Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

"How about this, we'll increase it gradually each year, starting with 15% in the first year? What do you two think?"

Milian shook his head somewhat dissatisfied, tapped his finger on the coffee table, and asked, "Mr. Zhou, you said the first year's repayment would be 15%, but what about the second year? You need to put the entire tiered repayment ratio on the table and explain it clearly. You can't just give a vague tiered ratio; we need certainty."

Zhou Muliang pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and said slowly, "We will increase it in five-year increments. The first year will be 15%, the second year will be 25%, the third year will be 35%, the fourth year will be 45%, and from the fifth year onwards it will stabilize at 50%."

This will significantly reduce the operational pressure on our Singaporean bank in the first year. As the liquidation volume increases subsequently, the repayment ratio will gradually rise, which is fairer to both parties.

Michael pressed on, asking, "Mr. Zhou, is this tiered table calculated based on the actual amount of service fees, or on the total transaction volume of bilateral clearing transactions?"

Zhou Muliang paused slightly, but answered quickly, "President Mi, this is of course calculated based on the actual amount of the service fee. The transaction volume of bilateral clearing is just a transit point for funds, while the service fee is the real income of our Singapore Bank. I hope you two will not confuse this point."

Chen Dong shook his head in disagreement. "Mr. Zhou, the tiered repayment plan you proposed seems to increase year by year, but you have lowered the base amount. The bilateral clearing business has just started, and the total service fee in the first year is only a few million Singapore dollars at most. 15% is not even a fraction of the total debt."

According to the calculations made by the actuaries at the Hongmen headquarters by Chen Dong, the total amount of debt owed by Singapore is nearly two billion US dollars. Such a huge amount, yet Singapore is unwilling to pay even half of the service fee, which clearly shows a lack of sincerity.

Zhou Muliang's proposed tiered repayment plan is essentially an attempt to buy time by paying less in the first few years and then paying more proportionally as the business grows.

The problem is that the prerequisite for expanding the business is that the Tuocheng Offshore Centre is willing to allocate clearing volume to Singapore. However, Chen Dong and Mi Lian are clearly not satisfied with this repayment plan. Singapore intends to pocket the money it earns and continue to delay the debt.

"So, Mr. Chen, what are your thoughts?"

"Mr. Zhou, I have a compromise here," Chen Dong slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "15% in the first year is acceptable, but there is a prerequisite: the volume of bilateral clearing business in the first year must be guaranteed by Singapore Bank. The clearing volume must be no less than the equivalent of five billion Singapore dollars. If it does not reach this amount, Singapore Bank will make up the shortfall in debt repayment from its own profits."

Upon hearing this, Li Guangdong's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Mr. Chen, the liquidation volume is a market behavior, and no one can guarantee it."

"Then I can't accept your 15% repayment ratio," Chen Dong said, stubbing out the last bit of his cigarette in the ashtray. "Minister Li, your Singapore Bank needs to give me a repayment plan that can be explained to the central office."

"Either you repay 50% honestly, or you pay in tiers, but you have to guarantee me a certain amount of business volume. Choose one."

"Mr. Chen, can't you make a little more concessions?"

Chen Dong shook his head directly, "Minister Li, you have to understand that the headquarters has already been very lenient with your Singaporean county regarding this debt of over two billion US dollars. If you push your luck any further, it will be going too far."

After pondering for a long time and considering it repeatedly, Zhou Muliang said, "Mr. Chen, 5 billion is indeed too much. Singapore can promise a bilateral clearing flow of no less than 3 billion Singapore dollars annually. If this is not achieved, the difference in repayment ratio will be made up by Singapore Bank's own funds."

Chen Dong immediately started calculating in his mind. The clearing flow of 3 billion Singapore dollars would have a service fee of about 9 million Singapore dollars at a service fee rate of 0.3%. 15% would be 1.35 million Singapore dollars, which is less than 700,000 US dollars.

This number is indeed not large, but its significance is very important. The main reason is that once this door is opened, the clearing volume in the following years will snowball. By the fifth year, the bilateral clearing volume is likely to exceed 20 billion Singapore dollars, and the total service fee will exceed 60 million Singapore dollars. 50% of that is 30 million Singapore dollars.

Thirty million Singapore dollars is equivalent to 1555.56 million US dollars, with an annual return of 0.707%. This figure is not even enough to pay off the interest on the historical debts owed by Singapore. However, trade settlements are not static; they will fluctuate and increase as China further reforms and opens up.

只要鮀城与坡县这边的贸易结算每年以3%持续增涨，那幺年回报率就会从0.707%升至约3.7%，这已经与阿美莉卡联储那边给出的10年期国债4%接近了。

However, America's 10-year government bond interest rate is anchored and risk-free, while Singapore's rate fluctuates with the volume of trade settlements. For creditors, it is still a risk-reward situation, but it is better than Singapore not paying a cent at all.

If the annual trade volume can maintain a growth rate of 4.3% over the long term, then the annual return rate for creditors can reach between 5% and 6%, which will bring considerable annual income to all creditors and become an important asset investment.

"Three billion, okay," Chen Dong finally nodded after careful consideration. "But there is one more condition: the proportion of the tiered table cannot wait until the fifth year to reach 50%. It must reach 50% in the third year. There can be minor adjustments in between, but it must be done two years in advance."

Zhou Muliang silently calculated for a moment, then turned to discuss things quietly with Li Guangdong. Chen Dong didn't urge them, but instead looked at Mi Lian beside him. Mi Lian nodded to Chen Dong, his meaning clear: he could accept Chen Dong's proposal, and they were just waiting for Li Guangdong's reply.

Li Guangdong and Zhou Muliang discussed for a long time, so long that Chen Dong and Mi Lian had both smoked their third cigarettes before they turned around. Li Guangdong took a deep breath. "Mr. Chen, President Mi, our final decision is 15% for the first year, 35% for the second year, and a stable 50% for the third year. What do you think?"

"Can!"

"make a deal!"

Mi Lian took off his reading glasses and looked at Li Guangdong, saying, "Mr. Li, words are not enough. Now that we've finalized the preliminary details, I think it's necessary to put them in a memorandum to avoid any disputes later. What do you think?"

"Don't worry, President Mi, Advisor Zhou will finalize the memorandum tonight. However, before it is officially signed, I need the final approval from the Singapore Cabinet. This process may take one to two days," Li Guangxiong said.

Upon hearing that it would take one to two days, Milian looked at Chen Dong and said, "Zai Dong, I'll wait here. You have to transfer to New York this afternoon. Once I have the specific documents and confirm that everything is correct, I will call you to let you know."

"Okay," Chen Dong nodded, then got up to leave. "I'll head over now; I need to get to the airport."

Seeing Chen Dong was about to leave, Li Guangdong smiled and shook his hand politely, "I originally wanted to invite you to stay for a meal, Mr. Chen, but since you're busy, I won't keep you any longer. Have a safe journey!"

"Thanks!"

Chen Dong shook hands with Li Guangdong and Zhou Muliang before leaving the room with Mi Lian and the others.