Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

Mason clearly saw Wang Yaotang's surprise, and shrugged without any embarrassment, "There's nothing we can do, at least we can't find a way to deal with you in the short term."

“From a legal standpoint, Laos and China have no reason to interfere with you. The authorities will absolutely not acknowledge that the waters where the incident occurred belong to Laos and China, so they will absolutely not request Laos and China to intervene.”

“Your Hong Kong British government is so damn indulgent!” Mason said angrily.

"As for the British fleet stationed in Hong Kong..." Mason shook his head. "The Falklands War was too devastating. If their fleet dares to move, it will definitely cause friction with the Chinese. The Australian and Indonesian fleets should not be present in this area either."

"As for the Philippines, we can get them to come, but the cost would be too high. A week or a month would be fine, but we can't afford to do it for a long time, and the profit margin on coal isn't that high."

“The timing is very delicate. If Hong Kong were to return to China…” Mason sighed, “but that would be more than a decade from now. Who knows what will happen then? Maybe I won’t even be working for Rio Tinto anymore.”

After his opponent's analysis, Wang Yaotang suddenly felt a sense of relief. Indeed, at this time, the Hong Kong passport was truly a lawless state. As long as he didn't actually attack other people's territory, he was truly invincible!
He patted Mason on the shoulder with a smile, "Buddy, don't be so discouraged. Maybe you'll become the chairman of Rio Tinto in less than ten years. You said it yourself, the future is uncertain. At least we know each other well, and I'm a very greedy person. I won't be satisfied with just a share of a mining area."

Mason looked at Wang Yaotang in astonishment, unable to suppress a sneer on his lips. "Are you kidding me? You, a Chinese man, think you can control Rio Tinto's development?"
It's not that I look down on you, but I'm just talking about who's behind Rio Tinto.

The British government, the Australian government, the Indonesian government, London financial capital, Australian family power, the Japanese steel conglomerate...

Who among them can you challenge?

Wang Yaotang didn't try to change his mind; there was no need. Indeed, no one could have imagined that Lao Zhong would become Rio Tinto's major shareholder in the future.

"Hehe, don't rush." ​​Wang Yaotang shook his finger. "Let's take care of Hong Kong and Siam first and bring them back."

Mason sighed. "You've really put me in a difficult position."

Once they were released, the Rio Tinto team became very respectful, with each person bowing to Wang Yaotang as they entered.

They used to be arrogant and fearless towards Chinese people, but that's clearly not going to work in the hands of this guy surnamed Wang. He's really ruthless. He might not kill anyone, but getting beaten up is not worth it. The company is unlikely to stand up for them.

Wang Yaotang laughed and said, "How shameless! You can't be polite to these foreigners. If you beat them up, you'll earn their respect."

"In response to the oil crisis, Hong Kong is promoting the construction of the Castle Peak coal-fired power plant. It is estimated that the annual coal consumption will rise to 1000-1200 million tons in the future. My Tuen Mun Port terminal is right next to the Castle Peak power plant. I will acquire some second-hand dry bulk carriers to form a transportation company. I want to monopolize this market."

Rio Tinto's people immediately found a report on Hong Kong's coal consumption and handed it to Mason. After a quick glance, they said, "Currently, CLP Power is in the hands of the Kadoorie family, and another part of their shares are held by ExxonMobil. Their main supplier is BHP Billiton."

“Of course I hope you can secure the coal supply contract with CLP Power and cooperate with Rio Tinto, but…” Mason shrugged.

“I’m currently acquiring shares of CLP Power on the secondary market. Trust me, those minority shareholders will willingly sell their shares to me. As for retail investors, it’s not a big problem. The Hong Kong government has controlled CLP Power’s profit margin through policies, and the share price has been trading sideways for a long time with little room for growth. A few fluctuations will be enough to shake them all out and allow me to complete the takeover bid,” Wang Yaotang said with a smile.

Mason chewed on the word 'willing' while inwardly cursing, "You're a fucking robber!" But he had to admit, this method was really effective.

"Are you thinking something rude?" Wang Yaotang glanced at him sideways. "During the Hong Kong-British negotiations, British and other foreign capital were fleeing. I'm giving them a chance to get out of this mess. They should thank me!"

“Yes, yes, Mr. Wang is truly kind,” Mason exclaimed, and the others echoed his sentiments.

“As for ExxonMobil,” Wang Yaotang thought for a moment, “they’re not having an easy time either. I can work with BP to squeeze them out of the Hong Kong and Southeast Asian markets and force them to sell their shares to me in exchange for my neutrality.”

“I have the Maritime Port of Tsing Yi in my hands, and I have plenty of ways to control them.”

The Kadoorie family, who ultimately held a firm grip on CLP Power, was a group stained with grime. Wang Yaotang hadn't forgotten the time he was stopped at the Peninsula Hotel when he was just starting out. He hadn't had many opportunities before, but now he wanted to get his revenge.

British capitalism is about to collapse, what's the big deal about oil stains? Do you even know what powerful degreasing is?
First it was the Castle Peak Power Plant, then it was Jardine Matheson.

Jardine Matheson is internally discussing selling Hong Kong Electric as a hedge against risk. Hong Kong Electric plans to build a power plant on Lamma Island, but it has not yet been determined whether it will be coal-fired or gas-fired. Jardine Matheson must get its hands on this.

"As for Siam..." Wang Yaotang curled his lips, "The market is indeed not big. The consumption in the past 80 years is only 187 million tons. However, the growth in the last two years has been relatively fast, around 40%. Moreover, most of the domestic power generation is fuel oil and hydropower. The coal power generation market has promising prospects. Currently, the main users of coal are the steel and cement industries. I have already negotiated this market and can replace the original importers at any time."

“No, wait a minute.” Mason suddenly stood up, looking at Wang Yaotang with astonishment. “Most of Siam’s coal is imported from Rio Tinto, and from Indonesian mines!”

"Really? Hahaha, I'm so sorry." Wang Yaotang laughed loudly.

"You, you, how can you replace us? We have a contract!" Mason's mouth twitched. Although the usage wasn't large, it was still 200 million tons a year.

"It was all a coincidence. Two families in the steel industry happened to offend me. I bombed their manor with cannons. To thank me for helping them discipline their unruly sons, they voluntarily gave me the contract. The method wasn't that difficult. Your transport ship was delayed at sea and breached the delivery time. Is that reason enough?" Wang Yaotang said casually.

“You…” Mason’s face turned green with anger. Just as he was about to curse, the idiot next to him took out a stun gun and started playing with it, making a ‘zzzz’ sound.

"Hahaha, Mr. Wang, you really know how to joke."

Wang Yaotang also burst into laughter, "Of course I was joking. 200 million tons a year, the profit isn't even enough to buy a second-hand Patimula-class frigate. You won't turn against me because of this, will you?"

"You just said the market prospects are huge?" Mason said in a low voice.

"Did I say that?"

“He didn’t say!” Mason shook his head.

"Oh, just kidding. I acquired KPC's shares and, incidentally, your supply contract. As for the future market, that's my job to drive development and expand. As a shareholder of KPC, what's wrong with Rio Tinto providing some support?" Wang Yaotang said matter-of-factly, "Won't you get a share of the profits in the future too?"

Mason smacked his lips. It wasn't a problem to say that; at least it gave him a way out.

The purchasing merchants were all bombed. What do you call this?
This is called force majeure!

In addition, the idea of ​​promoting thermal power generation is not unfounded. Wang Yaotang's development of the Pattaya tourism industry is itself a major consumer of electricity.

Considering Bangkok's lack of deep-water ports, the Siamese government is preparing to develop the Lim Ban Cha port, and Wang Yaotang will definitely be involved in this.

The area around Lim Ban Cha and Chonburi is an industrial zone, automobile industrial park, and steel industrial park promoted by the Siamese government, and it is also a major consumer of electricity.

Moreover, Bangkok has a population of over 600 million.

Insufficient power is a major problem.

Wang Yaotang had it all planned out. Acquiring KPC shares was just the beginning; he also planned to acquire shares in several other coal mines in Indonesia, which would be leverage in negotiations with the Siamese government.

Moreover, he has already invested in a coal-fired power plant in Zhuhai, which will be operational in a year and a half at most, thus gaining successful operational experience.

But there's no need to talk about that; dealing with the immediate issues is the most important thing.

Once the bottom line is revealed, there's really nothing left to discuss. It's all about the details, like how many shares to sell and the price, which will depend on the bargaining chips of the three parties.

Wang Yaotang has a big appetite, asking for 20% right off the bat. This means BP will have to participate in the negotiations, and they will also have to give up a portion of their share.

Tianhai Mining Company: The 'protective umbrella' security company's maritime security fleet can guarantee the safety of all cargo ships in the entire Southeast Asian waters!

Rio Tinto and BP: You are the biggest destabilizing factor in Southeast Asia!
Tianhai Mining: If they become one of our own, then we'll be safe!
The specific negotiations were going to take quite a while, and the two cargo ships were released as the first item.

However, Hai Dazhao and his group did not return. Wang Yaotang acquired a 3-ton oil tanker from Dong Hua.

He originally wanted to lease it, as the tankers were getting a bit old, but Dong Hua absolutely refused, insisting on selling even at a drastically reduced price. Meanwhile, rumors were flying around the shipping industry, and the negotiations between Wang Yaotang and Rio Tinto and BP couldn't be kept secret any longer. Everyone was saying that Wang Yaotang had impersonated a pirate and robbed Rio Tinto in the South China Sea, and had done so several times, which was why Rio Tinto was offering shares to bring him on board.

There's no way around it, Rio Tinto has too many shareholders, not to mention BP and Indonesians... Indonesians can't keep any secrets!

However, specific details have not been released, nor has news of Rio Tinto's escort fleet suffering nearly half its losses.

Anyway, Dong J Hua felt that Wang Yaotang was definitely not doing anything good with the boat; it was most likely a robbery!
After all, everyone knows what kind of background the man surnamed Wang has.

Wang Yaotang: You're slandering me! You're slandering me!
A 3-ton oil tanker is like a giant tortoise at sea, how can you rob it!

That was just for carrying oil; there are other ships for buying oil... cough cough...

A 3000-ton small oil tanker is slowly sailing out of the dock at Wenchong Shipyard. It has just been modified, reducing the number of oil tanks, separating the tanks into five independent tank spaces, adding small speedboat mounting positions and lifting equipment, and adding specialized suction equipment...

Factory Director Zhao didn't know what these things were for, nor did he want to ask!

After refueling with marine diesel, the tanker, carrying 10 fully enclosed speedboats, slowly sailed toward the Indonesian Strait. The Xingye and a 0 were waiting nearby, while the oil depot in Bangkok was ready for use at any time.

This isn't robbery. Wang Yaotang did pay. Of course, the captain and crew received the money. In ocean shipping, for oil tankers weighing tens or hundreds of thousands of tons, what's wrong with a little or two of damage?
Most of this fuel remains at sea, and 30,000-ton oil tankers serve as offshore refueling platforms. This type of fuel, which is tax-free, is relatively much cheaper, making it a popular choice for both cargo ships and fishermen refueling at sea.

This kind of thing is still common even 40 years later. There are no laws in the open sea. As long as you have armed forces and can prevent passing ships from having the idea of ​​double-crossing, you can operate.

A small portion of the fuel will be transported to Bangkok for storage and then shipped by tanker trucks to Chiang Saen for export to Shan State.

At the same time, Four-Eyes and Ah-Wei were also privately contacting the minority shareholders of CLP Power, gradually absorbing shares from them. In order to avoid the disclosure threshold, these shares were scattered in different companies.

Having a large number of shares in circulation and funds makes it easy to manipulate a stock.

Kadoorie quickly noticed the abnormal fluctuations in CLP Power's stock. Such things cannot be hidden in the financial market, but for the time being, he couldn't figure out who was behind it.

The company's business was stable, and the short-term fluctuations in the stock price had little impact on them. They continued to investigate the mastermind behind the scenes while observing the situation closely.
Other financial companies also discovered that there were large-scale "market manipulators" absorbing shares. Considering that CLP Power was not a speculative stock and there was no need to take the risk, funds were withdrawn from CLP Power.

Two months later, once the amount of circulating shares absorbed exceeded 20%, it could no longer be concealed, and the liquidity in the stock market was almost anchored.

……

Kadoorie & Company, small meeting room.

"Why is it this troublesome guy?" Xiao Jia frowned. "Have you contacted him? What's his purpose?"

"Not for now. We suspect that there might be some benefit from this behind the scenes from the Chinese side. Chairman, you know that the Chinese are not open to industries like electricity. Perhaps this is preparation for what will happen in ten or twenty years," General Manager Barkley said in a deep voice.

"I'll go ask someone from China Resources about the situation. You guys go directly to that guy surnamed Wang and see what he's up to." After thinking for a long time, Xiao Jia decided to be more direct.

If there is any malicious intent, they can prepare in advance. With the support of HSBC and Standard Chartered, they are not afraid of Wang Yaotang's hostile takeover.

Three days later...

"Shares in Qingshan Power Plant and the supply contract?"

"Impossible! You're asking for an exorbitant amount!" Xiao Jia shouted angrily.

If it were just a financial investment, that would be fine, but once Wang Yaotang controls the coal supply channels, wouldn't CLP Power be at his mercy, with a large proportion of his profits being taken away?

As for whether the guy surnamed Wang is that greedy, he's already scheming for company shares, how can he say he's not greedy!

"Don't be so absolute. Ask around, everyone knows I, Wang Yaotang, am the most generous person. When have any of my partners ever suffered a loss? You're slandering me." Wang Yaotang said with a smile, "Coal prices are definitely based on market prices. Would I force anyone to buy or sell?"

“The Castle Peak Power Plant is right next to Tuen Mun. You can skip the warehouses. There’s a direct route from the port to the power plant. Just build a transport belt and you can solve the transportation problem. It’s time-saving and labor-saving. There’s no better option.”

"No, no, no, this is a systemic risk, and we must nip it in the bud." Xiao Jia shook his head. "We have a long-term supply contract with BHP Billiton!"

“I think BHP Billiton is taking a huge risk. The situation at sea is complicated, and the current annual consumption of the Qingshan Power Plant is only 150 million tons. They may not be willing to take the risk.” Wang Yaotang’s lips curled into a cold smile.

If he dares to hijack Rio Tinto's ship, he'll be no match for Rio Tinto!
"This is robbery! This is banditry! This is piracy!" Xiao Jiali said, her face turning pale with anger.

"Robber, do you even want to listen to what you're saying?" Wang Yaotang suddenly stood up, pointed his finger at Xiao Kadoorie's nose, and said with a mocking look, "This land under your feet was stolen, everything in Hong Kong is built on the foundation of robbery. History is about to pass, and you're still dreaming!"

"I could have continued buying coal from BHP Billiton for the next few years, saving them the trouble of transportation. The slight decrease in profit wouldn't have made any difference. You think they'd support you? Damn, you're dreaming!"

“I’m telling you right now, Hong Kong belongs to the Chinese. You’re fucking making money off all the Chinese. There must be Chinese shareholders in the electricity supply. Other British companies are making concessions. Who the fuck do you think you are?”

Wang Yaotang strode over, but several high-ranking officials from the fund company blocked his way. Wang Yaotang kicked them all down with a few thuds.

"You, you, what are you going to do!" Xiao Jia Daoli was so frightened that she jumped up from her chair, staggered backward, and almost fell.

Wang Yaotang grabbed his collar and pulled him back, saying, "You think you can monopolize everything under the rule of Little Britain? Little Britain is about to leave and you still want to monopolize everything? Then what's the point of Little Britain leaving? Can't you see the situation clearly? Believe me or not, I'll wipe out your entire base!"

"Monopolizing the power supply and not opening it up, huh? I think you're trying to 'use electricity to control the new government'!"

"Those who harbor malicious intentions deserve to be punished!"

"You, you, you, you're talking nonsense," Xiao Jia muttered under her breath.

He gave Wang Yaotang a knowing look, then waved his hand and turned to leave.

Only after confirming that the person had left did Xiao Jiadao unleash his furious rage, cursing wildly for a long time before finally saying, "Go, prepare the car, I'm going to find the people from China Resources."

……

China Resources: "Huh?"

"Is there such a thing?"

"I do not know!"

"Is there some misunderstanding?"

"We have never made this decision and will absolutely not interfere with the operation of the capital market."

Xiao Jia looked at the China Resources people with some suspicion. In order to maintain a tacit understanding and protect the investment environment, Lao Zhong always expressed his ideas through business means.

This aligns with the speculation, but the methods...

The Chinese have certainly never been so aggressive before.

But who knows if it was a deliberate smokescreen? (End of Chapter)