America: My Time

Chapter 171 Hong Kong Strategy
Chapter 171 Hong Kong Strategy
John's journey south allowed him to truly witness the reality of China today. Only by understanding the situation here could he make targeted investments. However, he currently lacked the resources and expertise to invest effectively. Even if he wanted to, it would be a major problem. Moreover, the cooperation between the two parties had only just begun, and everyone was still figuring things out. This required time to work things out and for each other to get to know each other.

John never expected to establish a good relationship with China in one go. Good relationships take time to develop and can only be formed by the test of time. It is impossible to have one without the test of time. This is only human nature!
After leaving China and entering Hong Kong, John returned to his home on Barker Road. On Barker Road in Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, John acquired two villas, No. 8 and No. 12. In 82, the property prices here were still very cheap, at least not the hundreds of millions they would be worth decades later. Acquiring them at this time was a good choice!

There aren't many things happening in Hong Kong, at least not right now. Although Hong Kong property prices are falling, they haven't hit rock bottom yet. John was interested in acquiring all of Hongkong Land's properties in Hong Kong, but the acquisition price was still a bit high at the moment. However, just to be on the safe side, John still communicated with Hongkong Land and proposed his acquisition idea, but his good intentions were not approved by Hongkong Land.

It seems the previous conflict between John and the British still has some impact. Although Hongkong Land is willing to move out of Hong Kong, they still harbor some resistance towards John. Perhaps this is just the stubbornness and pride of the British! Of course, perhaps they also have a sliver of wishful thinking in their hearts! John didn't care about Hongkong Land's rejection; he had time to wait for the right opportunity, for a real estate crisis to occur. At that time, the entire Hong Kong would go crazy, land prices would plummet, and Hongkong Land might not be as assertive as it is now!

83 was an eventful year for Hong Kong, marked by the sharpest decline in Hong Kong's real estate market, compounded by a currency crisis—a truly disastrous year. However, for John, it presented an opportunity. He planned to buy at the bottom of the market, not only acquiring Hongkong Land's properties in Hong Kong but also acquiring more real estate projects. Simultaneously, he prepared to deliver a fatal blow to his enemies at a crucial moment, making them pay a heavy price and understand the consequences of going to war with him.

My stay in Hong Kong was short. I visited several Hong Kong tycoons and then had a detailed discussion with Wong Sik-chiu. We made some arrangements for RTV and learned about the history of Taiwan's television station preparations. After such a long period of time, Taiwan had made its final preparations.

As for RTV, they made more innovations, especially in entertainment programs. The Top Ten Golden Songs and Miss Chinese International were originally supposed to be Miss Asia, but John changed them directly to Miss Chinese International!
Although RTV is still some distance behind TVB, the gap is not large now. Wong Sik-chiu is very capable. Not only is the TV station developing rapidly, but Phoenix Pictures and cinemas are also being improved at a rapid pace. It has expanded not only in Hong Kong but also in Southeast Asia, completely exceeding expectations.

As for the acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank shares, Pacific Investment Management Co., Ltd. (PIMCO) had been operating openly, while the hidden investment firm was carefully accumulating Standard Chartered shares under PIMCO's cover. Although PIMCO officially held only 6% of the shares and obtained a board seat, John actually controlled 10% of Standard Chartered's shares. However, these shares were scattered across numerous accounts, and even Standard Chartered Bank itself was unaware of this change.

John is not yet ready to take action against Standard Chartered. He still has insufficient funds and will not act rashly without absolute certainty. He will either not make a move at all, or when he does, he will definitely destroy Standard Chartered and take over the bank completely, leaving them no chance to retaliate.

For now, I still need to feign weakness and pretend that I have no idea that Standard Chartered Bank was instigating the Hong Kong Telecom incident, that Standard Chartered was plotting against me, and that I have no intention of taking action against HSBC. In this sudden incident involving Hong Kong Telecom, HSBC was the most active and arrogant one, so it is reasonable and expected that HSBC is nervous. If they do not change at all, that would be a big problem.

John's past conflict with HSBC was common knowledge among Hong Kong's wealthy circles, but no one underestimated him. Being able to stand up to HSBC was no easy feat. Furthermore, while it seemed John had suffered a significant loss in the Hong Kong Telecom incident, seemingly tricked by the British, those in the know understood that the struggle ended with the British settling down. However, this incident didn't have a major impact; it was dealt with before it could fully erupt!
Of course, the Governor of Hong Kong had to take the blame for this, and was ridiculed by the media. Only John dared to slap the Governor in the face like that, and so brazenly at that—that's the power of a media mogul. Even the British had to bow down when faced with a media tycoon and Hollywood mogul like John.

It's not just the US that's criticizing the British; it's almost everywhere. Most importantly, with someone taking the lead, some tabloids will inevitably follow suit, so the impact is unimaginable.

When John arrived in Hong Kong, HSBC and Standard Chartered were on high alert, fearing this reckless young man might launch a major attack. They now understood the extent of his power; a full-blown war in Hong Kong was entirely possible, especially with the backing of Japanese banks – this was what Standard Chartered and HSBC feared most. A direct confrontation would be costly for both HSBC and Standard Chartered, particularly Standard Chartered. Pacific Investment Management Co., Ltd. (PIMCO) held a 6% stake in Standard Chartered and was a major shareholder; their influence made things incredibly easy for PIMCO. If PIMCO intervened, Standard Chartered would inevitably face a crisis.

Standard Chartered and HSBC were overthinking things. John didn't have the time or energy to stoop to their level, to haggle over trivial matters, or to engage in a pointless struggle. Although John was young, he wasn't prone to youthful arrogance and wouldn't rashly attack when he had little chance of winning, lest he alert the enemy!

Standard Chartered and HSBC breathed a sigh of relief after waiting for John's surprise attack for a long time. However, they dared not let their guard down. They did not believe that John was afraid of them, but rather that he was pressed for time and did not have the time or energy to have a showdown with them at this moment. This grudge was temporarily suppressed, but it would still erupt when John recovered. HSBC did not believe that John would be completely unaware of everything they had done.

John doesn't have time to fight HSBC right now. The Taiwanese TV station is about to launch, which is the real big deal. Compared to the conflict with HSBC, it's really insignificant. He won't let the conflict with HSBC affect the launch of the Taiwanese TV station, disrupt his many plans, or ruin his strategy.

After arranging everything, John didn't linger in Hong Kong. He had more to deal with this summer. Although he was reluctant to leave Hong Kong, the acquisition of Hongkong Land was still pending, a property he desperately wanted. Hongkong Land owned a considerable amount of real estate in Hong Kong, not to mention the retail company Dairy Farm International, which John had always coveted. Acquiring Hongkong Land would complete a large part of his layout in Hong Kong, and his retail portfolio would be fully developed.

Retail has always been a focus for us. If we can acquire Dairy Farm International, Hong Kong will no longer be a problem. In fact, with the experience gained in Hong Kong, we can expand into Southeast Asia and Taiwan, and complete our retail layout across Asia. Moreover, if we can complete the acquisition in Hong Kong, we can also increase our investment and development in China. There will be no more pressure on food sales. However, it seems that we still need to wait for now.

Although the United States is the food company's primary sales target, Asia is also among its sales targets! However, since they haven't secured control of Hongkong Land yet, they can't get everything they want from them. So for now, they can only continue to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. But that day won't be too far away!
Although John's stay in Hong Kong was short, he inquired about the careers of Sally Yeh and Cherie Chung. Like Naoko, they were unwilling to give up their careers. John had no objection to this, after all, everyone has ideals, and you can't force someone to give up their career just because of your own reasons!

In terms of their careers, John was able to understand their choices and did his best to help them. Even though he was very busy, he still cared about their development and made many arrangements to create a good environment for their development and provide them with the best resources.

During his time in Hong Kong, John also took the time to meet with Chung Mei-ren's family. Although it was a little awkward, John did it anyway. He would be making many plans in Hong Kong for a long time to come, and it would be good to get to know each other better to avoid any undesirable situations. John was well aware that things could change, and that the present situation was not insurmountable.

When John prepared to leave Hong Kong for Taiwan to handle matters there, Ye Qianwen went along. She also had relatives in Taiwan, so it was convenient for her to accompany John. Perhaps this was because John had made her feel pressured after meeting Chu Meiren's family, leading to her action. John didn't see anything wrong with any of this!
(End of this chapter)