Rebirth of the Hong Kong Millennium Conglomerate

Chapter 76 Original Price Transaction

In the reception room, Zhang Guangdou looked at Zhang Zeyang, who remained calm, and unconsciously gripped the sofa armrest. He said in a somewhat urgent tone, "Mr. Zhang, now that things have come to this, I won't beat around the bush anymore. The country urgently needs 47 tons of white sugar."

He paused, glanced at Robert Kuok beside him, and saw the other nod slightly before continuing, "We had already reached an agreement with Mr. Kuok to help purchase 30 tons from the international market, and the country would raise another 17 tons on its own."

But who could have imagined that sugar prices would skyrocket overnight, triggering a sudden global sugar shortage? Despite the government's efforts to address the situation, little progress was made. And now, Mr. Guo is powerless to fill the 47-ton gap.

At this point, Zhang Guangdou's voice trembled slightly: "Mr. Zhang, the whole country is desperately waiting for sugar. Industry has come to a standstill, and people's sugar supply is critically low. If this continues, the consequences will be unimaginable. We only hope that you can lend a helping hand and provide emergency relief."

These words failed to stir the slightest ripple on Zhang Zeyang's face. He remained seated, his fingertips lightly resting on the rim of his teacup, his expression indifferent, as if everything were none of his concern.

Zhang Guangdou saw this and his heart skipped a beat.

He suddenly realized that the young leader in front of him was from Hong Kong and did not have a deep connection with the mainland.

Unlike Robert Kuok, who always kept his homeland in his heart and would lend a helping hand when he heard of difficulties in China.

Zhang Zeyang's calmness seems to be understandable.

Thinking of this, Zhang Guangdou took a deep breath, suppressed his impatience, and adopted a more earnest tone, looking intently at Zhang Zeyang: "Mr. Zhang, I know that pursuing profit in the business world is understandable. However, the severity of the sugar shortage in China has exceeded the imagination of ordinary people."

If your company still has any sugar in stock, we hope you can sell it domestically to alleviate your immediate crisis.

We at China Resources, and indeed the entire nation, will forever remember this kindness.

His words were extremely sincere, and Zhang Zhenghong, sitting to the side, quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, Mr. Zhang, as long as we can get the sugar, we can discuss all other conditions. Please be sure to consider it."

Robert Kuok added, "Mr. Zhang, the predicament in China is no exaggeration. Although sugar is a small matter, it concerns the livelihoods of countless families. If you are willing to lend a helping hand, it will be a great act of kindness."

All three eyes focused on Zhang Zeyang, each carrying a hint of barely perceptible unease.

At this moment, Zhang Zeyang had already made up his mind.

Whether in his past life or this one, as a son of China, he could not stand idly by and ignore the predicament of his country.

However, this aid cannot come too easily. He wants the mainland to understand that this aid is not a given, and this favor must be remembered.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the three anxious faces, and said, "General Manager Zhang, Mr. Guo, I know a little about the situation on the mainland."

As soon as he finished speaking, he changed the subject and said, "However, as you both know, the international sugar market is no longer what it used to be."

The price of white sugar has skyrocketed from the initial sixty or seventy pounds per ton to over one hundred pounds, and it continues to climb.

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads, instantly darkening the faces of Zhang Guangdou and Zhang Zhenghong.

They were well aware of this. The price of sixty or seventy pounds was already unbearable for the country, which was short of foreign exchange. Now the price had more than doubled, and the amount of foreign exchange required was astronomical.

Zhang Guangdou felt a heavy weight in his heart, and he subconsciously clenched his fists.

He knew better than anyone the country's foreign exchange predicament—as of now, the country's foreign exchange reserves were negative $8100 million.

This means that the country not only lacks sufficient foreign exchange for procurement, but also carries a huge amount of foreign debt.

Under such circumstances, it would be a pipe dream to buy sugar from the international market using foreign exchange.

The RMB lacks liquidity in the international market and is not recognized at all; wanting to settle transactions in RMB is simply wishful thinking.

The reason they had previously entrusted Robert Kuok with the procurement was because Mr. Kuok had an excellent reputation in the international business community and was able to temporarily advance the payment based on his own strength, or operate flexibly through barter or other means.

But now sugar prices have skyrocketed, creating a huge shortage, and Robert Kuok is finding it difficult to support the industry on his own.

"Mr. Zhang, we understand what you're saying," Zhang Guangdou said, his voice tinged with bitterness. "It's just that our domestic foreign exchange situation is really tight. Could we perhaps discuss the payment method further?"

His words were extremely tactful, but everyone present understood the helplessness and embarrassment he was in.

To put it bluntly, they simply couldn't come up with enough foreign exchange to pay for this huge sum of money.

Zhang Zeyang did not respond immediately, but fell silent.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became tense. Zhang Guangdou, Zhang Zhenghong, and Guo Henian were all on tenterhooks, anxiously awaiting his reply.

They could sense that Zhang Zeyang was making his own considerations, and every second of waiting felt exceptionally long.

Looking at Zhang Zeyang's young yet composed profile, Guo Henian couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

Given these market conditions, with over 90% of the world's sugar resources at his disposal, Zhang Zeyang has every right to raise prices and reap huge profits.

Any businessman would probably choose to maximize profits without hesitation.

But Zhang Zeyang did not refuse immediately, nor did he ask for an exorbitant price, which was truly rare.

A full half minute passed before Zhang Zeyang slowly raised his head and said, "General Manager Zhang, I truly understand the difficulties facing the country."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, from a business perspective, every sugar reserve of the Qian Gu Group is acquired with real money, consuming a lot of manpower, material resources, and financial resources."

With the market currently showing signs of rising prices, the group could have made substantial profits by exporting its sugar to the international market.

Zhang Guangdou nodded quickly: "Mr. Zhang is absolutely right, we completely understand. Business operations are inherently profit-driven, and we have seen your investment; we would never ask you to do a losing business."

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Zeyang's words at least showed that he had not completely rejected the idea and that there was still room for negotiation.

Zhang Zeyang looked at him and said, "But since the country urgently needs it, I can't just sit idly by. So, I've decided to sell the sugar to the country."

"Really?" Zhang Guangdou suddenly stood up, his face full of surprise, his voice trembling with excitement.

Zhang Zhenghong straightened up instantly, his eyes gleaming.

Robert Kuok also smiled, his gaze towards Zhang Zeyang filled with approval.

Zhang Zeyang gestured for Zhang Guangdou to sit down and continued, "I've decided to sell the sugar domestically at the original price that Qiangu Group paid when it acquired it."

"Original price?" Zhang Guangdou could hardly believe his ears. He stared blankly at Zhang Zeyang, wondering if he had misheard.

Zhang Zeyang met his shocked gaze and nodded firmly: "That's right, the original price. We originally bought these sugars at an average price of 80 pounds per ton, and now I'm supplying 50 tons of sugar to the country at that price."

"80 pounds per ton? 50 tons?" Zhang Guangdou was completely shocked. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Zhang Zhenghong was also dumbfounded, his face filled with disbelief.

It's important to know that the price of white sugar on the international market has soared to £120 per ton, and the spot price in some regions has even exceeded £140, and it is still rising by several pounds every day.

Zhang Zeyang was actually willing to sell it for £80 per ton, which was almost equivalent to selling it at half price. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was half-sold and half-given away.

More importantly, the quantity he provided was 50 tons, which is 47 tons more than the 3 tons urgently needed domestically, enough to completely fill the domestic gap, and even have a surplus.

Zhang Guangdou quickly calculated in his mind: based on the current market price of £140, if 50 tons of white sugar were sold at the market price, the total price would be as high as £7000 million.

At a price of £80 per ton, the total price is only £4000 million. This means that Zhang Zeyang is essentially giving back £3000 million to the domestic market.

Even based on the midpoint price of £120, the concession would amount to as much as £2000 million.

£2000 million to £3000 million!

In 1973, this was an astronomical sum.

It should be noted that China's current foreign exchange reserves are still negative. This concession is equivalent to creating a huge amount of foreign exchange wealth for the country out of thin air.

If these 50 tons of white sugar were released into the domestic market, it would greatly alleviate the current predicament, whether for meeting people's needs or for industrial production.

Furthermore, exporting some of the sugar could earn considerable foreign exchange, improving the domestic foreign exchange situation.

Zhang Guangdou was so excited that his whole body was trembling slightly. He wanted to say something, but found that his throat was blocked and he couldn't say a word.

His eyes instantly welled up with tears, and he looked at Zhang Zeyang with gratitude in his eyes.

He never expected that this young Hong Kong entrepreneur would have such a deep sense of patriotism and be willing to sacrifice such huge business interests to help the country overcome its difficulties.

Zhang Zhenghong was so excited that he couldn't speak. He slapped his thigh hard, a smile of relief spreading across his face.

The immense burden that had been pressing on their shoulders was instantly lifted, and the huge weight in their hearts finally settled.

Robert Kuok also stood up, bowed deeply to Zhang Zeyang, and said sincerely, "Mr. Zhang, your righteous act is truly admirable."

You not only solved the urgent problem in China, but also showed us the responsibility of Chinese entrepreneurs. I admire you!

He had met countless businessmen in his life, but he had never seen anyone make such a choice in the face of such enormous profits.

Zhang Zeyang's vision and sentiments impressed him sincerely.

Zhang Zeyang quickly stood up and helped Guo Henian up, saying humbly, "Mr. Guo, you flatter me. I am a Chinese citizen, and it is only right and proper for me to do my part for the country."

Despite his excitement, Zhang Guangdou quickly calmed down.

He looked at Zhang Zeyang, his smile gradually freezing, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.

He knew that even with such a favorable price offered by Zhang Zeyang, it would still be extremely difficult for China to come up with £4000 million in foreign exchange.

£80 per ton, 50 tons, totaling £4000 million. This is undoubtedly an unbearable sum for a country with negative foreign exchange reserves of $8100 million.

Even if the entire nation pooled its resources, it might not be possible to raise so much foreign exchange in a short period of time.

Thinking of this, the joy on Zhang Guangdou's face gradually faded, and a trace of bitterness crept into his heart again.

He looked at Zhang Zeyang and said with a hint of helplessness, "Mr. Zhang, we will never forget your great kindness."

However—the domestic foreign exchange situation is simply too difficult; to come up with 4000 million pounds at once is probably—probably impossible.

He spoke cautiously, afraid of offending Zhang Zeyang and ruining this hard-won deal.

Zhang Zhenghong nodded in agreement, a troubled look on his face.

Robert Kuok also frowned. He was well aware of the country's foreign exchange predicament, which was indeed a thorny issue.

The atmosphere in the reception room became subtle once again.

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