Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 145 New York Consulate General

San Francisco, California.

At midday, the sun was shining brightly.

The wind blew in from the direction of the port, carrying with it the smells of the sea and the old asphalt road.

Li Hongyuan stood on the sidewalk, placed the coffee cup on the railing, and glanced at his watch.

Eleven fifty-eight.

Instead of entering through the main entrance, he walked around the parked hybrid official vehicle along the vegetation belt on the west wing of the building.

Then, swipe your card at the pedestrian walkway behind to enter the second-floor platform.

Passing through the glass corridor, the conference room door was half-open, and light streamed in through the gaps in the blinds.

Li Hongyuan stopped, took a deep breath, and calmed his emotions.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door twice, the rhythm slow and even.

"Please come in," someone inside replied.

Li Hongyuan pushed open the door and entered.

The room was small, with a dark-colored long table placed by the window.

A map showing the distribution of California's power grid and coastal energy density hangs on the wall.

It's not very modern; the paper is yellowed, blue and red are layered, and the curves have been manually modified several times.

Three Americans were sitting at the table.

The leader was a man in his fifties, white, and thin.

He was wearing an unassuming dark gray jacket.

When the visitor entered, he did not get up to greet him, but only slightly raised his chin.

"This is our initial draft of the proposal."

As Li Hongyuan spoke, he sat down, took out some documents from his bag, and handed them over along with a USB drive.

"The intention is primarily focused on refinancing strategies for California's existing green infrastructure."

Seeing this, the three people did not move and showed no intention of accepting.

Li Hongyuan tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, not in a hurry to urge him.

He was familiar with this pattern.

Americans don't like to express their opinions immediately.

Especially on issues involving finance and sovereign boundaries.

Silence itself is a test.

About ten seconds later, the middle-aged man picked up the documents, flipped through two pages, and then casually pushed them to his assistant.

"Which side are you representing now?" he asked.

"Currently, I work for a clean energy investment fund."

Li Hongyuan responded fluently.

"The company is registered in Singapore, and its investment structure comes from the Pan-Asian region."

“Main holders of funds include Southeast Asian sovereign wealth funds, private energy companies, and several institutions with significant holdings of green bonds.”

“We have participated in pilot upgrades of port energy equipment in New Zealand and Chile.”

"The main directions include microgrids, hydrogen energy integration, and shore power systems."

"In Malaysia, the framework test for the regional carbon credit mechanism is underway."

He paused after speaking, then lowered his voice.

"Now, we are looking for the next market with a mature legal framework and a sound fiscal system, but which is also limited by federal resources."

"Used to develop a locally-led green finance self-governance mechanism."

Li Hongyuan didn't say "America," but every word pointed to it.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Asian assistant suddenly looked up.

"Are you implying a federal budget impasse?" he asked rudely. "I suggest you watch your words."

"This is not a field that foreigners should be commenting on."

Li Hongyuan ignored his harsh words and calmly continued:
“We have observed that California is currently highly proactive in addressing climate pressures.”

"But federal incentives and current monetary policy do not provide matching support."

"Especially given the rising pressure of local government debt and the uncertain regulatory outlook for ESG financing instruments." "We hope to provide a medium-term capital solution for these regions."

"It is different from the traditional dollar bond market and does not rely on central credit backing."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man became interested: "What kind of financing mechanism do you plan to introduce?"

“A special account model based on regional assets.”

Li Hongyuan said, "For example, port usage fees, state-level carbon quotas, and revenue from energy storage equipment services."

“These can all serve as the underlying assets in a bond-backed portfolio.”

"Funds are linked to the local electricity spot market through carbon credit pricing, thus avoiding the path of highly volatile US dollar exchange rates."

"You want to get into the port system?" the middle-aged man asked with interest, but his tone was more like a confirmation.

"We prefer to use ports as our entry point."

"It is both a node asset and a landing point for the energy network."

“Especially cities like South Bay, Long Beach, and Auckland, which have both high maritime traffic and are located in high-energy-consuming zones.”

"It has application scenarios for bilateral clearing and equipment reconfiguration."

The middle-aged man fell silent, his expression dark and unreadable.

The Asian youth sneered, "That sounds familiar. Haven't you made the same suggestion to the *** government before?"

He stared intently at Li Hongyuan: "If I remember correctly, you used to be the Third Secretary at the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in New York, right?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

The middle-aged man's expression was somewhat stiff.

"During that period, I worked in the diplomatic system as a technical coordinator."

Li Hongyuan answered calmly, "I participated in the alignment of energy efficiency standards between China and the United States."

"But now, I am a representative of a private foundation."

“Identity change is normal.” The hostility from Asians was even stronger, “especially from your side.”

He leaned back in his chair and said, "Don't get me wrong, California isn't the North."

This statement is so blunt and unvarnished.

The room fell silent, with only the low-frequency hum of the air conditioner circulating cold air.

After a long silence, the middle-aged man spoke.

"What you're bringing up now..."

"Whether it's asset-linked or liquidation-derived, we cannot assess it at this stage."

It's not that we don't understand what you're saying.

"The point is that the state currently lacks sufficient political space to accommodate a financial arrangement that Washington might interpret as a form of structural confrontation."

He paused, his tone softening:
“You put it very tactfully, but we understood it perfectly.”

"However, I'm sorry, we cannot agree to that now."

Li Hongyuan listened quietly and nodded.

They did not show frustration, urgency, or even follow up with further questions.

“I understand,” he said. “We can submit the materials again if the appropriate window opens.”

Seeing him get up to leave, the Asian man quickly added a few more words, as if he absolutely had to say them:
"You can continue to bet on Chile and Malaysia."

"Nobody there asks about your background, they only ask for a reward."

"But that approach won't work here."

"Because this is America."

Li Hongyuan finally stopped what he was doing.

“Yes,” he said meaningfully, “I know this is America.”

"So you choose to talk about identity first, rather than logic—that is indeed your right."

"Of course, it could also be your problem."

Hearing the implication in his words, the Asian man's face turned bright red, and he slammed his hand on the table, about to stand up.

This time, the middle-aged man could no longer pretend to be stupid. He frowned slightly and forcefully pushed the other person back down.

Li Hongyuan smiled, his gaze sweeping over the shelved draft cooperation agreement:
"On the other hand, who can say for sure whether these things will still be important a few years or a decade from now?"

　Li Hongyuan's true identity and the purpose of his plan are not convenient to reveal directly, so I will have to be vague about them. Readers who can guess them, please leave your guesses in the comments.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)