flight slowly landed on the runway of Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport.

This flight was a direct flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and Lin Haoran was one of the passengers on this flight.

Looking through the plane window at the familiar Hong Kong city center below, Lin Haoran couldn't help but feel a little emotional.

Looking back on this trip to the United States, it lasted nearly twenty days.

Although the United States is vast and rich in resources, in Lin Haoran's heart, he still feels that Hong Kong, an international metropolis with a predominantly Chinese population, is the place that he yearns for.

This is his territory.

The news of Lin Haoran's return to Hong Kong was not spread out, and the confidentiality work was done very well.

The moment he walked out of the cabin, he took a deep breath, feeling the familiar air and atmosphere.

Soon, he saw Ma Shimin, the current head of the group, who came to pick him up in person.

"Boss, welcome back to Hong Kong!" Ma Shimin said with a smile.

"Mr. Ma, what is the current public opinion about the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company?" After shaking hands with Ma Shimin, Lin Haoran asked with a smile.

Ma Shimin was slightly stunned, then regained his composure and replied in a low voice: "Public opinion is still boiling, and people from all walks of life are speculating on the identity of the acquirer. However, since you have been in the United States, most people have not associated you with this acquisition.

At present, several bigwigs such as Li Jiacheng and Bao Yugang have publicly denied it. Even Huifeng Bank and Jardine Matheson were involved, but they have denied it. However, Simon Keswick revealed that Jardine Matheson intended to withdraw, which made the situation even more confusing. "

"Interesting!" Lin Haoran Lin Haoran's lips curled up into a faint smile.

In his eyes, acquiring the Hong Kong Telephone Company was just an ordinary matter, but this ordinary matter was enough to cause a sensation in Hong Kong.

After all, Hong Kong Telephone Company is at the same level as China Gas Company. It is top-notch in terms of both popularity and influence.

So, it was indeed a bit beyond his expectations.

When I walked out of the airport lobby, a black Rolls-Royce had been waiting for a long time.

The bodyguard driver opened the car door respectfully, and Lin Haoran and Ma Shimin got in one after another.

As the vehicle slowly drove away from the airport, Lin Haoran leaned back on the soft seat.

Half an hour later, the two returned to the general manager's office in Kangle Building.

After entering the office, Ma Shimin began to report in a torrent of words what had happened in the past few days.

Although I could report on the phone, they were all simple reports. Now it is more convenient to report face to face.

Of course, these are not secrets. "Do you mean that we have submitted the relevant information about the merger and privatization to the Securities Regulatory Commission?" Lin Haoran asked, looking up suddenly.

"Yes, boss, the information has been submitted, but this is a helpless move. We originally planned to keep it confidential, but this morning, the Securities and Futures Commission sent a letter to inquire about the situation of Hong Kong Telephone Company and asked whether we were the operator behind the scenes.

Now that the CSRC has intervened, we naturally cannot hide it anymore. However, we have only disclosed the 34.9% of shares we currently hold. These are the only shares currently held by the Swire Group. Some of the remaining shares are secretly controlled by overseas fund companies, while others are held in the name of offshore companies.

Therefore, even the China Securities Regulatory Commission cannot accurately investigate how many shares we actually hold. The most they can do is to find out that the Hong Kong Land Development Group currently only holds 34.9% of the shares.

This ratio is legal and compliant. Currently, only Mr. Dai and I know the detailed data of our shareholding. Even the members of the trading team of Huanyu Investment Company are not clear about how many shares they have absorbed in total.

Therefore, the risk of information leakage is not great." Ma Shimin nodded and replied.

After saying that, he took out a consultation letter with the official seal of the Securities and Futures Commission on it.

After taking a look at the inquiry letter, Lin Haoran returned it to Ma Shiming.

Since the CSRC has already sent a letter of inquiry, it is obviously impossible to deny it. Otherwise, the acquisition will not be announced smoothly in the future. Lin Haoran understands this very well and is not dissatisfied with Ma Shimin for making the decision without reporting to him.

This was an emergency. He was still on the plane at the time, and Ma Shimin couldn't contact him when he wanted to discuss it.

Moreover, the Hong Kong Land Group now holds more than 40% of the shares of Hong Kong Telephone Company. Even if this information is made public, there is no need to worry about the emergence of any competitors.

After all, Hong Kong Telephone Company is firmly in the hands of the Hong Kong Land Group, and no one can snatch Hong Kong Telephone Company from the Hong Kong Land Group.

This acquisition battle has actually ended. The Hong Kong Land Group can take over the Hong Kong Telephone Company at any time. All it needs to do next is to move forward steadily and completely bring the Hong Kong Telephone Company under its control.

"Is there any follow-up news from the Securities Regulatory Commission?" Lin Haoran asked.

Ma Shimin shook his head slightly and replied: "If there is any new feedback, they will usually send a letter or contact me in person. I guess the Securities Regulatory Commission may still be discussing it internally.

However, they should not be able to stop our acquisition plan. After all, the entire process of our acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company was legal and compliant. At most, they may ask us to retain Hong Kong Telephone Company's listing status. "

Hong Kong Telephone Company monopolizes the fixed-line communications market in Hong Kong. To the vast majority of citizens, it is like an indispensable public utility company, although it is not a public utility in name.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door outside.

"Please come in." The two interrupted their conversation and Ma Shimin shouted to the outside of the door.

The door slowly opened, and what came into view was a receptionist from Kangle Building, followed closely by a young man in a suit.

"Boss, Mr. General Manager, the staff from the Securities and Futures Commission want to see you about something important!" said the receptionist politely.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, you can go and get busy first!" Ma Shimin smiled and nodded to the receptionist, indicating that she could leave.

Then he turned his attention to the young staff member from the Securities and Futures Commission.

"Mr. Lin, Mr. Ma, I am a staff member of the Securities and Futures Commission. I am here on behalf of the chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission to deliver a letter of documents to your company. Please check it." After the staff member finished speaking, he took out a letter of documents from his briefcase and handed it to Ma Shimin.

Lin Haoran remained silent and still sat upright in his chair. There was no need for him to personally take care of such trivial matters.

Ma Shimin took the document and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hard work. Please also give my regards to Chairman Max."

"Okay, Mr. Ma, I will pass on your greetings!" the staff member replied.

While opening the letter, Ma Shimin exchanged a few words with the staff of the Securities and Futures Commission, expressed his gratitude and asked them to wait for a moment, as he would immediately check the contents of the document and give a reply.

After the staff nodded in agreement, he quickly browsed the contents of the document. A hint of subtle surprise flashed across his face, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Boss, this is the official response from the Securities and Futures Commission regarding our acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company." Ma Shimin handed the document to Lin Haoran and briefly summarized the contents of the document. "They asked us to provide a more detailed description of the equity structure and ensure that the acquisition will not affect the normal operation and public service quality of Hong Kong Telephone Company.

In addition, they also emphasized the importance of retaining Hong Kong Telephone Company's listing status, and made it clear that although they could acquire Hong Kong Telephone Company, at least 25% of the shares must be retained in the stock market, that is, we can only hold a maximum of 75%. Now, they want to hear our opinions on this. "

Lin Haoran took the document, read it carefully, and a hint of deep thought flashed in his eyes.

"75%?" He looked up at Ma Shimin, "What do you think about this?"

Obviously, the SFC's concern about Lin Haoran's possible delisting and privatization of Hong Kong Telephone Company is not groundless.

Looking back at his previous acquisitions, from Qingzhou Yingni, Wan'an Group to Swire Properties, Lin Haoran has demonstrated a strong desire for possession and control. This series of actions has undoubtedly deepened the outside world's perception of his acquisition style.

In Hong Kong's business world, Lin Haoran has long been known as a businessman with a strong possessiveness.

Each of his privatization cases shows his desire for deep control over the enterprises.

(End of this chapter)