What the hell is a private enterprise?

Chapter 322 Shock (6400 monthly votes in April)

"Keep an eye on each other, and report back truthfully when you get back, understand?"

"Don't worry, only the sugar coating was left."

After the IAA representatives left, Zhao Hande and Tang Wen met at the outdoor swimming pool and exchanged a quick conversation.

Last night's events were nothing new, just the same old tricks, only for those who are interested.

However, they also became more cautious, as there might be eavesdropping devices and lip-reading experts interpreting every word somewhere.

"We're about to fly back to Washington, where you'll meet a lot of big companies."

Levi was organizing Tang Wen's schedule, and he was extremely satisfied with the latter's performance over the past two days:

It has to be said that Tang Wen is really knowledgeable. Yesterday, he had Hughes help him donate more than two million dollars to several local private equity funds and charitable organizations.

Tang Wen gained a good reputation, and the councilors benefited—a win-win situation.

Now, Tang Wen, who has almost become a big star, will face a group of super giants.

Upon hearing the news of $100 billion, Zhao Hande, who was traveling with him, did not deny it, which naturally led to much speculation.

Everyone knows that Tang Wen is willing to spend money, and everyone hopes to get his orders.

Today, McDonnell Douglas's stock price soared like crazy, and investors' confidence in the MD11 order was also completely off the charts. It is believed that McDonnell Douglas will capture a large piece of the lucrative domestic aviation market in the next few years.

Even when Tang Wen bought a muscle car, the stock of the car company behind it saw a surge in popularity.

Tang Wen was well aware that his public image was stable enough, after all, he had passed the IAA certification!

"That's perfect, I'd also like to buy some helicopters."

Seeing Levi's puzzled look, Tang Wen quickly explained:
"It's not military helicopters, but heavy-duty sling-lift helicopters like the CH47 and CH54. There are many mountainous areas in China without roads, and heavy-duty helicopters are necessary to set up communication lines and power towers. This is a good market."

Levi thought for a moment: "The CH47 is a military model, but the CH54 might not be so sensitive. Sikorsky even sold you a batch of Black Hawks before... Oh, they'll be very happy."

This business does not conflict with McDonnell Douglas; Levi's even offered suggestions:
"Perhaps you should befriend General Electric. The MD11 uses two engine models, one from General Electric and the other from Pratt & Whitney. I would recommend the former."

Tang Wen nodded decisively and took it to heart. GE later created a monster with a thrust of more than 50 tons, so of course it's better to buy their engines. Pratt & Whitney is more skilled in military applications.

……

Upon landing in Washington, D.C., Tang Wen was first welcomed by Pepsi.

The vice president of PepsiCo was delighted when Tang Wen listed the three things. Upon landing, he presented Tang Wen with a container of Pepsi, which would be shipped to China by sea.

He also wanted to use Tang Wen's advertising slogan, namely:

Airplanes, muscle cars, and Pepsi make up the United States.

This phrase has swept across the entire land of freedom. The aviation industry is an advantage brought about by the unique geographical climate. Muscle cars are a unique car culture in the world at this time. Coca-Cola is their cultural symbol that has spread around the world.

However, this last point caused a polarization among the people across the country. Some believed that he was a heretic and should be eliminated immediately, but many more people who originally did not care began to support Tang Wen.

Coca-Cola, naturally unwilling to be outdone, openly declared that it would let Tang Wen know what the real Coca-Cola was, and a new red-blue battle was about to begin.

Tang Wen seemed to enjoy this immensely, continuing to fan the flames in front of the media:

"Pepsi is the best-tasting cola!"

After eliciting laughter from the reporters, he was invited to a dinner party organized in Kazimirz's name.

At this time, Kazimirz had resigned from his position in the Association for Exchanges with the University of Tokyo due to his loss in the competition ten years prior, but he still retained it, so there was no problem with the procedure.

Besides Tang Wen and Zhao Hande, the new ambassador and many other members of the delegation will also be attending. The event will be more ceremonial and will not involve serious business discussions.

The following day, Tang Wencai was invited to the District of Columbia and received a formal meeting. Although the meeting was brief, the attitude was not bad, and a few hours later a spokesperson released the news:

The Federation believes that selling advanced industrial products abroad benefits all mankind, welcomes anyone to invest and make purchases, and is optimistic about the civil aviation market in Tokyo.

That afternoon, the entire US aviation sector was viewed favorably, while the outside world was pessimistic about the Airbus-civil aviation deal.

With his "golden words" in hand, Tang Wen received numerous invitations from companies and members of parliament that afternoon, ranging from charity dinners to golf games and high-end clubs.

Brian urgently made plans and suggestions for Tang Wen based on proximity and importance, listing a total of 12 companies that must be accepted and 4 important members of parliament, especially the latter.

After visiting the councilors and donating a considerable amount of money with McDonnell Douglas, the council began discussing the issue of trade relations with the University of Tokyo the following day.

At this opportune moment, China also stepped up its efforts, announcing that its import quota for rice would be increased by more than 30% in the next quarter, and stating that it was actively exploring economic guidance that would be more favorable to foreign investment.

The mutual agreement was immediately interpreted as a sign that more trade and economic cooperation was about to take place between the two sides, and Shell Oil revealed the news the following day:

A high-grade shallow oil field has been discovered in Nansha, with conservative reserves exceeding 15 billion tons, enough to rank it among the top ten in the world.

At this critical juncture, international oil prices continued to rise, attempting to break through the $20 mark, but the momentum immediately slowed down that day.

Reporters from domestic and foreign media outlets immediately interviewed relevant personnel at the Ministry of Petroleum, and the response they received was:
Oil reserves have indeed been discovered, but their grade and quantity remain undetermined.

This answer only told half the story, but the next day, the growth rate of oil prices clearly fluctuated several times.

Levi communicated with Tang Wen more frequently.

……

At this time, Tang Wen was visiting Sikorsky's president, Letz.

"CH54? That's a big machine, and it's really suitable for mountain power grids."

Letts held Don Wen in high esteem and was even more pleased when he heard that he hoped to purchase CH54.

The CH54 was also mainly used for lifting power transmission towers in the US. Although it served in the military, it was completely retired in 93 and is not considered sensitive equipment.

With a maximum takeoff weight of 19 tons and an empty weight of only 8 tons, it is a type of aircraft more dedicated to sling loads than the Chinook.

Although Tang Wen prefers the CH47, buying some CH54s is also a good idea, as domestic infrastructure projects do need them, so it's not a bad deal.

Tang Wen: "The S64 is a big aircraft. Can it be converted into a passenger version and have a cargo hold added?"

"That...maybe, but I'd recommend you buy the dedicated commercial model,"

S64 (the civilian code name for CH54) has actually been discontinued. If you want to buy one, you can only do so by refurbishing it. Converting it into a passenger vehicle is quite troublesome, and Letz doesn't think it's feasible.

Tang Wen was not entirely satisfied either. Letz proposed selling the special S64B model, also known as CH54B, which is a model with increased payload and refurbished avionics, but the price was a whopping $2700 million, based on the price of a brand new car.

Tang Wen deliberately shook his head in disappointment and said:
"Then there might be fewer orders."

Letts was puzzled as to why the S64 was used to transport people. The S64 was a professional sling-lift helicopter. Unless you buy a CH-47 Chinook, you can use it as a side job... He suddenly realized.

The smaller portion is not civilian orders.

To verify his guess, Letts tentatively asked:
What do you think of the S70 helicopter?

"Ah, that's indeed a very good model. It would be even better if it were a version with more horsepower."

Letts became even more certain, but he was also somewhat agitated.

Sikorsky sold a batch of S70s before, but now even parts are no longer allowed to be exported.

The reason is... Letts doesn't think it's possible to commit a crime against the wind right now.

(End of this chapter)