Rebirth of the Hong Kong Millennium Conglomerate

Chapter 74 Has Sweetness

While Robert Kuok was in Singapore overseeing operations, he always had a weight on his mind.

The international sugar market is volatile, and the clandestine purchase of 30 tons of white sugar was a race against time and the market. But he never expected that the accident would come so quickly and thoroughly.

There's always a chance of something going wrong, and this time, fate seemed to be playing a cruel joke on him.

Three days later, in the study of the Guo family mansion in Singapore, the telephone rang incessantly, each ring striking Robert Kuok's heart like a heavy hammer.

The first call came from Chen Jingzhi, who was in charge of the Brazilian market. His voice was filled with undisguised frustration: "Boss, something's happened! All the large sugar mills in Brazil are saying they're out of stock, and even small and medium-sized workshops are claiming they have no sugar to sell."

We used all our old connections, even offering a 10% discount, but they still flatly refused to budge!

Robert Kuok's fingers tightened slightly around the receiver, his brow furrowing: "Let's look for other channels. Any news from the traders in the Caribbean?"

"I've already contacted them, and the situation is just as bad!" Chen Jingzhi's tone grew increasingly heavy. "Those long-term trading partners all say they've recently received large anonymous orders, and all their stock has been pre-ordered."

Before Guo Henian could even catch his breath after hanging up Chen Jingzhi's call, Lin Bowen, who was in charge of the Cuban market, called again, bringing the same bad news: "Boss, the Cuban sugarcane producing areas have completely cut off supplies! The local government has suddenly introduced temporary control policies, suspending the export of all sugar products, saying it's to ensure domestic supply."

But we learned privately that a mysterious capital entity had intervened beforehand, monopolizing all export quotas, leaving us with absolutely no chance!

Two pieces of bad news in a row made Robert Kuok's face so dark it could drip water.

He suppressed his unease and waited for news from Zhou Qiyuan, who was in charge of the Indian and Southeast Asian markets, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

But reality is cold. Zhou Qiyuan called around noon, his voice full of helplessness: "Boss, the sugar factories in India have collectively raised prices by 50% and are demanding full prepayment. Even so, they can only supply a small amount, at most a few hundred tons, which is far from meeting our purchasing scale."

Small sugar-producing countries in Southeast Asia went even further, declaring a "once-in-a-century production cut" and suspending all exports!

"You couldn't even buy a single piece of candy?" Robert Kuok's voice trembled slightly.

"Yes, boss, we've tried everything, pulling strings, finding intermediaries, and even trying to find out through the black market, but the result is always the same."

"It seems like an invisible hand has completely wiped out the sugar supply on the international market." Zhou Qiyuan's words were filled with frustration.

With a "smack," Robert Kuok slammed down the phone, his face instantly turning deathly pale.

He paced anxiously in his study, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

If all 150 million tons of his own reserves were transferred to the mainland, the Southeast Asian market would face collapse and the losses would be incalculable, which is something he does not want to see.

But now that there is no sugar available on the international market, how can the task of producing 30 tons be accomplished?

The sugar shortage in mainland China was an urgent problem, and the trust of the people at China Resources, the expectations of the country, and his own sense of responsibility made it impossible for him to back down.

He knew very well that this was no accident. Brazil, Cuba, India, Southeast Asia—almost all major sugar-producing regions simultaneously cut off supplies, indicating that a powerful force was manipulating the situation with the aim of monopolizing global sugar resources.

But who is the other party?

Over the next few days, Robert Kuok was restless and kept urging his subordinates to continue searching for sources of goods, but the feedback he received was still not good news.

Whether in the futures market or the spot market, white sugar has become a "scarce commodity," with prices soaring but no goods available for delivery.

What alarmed him even more was that he learned through private channels that not only the regions he had targeted, but also niche sugar-producing countries in Europe and Africa had had their stocks completely wiped out by anonymous buyers.

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in delaying any longer.

Robert Kuok made a quick decision and boarded a flight to Hong Kong again.

This time, his mood was far heavier than before, and even the blue sky and white clouds outside the airplane window lost their color in his eyes.

Upon arriving at Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport, Robert Kuok went straight to the Po Wah Building.

When he told Zhang Guangdou and Zhang Zhenghong in his office at China Resources that "sugar is available in the international market," the two seasoned senior executives of China Resources were instantly shocked.

"What did you say? Not a single piece of candy?" Zhang Guangdou suddenly stood up, looking at Guo Henian in disbelief. "Brazil, Cuba, India—there are so many sugar-producing countries, how could they all cut off supplies at the same time?"

"This matter is extremely strange." Robert Kuok said slowly with a solemn expression, "All the sugar-producing regions reacted in the same way, either claiming that their stocks were depleted or introducing control policies. There is obviously unified manipulation behind the scenes."

I suspect that someone knew in advance about the significant reduction in sugar production this year and deliberately hoarded it to try and drive up prices.

Zhang Zhenghong frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table: "What should we do? The situation on the mainland is extremely urgent. There is a sugar shortage, and industry and people's livelihoods have been severely affected."

47 tons of white sugar is the bottom line; if it cannot be procured on time, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The three looked at each other, the atmosphere in the office extremely tense.

Zhang Guangdou forced himself to calm down and said, "There's no time to lose. I'll report the situation to Yanjing immediately and see if they have any other solutions."

He strode to his desk and dialed an encrypted number to the mainland.

After listening to Zhang Guangdou's report, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by an even heavier instruction: "The situation in China is more serious than expected. COFCO Group's task of purchasing 17 tons has also come to nothing."

The international sugar market is monopolized; it seems the other side knew this beforehand and preemptively monopolized the world's sugar supply. You must do everything in your power, no matter the cost, to bring the sugar back!

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Guangdou turned around and looked at Guo Henian and Zhang Zhenghong with a solemn expression, saying, "The worst has happened. COFCO has also gotten nothing. Now, we are facing the desperate situation of the global sugar supply being cut off."

This news hit them like a hammer blow, completely shattering any remaining hope they had.

For the next few days, the three worked almost non-stop searching for a solution. They used all of China Resources' connections in Hong Kong and around the world, contacting countless traders and brokers, but the results were still disappointing.

"Still nothing!" Zhang Zhenghong put down the phone, his tone full of helplessness. "A familiar agent revealed that the company that monopolizes global sugar has strong financial backing and operates extremely secretly. No one knows their true identity and purpose."

As Robert Kuok looked at the constantly updated international sugar price report on the table, his expression grew increasingly grim.

In just one week, the price of London white sugar futures has soared from £60 per ton to £100, an increase of more than 60%, and the spot price has risen even more. However, even so, there is still "a price but no market".

"If this continues, let alone 30 tons, we'll have a hard time raising even 3 tons," Zhang Zhenghong said anxiously. Cao Wantong nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of worry.

The people in the office all looked worried, the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts, and the air was thick with a sense of oppression.

They saw no glimmer of hope; urgent calls came from home time and time again, but they were helpless.

Just as Robert Kuok was considering whether to use his own reserves to absorb the losses from the collapse of the Southeast Asian market, the office door was suddenly pushed open.

Qiao Wenli burst in, panting, clutching a newspaper tightly in his hand. His face was filled with barely suppressed excitement, and his forehead was covered in sweat, clearly indicating that he had run all the way here.

"I've got it! The candy's here!" Qiao Wenli's voice trembled with excitement. He strode over to the three men and slammed the newspaper he was holding onto the desk. "Mr. Guo, General Manager Zhang, Deputy General Manager Zhang, look! There's news in the Qiangu Daily!"

Upon hearing this, Robert Kuok, Zhang Guangdou, and Zhang Zheng immediately perked up and leaned over.

Zhang Guangdou grabbed the newspaper and asked anxiously, "Wenli, don't rush, tell me slowly, what's going on? Where's the candy?"

Qiao Wenli swallowed hard and pointed to the front page of the newspaper, saying, "Look here! The Qiangu Daily published a major news item today: Qiangu Sugar Industry, a subsidiary of the Qiangu Group, has publicly announced that it has 1350 million tons of white sugar for sale!"

13.5 million tons! That's nearly 90% of the world's total annual production, which is more than enough to meet domestic demand!

'

1350 tons?

The number exploded in the ears of the three men. Robert Kuok stood up abruptly, snatched the newspaper, and stared intently at the news item.

The print on the newspaper was clearly visible, and the headline was eye-catching: "Qiangu Sugar Industry Makes a Major Announcement: 1350 Million Tons of White Sugar Available for Spot Sale!"

The announcement clearly states that Qiangu Group's subsidiary, Qiangu Sugar Industry, has long-term reserves in many parts of the world and currently holds 1350 million tons of high-quality white sugar in stock, which will be offered for sale globally starting today.

Zhang Zhenghong also came over, repeatedly checking the contents of the newspaper. The worry on his face instantly disappeared, replaced by disbelief.

Then Zhang Zhenghong said, "1350 million tons! What exactly is this Qiangu Sugar Industry? How can they have so much white sugar!"

Zhang Guangdou's hands trembled slightly. He slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed excitedly, "There's always a way out! There really is! With these 1350 million tons of sugar, the domestic sugar shortage can be completely solved!"

Robert Kuok's mind was in turmoil, and he was also deeply puzzled.

What exactly is the background of this suddenly emerging Qian Gu Group?

Why release 1350 million tons of white sugar at a critical moment when global sugar sources are monopolized? Is there something else going on behind this?

But for the moment, these doubts were temporarily suppressed in their hearts.

The most important thing right now is to seize this hard-won opportunity and contact Qian Gu Sugar Industry as soon as possible to finalize the procurement details.

"We'll contact Qian Gu Sugar Industry immediately! As long as the price isn't too outrageous, we're open to negotiation!"

Please vote for me! Please vote for me with your monthly tickets!

>