1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3756

Compared with the many supplies and immigrants that Shi Diwen brought to Phuket this time, this news about the "Maritime Silk Road" is actually more valuable to the special operations division.

This means that the Executive Committee’s care and investment in the Western Front may only be the beginning. There will be continued support measures and policies to be introduced in the future, which will be a major benefit to Qian Tiandun’s development plan.

Even though Qian Tiandun was always calm, he couldn't help showing a little excitement after hearing Shi Diwen mention the Executive Committee's plan: "Why didn't the Executive Committee mention this in the telegram before? Don't be kidding me!"

Shi Diwen said: "That's because the relevant policy measures are still being formulated, and the Executive Committee does not want to announce it too early. It may have to wait until next year before it will be officially implemented."

"You should be able to roughly imagine how many regions, departments, and people's livelihoods will be affected by this policy adjustment. The special operations division may be the biggest beneficiary, but there will also be some places and some people who will suffer losses as a result."

"Now that the country is larger, it is becoming increasingly difficult to take care of the interests of all parties. The outside world may not understand the many difficulties involved, so the only option is for the Executive Committee to bear them."

Shi Diwen's words seemed to be a complaint, but Qian Tiandun understood that he was comforting himself to stay calm and cooperate with the arrangements of the Executive Committee as much as possible.

At the same time, this is also a reminder to him that even if the construction of the Maritime Silk Road becomes the long-term goal of the Western Front in the future, it is not a project monopolized by the Special Operations Division, but it must take into account what Shi Diwen called "interests from all aspects."

The Special Operations Division may be the biggest beneficiary, but the Executive Committee will not allow anyone to eat alone. By then, other personnel and institutions will join this huge project in various ways.

Qian Tiandun could certainly understand the Executive Committee's arrangement. If there were no benefits promised to all parties, how could so much manpower, material resources and financial resources be invested in such a long-term project?

For him, as long as the Special Operations Division's leadership position on the Western Front could be maintained and the various conditions required for the development of the Special Operations Division could be met, then these arrangements made by the Executive Committee would be acceptable.

After visiting several farms under construction locally, Qian Tiandun took them back to the beach to show them the Phuket shipyard under construction.

"We need a lot of things at this stage, but the most scarce thing is not immigrants or supplies, but maritime transport capacity. We need more transport capacity to ensure the connection between various ports in the Indian Ocean and the connection between the western line and the country."

“The new ships we get from the country every year are far from enough to meet our development needs. As you can see, the Phuket shipyard has taken shape, but we still lack professional engineers and craftsmen, as well as machinery and equipment for processing and lifting large pieces.”

Qian Tiandun did not beat around the bush but stated his requirements clearly. The shipyard is currently the largest industrial project in Phuket and one of the necessary conditions for the special operations division to gain a foothold in the Indian Ocean. However, it is difficult for the shipyard to reach the level that Qian Tiandun expected with only the technical strength of the special operations division itself.

Since the Executive Committee is planning to support the development of the western line, Qian Tiandun will naturally strike while the iron is hot and put forward all the demands in this regard, and take as much as he can get. Shi Diwen said: "The Executive Committee has taken into account the needs of the shipyard. There are also relevant experts in the entourage this time. They will be stationed in Phuket for a period of time to assist you in improving the construction of the shipyard. I have also brought you the drawings and materials of various ships."

The Executive Committee's resolution on building the Maritime Silk Road is not just empty talk. It has even positioned shipbuilding as one of the key industries to be developed in the Indian Ocean region. The Phuket Shipyard, which is currently under construction, has naturally become a key support target.

However, Shi Diwen did not intend to inform Qian Tiandun of the relevant resolution immediately, because he was not sure whether Qian Tiandun would make more requests after hearing the news. To be safe, Shi Diwen decided to follow the arrangements of the Executive Committee step by step and not to directly inform Qian Tiandun for the time being.

Even so, Shi Diwen's response was enough to reassure Qian Tiandun. As long as the Phuket shipyard had the ability to build cargo ships and small and medium-sized warships on its own, the expansion of the special warfare division would be greatly accelerated, and its dependence on the domestic market would be greatly reduced.

“The current situation of Phuket reminds me of when we first conquered Zhoushan Island. The island was in ruins and everything needed to be changed through large-scale infrastructure. I think in five or ten years, this place should become the core port city of this region, just like Zhoushan!”

Hearing Shi Diwen's outlook on the future of Phuket, Qian Tiandun couldn't help but respond: "I hope the construction progress here can be faster, because I really worry whether I can work for another five or ten years!"

Shi Diwen looked at him and smiled, "What? Are you still not confident in handing over the job to the young people?"

Qian Tiandun said: "That's just one of the reasons. Young people will definitely go further than our generation in the future. The most important reason is that they hope to achieve the goals they set with their own hands."

Shi Diwen nodded silently, indicating his understanding. He had been operating in Donghai for many years and had created the great achievements of the Donghai region. He also had similar ideas.

However, compared with the East China Sea region relying on the East Asian continent, the conditions in the Indian Ocean region where Qian Tiandun and the special operations division are located are obviously more difficult. The population alone has greatly slowed down the construction speed of various colonies.

Shi Diwen suggested that Qian Tiandun appropriately lower the requirements for introducing immigrants and consider introducing population from surrounding areas to quickly replenish the large labor force needed for local construction.

"We are actually already doing that." Qian Tiandun replied with a wry smile, "Some of the laborers on the island were hired by us from Siam. Currently, there are about 3,000 of them. We will select those who perform well or are proficient in Chinese and keep them and arrange for them to become naturalized citizens."

Siam actually has quite a large number of Han Chinese descendants. These people have a relatively high degree of identification with Hai Han and are also the main force of labor currently introduced from Siam by the Special Operations Division.

In Qian Tiandun's opinion, although these Siamese Han people are not as pure in blood as the Han immigrants sent from China, the ethnic genes of the Indochina Peninsula are much stronger than those of the Indian Peninsula. They can still be used to engage in pure physical labor, which can alleviate the local labor demand to some extent.