America: My Time

Chapter 1000 The Koreans' Ambition

Chapter 990 The Koreans' Ambition

While everyone assumed John's presence in Taiwan was solely for semiconductor chip and GPS device production, they were wrong. John was also aggressively expanding in the pharmaceutical field, encompassing research and development, retail, and medical services. John was well aware of the immense potential of the global healthcare market. While Japan was also a strong player, having acquired considerable talent during the bubble economy's collapse, the acquisition of Tsumura Pharmaceuticals was aimed at securing their expertise in traditional Chinese medicine formulas. Given the enormous potential of the global pharmaceutical market, Taiwan had become a key focus, particularly in generic drugs and traditional Chinese medicine formulas.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket; it's essential to have backup plans. John also intends to break up the pharmaceutical companies, but now isn't the time; there are still many shortcomings. The US has already completed its pharmaceutical layout, not only in manufacturing but also in retail and healthcare. John's current target is Asia. As for Europe, John doesn't want to engage in further competition with those companies; one Shire Pharmaceuticals is enough. In comparison, establishing a strong presence in pharmacies and healthcare is the focus. If he were to challenge their bottom line now, it would likely lead to another major battle.

"Mr. John, are you sure you want to increase your investment in Taiwan's medical and pharmaceutical sectors?" When John submitted his application for medical investment to the Taiwanese government, it shocked the Taiwanese people. They hadn't expected John to be so ambitious. Seeing such a massive investment plan, the Taiwanese were overjoyed.

Refusing would be foolish. Such a good thing has fallen from the sky, so naturally they should accept it and give it their full support. After all, this is a real investment of money. Originally, many people in Taiwan thought that John's trip was only for automobile manufacturing and semiconductor chips. They didn't expect such a good thing to happen.

"I'm certain that investment in Taiwan isn't a problem, but we do have requirements. We need to establish our own planting bases, and that requires your help. After all, we don't want to be held hostage by anyone." This is just the beginning of John's foray into medicinal herb cultivation. After acquiring Tsumura Pharmaceuticals, medicinal herb cultivation has always been a concern for him, with plans in the US, Australia, and Southeast Asia. Even many valuable medicinal herbs have been acquired by John ahead of time, yielding huge profits in Southeast Asia and Africa—something many hadn't anticipated.

As for South Korea and Japan, they don't have that much land resources. In comparison, the United States, Australia, and Southeast Asia are areas that John values, not only for Chinese medicinal herbs but also for grain. As his food processing plants increase, he must make arrangements for food security in advance, otherwise he will be in big trouble if he is targeted by grain merchants!
John was well aware of how crazy those bastards were, so they made numerous investments in Australia, Southeast Asia, the United States, and even South America. However, none of this attracted much attention; it was all just a scattered effort, and it wasn't just for food cultivation, but also for other purposes.

John quickly reached an agreement with the Taiwanese investors. When those who were following John heard the news, they were dumbfounded, especially the Japanese. John was not going to Taiwan for car manufacturing or semiconductor chip production as they had imagined, but for pharmaceutical investment. What was going on?

Just as these guys were completely confused, John appeared in South Korea. Although John didn't have many ideas about South Korea anymore and just wanted to maintain the current development, he still had to save face for South Korea, otherwise there would be some unnecessary trouble. Moreover, John was also very curious to know if South Korea had joined forces with those guys in Japan, and how South Korean car companies would react after he went to war with Toshiba.

It's good to know in advance. As time goes by, the cooperation between Toshiba and the US navigation company will soon be exposed. At that time, those guys in Japan will start to make trouble for us and for global navigation companies. I wonder how much market share they can seize. So it is necessary to prepare in advance.

John didn't think the quality of the US navigation companies was that good. After all, they were far inferior to global satellite navigation companies in every aspect. But he was afraid that those guys would play other tricks. If the Europeans and Koreans sided with Japan and the US navigation companies, it wouldn't be good for him!
After communicating with the Koreans, John breathed a sigh of relief. The Japanese had no dealings with South Korea; Samsung was now their competitor, so naturally they didn't like South Korea. After John made his promise, they were all delighted. Three months later, everything was settled. John's promise had overjoyed them, and they quickly signed a contract with the global navigation company!
Three months later, or rather, less than three months later, those guys from Japan will make their move. They're just overthinking it. They think that just because they dismantled the products of the global satellite navigation company, their own products are not much different and that they are fully qualified to compete with the global satellite navigation company for market share. They're just being delusional.

These guys in Japan have no idea that their factories in China have completely shifted their focus. Production of the products they used to produce has stopped, and they are now upgrading and transforming them. As for Taiwan, it goes without saying that the products of global satellite navigation companies are all in stock, and it won't be long before the stock is completely sold out.

"What, do you find it unbelievable? Do you think I agreed a little too early? Or do you think there's something wrong with this collaboration?" John said with a calm smile when he saw the surprised expression on Samsung's eldest daughter Lee Boo-jin's face.

"I am indeed somewhat surprised. Does this mean that the production capacity of your factories in Taiwan and China can already meet the needs of most markets? Previously, GPS navigators were in short supply, and we didn't get any market share. In Japan, only Toyota could enjoy such treatment. Aren't all your products being produced in the United States?" "That was indeed the case before, but things are completely different now. After all, so much time has passed, and the market in the United States has changed. It's only natural to focus our efforts on Asia. As for Europe, you know how big the conflict is between us. ASML was forced to relocate, so they need to show sincerity if they want to cooperate with me."

"Aren't you afraid that American navigation companies will take over market share? Their products have already appeared, and the quality is quite good."

"The quality is not bad, but that's just their own advertising. Do you really think their satellite navigation devices can compare with global satellite navigation companies? They are far behind. Their products are based on the US military's GPS navigation, while we have our own independent satellite navigation system. Moreover, our deployment over the years is far superior to theirs. Most importantly, we have completed a global deployment and completed new map creation. Do you think they are qualified to compete with global satellite navigation companies?"

John is right. In this respect, US navigation companies are still far behind. Although the accuracy of global satellite navigation companies cannot compare with the US military's GPS navigation, those guys only have civilian licenses, which are abridged versions, so naturally they cannot be compared with global satellite navigation companies.

Unlike later navigation devices with their massive storage capacity, navigation devices in this era were designed for specific regions, rather than offering a single version for almost every country globally. This introduced considerable limitations. While users could modify these settings, the early 1990s were not as advanced as personal computers are today, allowing users to customize their devices. This required specialized personnel, meaning that US navigation companies could not compete with global satellite navigation companies in this respect.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You'll understand soon enough how things are developing here, how the cosmetics and retail layout is progressing. Next, you'll need to gradually perfect the layout across Asia and take over those shopping malls. This is no small matter; we can't afford any problems with the Korean side."

"There's no major problem here, but the officials asked me to inquire whether you've invested in any pharmaceutical companies in South Korea. They're quite interested in your investments in Taiwan."

"Talent? Do the Koreans have enough talent? They won't think that my investment was made casually. Look at Japan. I've been laying out plans there for so long, but I haven't invested heavily. I've only let you set up a presence in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sector, but I haven't made any large-scale investments in pharmaceuticals. That requires enough talent. Without talent, no matter how much money you invest, it will just be a waste. I need to see sincerity and talent, otherwise I can only reject their good intentions!"

John shook his head. These Koreans really dared to think big. However, their suggestions were not without feasibility. In the future, Korea's medical aesthetics industry would be very developed, and it was not impossible to make a move in this area. It was just that he had to get enough benefits. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to make more investments. After all, it wouldn't be long before Korea would be hit by the Asian financial crisis, and at that time, Korea's situation would be unimaginable.

Things that don't bring benefits shouldn't be done, things that don't offer any advantages shouldn't be done. I won't contribute to South Korea's medical field. These guys aren't worth John paying such a high price for, nor are they worth John investing so much energy in, since pharmaceutical research and development requires a huge investment of funds.

(End of this chapter)