In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Some even speculate that if Hong Kong Electric Company Limited, Kowloon Motor Bus Company, China Gas Company and other companies were not listed public utilities and could not be easily privatized due to regulations, these companies would probably have been unable to escape the fate of being privatized by Lin Haoran.

Now, facing the requirement put forward by the China Securities Regulatory Commission that the Swire Properties Group can only hold 75% of the shares, this undoubtedly reveals the regulators' deep concern that Lin Haoran may take extreme privatization measures.

They hope to ensure that Hong Kong Telephone Company can continue to maintain its listing status by limiting the shareholding ratio of the Hong Kong Land Development Group, thereby protecting the continuity of Hong Kong Telephone Company in public services.

However, the shareholding has reached 75%, which is actually not much different from privatization.

Perhaps the only difference is that Hong Kong Telephone Company has to announce some company matters to the public on a regular basis, such as the company's financial status and operating conditions, major corporate events, corporate governance structure, important board resolutions, etc.

In contrast, privatized companies are not subject to such strict information disclosure obligations.

They can manage information more flexibly and reduce the pressure for public disclosure, but this may also reduce market transparency and investor protection.

The reason why the SFC insisted on requiring Hong Kong Telephone Company to retain its listing status was obviously to make the operating information of Hong Kong Telephone Company sufficiently transparent.

Ma Shimin thought for a moment and replied, "From our perspective, a 75% stake is enough for us to effectively control Hong Kong Telephone Company. Keeping Hong Kong Telephone Company's listing status will not have much impact on our control of the company. Therefore, I tend to accept the SFC's suggestion and there is no need to oppose their opinion."

Lin Haoran nodded in agreement.

"Your idea is the same as mine. Since they have proposed it, let's agree to it. We do need to balance the interests of all parties as much as possible under the premise of legality and compliance to ensure the smooth progress of the acquisition and subsequent stable operation. It is obviously unwise to go against the Securities Regulatory Commission.

Then, you should reply to the Securities Regulatory Office according to this idea, and at the same time, you should also start preparing the relevant equity structure adjustment plan. "

Ma Shimin responded, and immediately began to draft a reply letter and started to arrange the specific work of adjusting the relevant equity structure.

Lin Haoran leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

After the staff from the Securities and Exchange Commission left, Ma Shimin thought for a moment and said to Lin Haoran, "Boss, since the Securities and Exchange Commission already knows about this, we can't keep it secret any longer. So why not just announce it directly!"

"Okay, then announce it. Once you handle this matter, I won't show up!" Lin Haoran nodded.

After receiving the order, Ma Shimin immediately began to prepare a statement to be announced to the public.

This statement must accurately convey the company's position while also calming the market and investors as much as possible.

After several deliberations and revisions, we finally finalized an announcement that was both concise and clear.

In the announcement, Ma Shimin, on behalf of Hong Kong Land Group and Lin Haoran, officially confirmed Hong Kong Land Group's decision to acquire Hong Kong Telephone Company, and explained that this decision was based on considerations of the company's long-term development strategy.

At the same time, the announcement also emphasized that Hong Kong Telephone Company will continue to maintain its listing status and continue to fulfill its information disclosure obligations to ensure that all shareholders and investors can obtain the company's operating information in a timely and accurate manner.

This announcement directly shows the attitude of the Hong Kong Land Group towards the Hong Kong Telephone Company, which is that it will not be privatized!
Immediately, these announcements were sent to several mainstream media in Hong Kong by Ma Shimin's men.

Such as Oriental Daily, Hong Kong Business Daily, Securities Daily, etc.

The next day, Lin Haoran once again dominated the headlines of major media outlets in Hong Kong.

"Huanyu Investment Company officially announced the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company, and Lin Haoran became the driving force behind it!"

"Lin Bancheng has won another city, and the business landscape of Hong Kong may be reshaped!"

"Lin Haoran's business empire has a new member, the Hong Kong Telephone Company has been brought under his control!"

As soon as the news came out, the Hong Kong business community was in an uproar.

The news spread like wildfire, quickly to every corner of Hong Kong's business community, causing shock and heated discussion among countless people.

Many people were talking about it on the streets.

This is the Hong Kong Telephone Company, whose influence and popularity are even greater than that of the Hong Kong Electric Group.

After all, the Hong Kong Electric Company only monopolizes the electricity market in Hong Kong Island, while the Hong Kong Telephone Company actually monopolizes the fixed-line communications market in the entire Hong Kong.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company by the Hong Kong Land Group caused a sensation.

Those shareholders who had been cheated out of their losses were suddenly awakened from their dreams and discovered that the manipulator behind the scenes was actually the Jardine Matheson Group.

Faced with such a behemoth, the anger and dissatisfaction in their hearts instantly became pale and powerless, and they were even too lazy to complain anymore.

In front of a behemoth like the Hong Kong Land Development which has strong capital and extensive resources, they, the small shareholders, seem so small and powerless.

Their voices are like a speck of dust in the vast ocean of commerce and are easily drowned out.

In this volatile market, small investors can only passively accept the fate.

Those who were once full of longing and dreams for the stock market now had to face the cruel reality and gradually began to calm down. No matter what, the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company by Hong Kong Land Group was bound to cause a great sensation in Hong Kong.

In the top business circles of Hong Kong, bigwigs such as Li Jiacheng, Shen Bi, and Simon Keswick were all shocked.

They didn't expect that Lin Haoran would once again complete such a large-scale acquisition quietly.

Li Jiacheng sat in his office with a frown on his face: "It is indeed him... It seems that even if I own Hutchison Whampoa, it will be difficult for me to surpass Lin Haoran, and the gap between me and him is getting bigger and bigger!"

Li Ka-shing undoubtedly had great ambitions. After successfully acquiring the controlling stake in Hutchison Whampoa and receiving strong support from Bank of Eastar, his ambitions grew like weeds and were difficult to curb.

In his grand blueprint, he dreams of becoming the undisputed wealth leader in Hong Kong and even in Asia, and even having a place on the global stage.

However, reality has presented him with an insurmountable obstacle. Lin Haoran, the business rookie who emerged only two years ago, now stands like a towering mountain in his way forward, making him feel unprecedented despair.

Lin Haoran has brought together many industry giants under his command, including Hong Kong Land Group, Hong Kong Electric Group, Wan Ching Group, China Gas, Kowloon Motor Bus, and Hong Kong Telephone Company. The size of his business empire is breathtaking.

In comparison, the chips in Li Ka-shing's hand seem to be stretched, with only Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa as support.

Does he still have a chance to surpass Lin Haoran?

Faced with such a gap, Li Jiacheng couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

On the other side, Shen Bi called Lin Haoran, with a complicated tone: "Mr. Lin, congratulations, the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company is really amazing."

The reason why Shen Bi had mixed feelings was that he knew that although Hui Feng Bank was still the largest company in Hong Kong on the surface, in terms of comprehensive strength, Lin Haoran had actually surpassed Hui Feng Bank.

This is because the large companies under Lin Haoran are basically ranked among the top 30 in Hong Kong.

Even Hong Kong Land Development and Hong Kong Electric Holdings are among the top ten giants.

If Wanqing Group was not a private enterprise but a listed company, it would definitely be among the top ten listed companies in Hong Kong.

These companies combined have covered all walks of life in Hong Kong, and their strength has obviously surpassed that of Huifeng Bank. This is enough to make Lin Haoran the largest conglomerate in Hong Kong.

In this situation, Shen Bi could only feel deeply helpless.

Originally, they helped Bao Yugang acquire Hutchison Whampoa in order to completely surpass Jardine Matheson & Co., Ltd. by Bank of Hong Kong and thus become the largest financial group in Hong Kong.

But now, just two years have passed, and Huifeng Bank has completely lost its position as the largest conglomerate.

All their hard work was gone, which made him feel helpless and complicated.

Lin Haoran smiled calmly and responded modestly: "Mr. Shen Bi, you are too kind. This is just a very common part of our many plans in Hong Kong."

"Mr. Lin, I deeply admire your business layout. However, I still want to remind you that as your business empire continues to grow, you will face more challenges and competition. I hope you can continue to maintain this humble and low-key attitude. We, Huifeng Bank, are happy to be a partner of your companies!" Shen Biyu said meaningfully.

"Of course, Mr. Shen Bi, I am also happy to maintain closer cooperation with Huifeng Bank. Don't forget, I am a member of the board of directors of Huifeng Bank!" Lin Haoran answered cheerfully, as if he didn't understand the hidden meaning of Shen Bi's words.

He knows that in the business world, it is common for a big tree to attract the wind, but he is not afraid of competition and challenges.

Today, Lin Haoran's business empire in Hong Kong is expanding at an astonishing speed.

With the Hong Kong Telephone Company under his control, his influence has penetrated into every corner of Hong Kong.

From real estate, retail, energy, electricity, building materials, investment, finance, transportation to communications, Lin Haoran's business empire covers almost all key industries.

This all-round layout not only enabled him to occupy an absolute dominant position in the Hong Kong business community, but also allowed him to gradually emerge on a global scale.

However, as Shen Bi said, as Lin Haoran's business empire continued to grow, he also faced more and more challenges and competition.

Especially for Huifeng Bank, with its usual domineering style, Shen Bi is likely to realize the threat posed by Lin Haoran, and secretly join forces with business tycoons such as Li Jiacheng, trying to resist the rise of this emerging force through cooperation.

However, all these are just their speculations and concerns.

For Lin Haoran, these potential alliances and confrontations are just ripples in the normal business world.

His vision has long gone beyond the tiny island of Hong Kong. Instead, he looks around the world, thinking about how to make his mark on a broader stage.

For him, the acquisition of Hong Kong Telephone Company was just a chess piece in his plan to control the future communications industry in Hong Kong and lay a solid information highway for his business empire.

This move is not only a deep penetration into the Hong Kong market, but also a strategic position in the future global communications field. (End of this chapter)