1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 3757

However, even now that restrictions have been relaxed, the number of workers from Siam is far from enough to meet the construction needs of Phuket, let alone transport these hired workers to Hamban Port and the two new ports established this year.

So when Shi Diwen asked how big the labor gap was in the Special Operations Division's jurisdiction, Qian Tiandun directly reported a large number of "30,000 to 50,000 people per year."

Even though Shi Diwen was mentally prepared, he couldn't help but laugh when he heard Qian Tiandun's big words: "Old Qian, you are so bold! Thirty to fifty thousand people, even if we organize a fleet this time, it will take more than ten trips to send so many people to you!"

Qian Tiandun remained calm and said, "In terms of the current capacity, this number is indeed a bit high, but I believe that with the increase in capacity, it will be much easier to achieve this goal in the future."

Qian Tiandun deliberately attributed the difficulties to transportation capacity issues, but Shi Diwen personally participated in the immigration organization of this operation, so how could he not know the crux of the problem.

As the domestic situation becomes more stable and living conditions become better, it is no longer as easy as in the early years to recruit a large number of people who are willing to settle overseas in order to survive.

However, if a large number of people were to be recruited from the inland Ming-controlled areas, the costs of organization and transportation would remain high, and it might also trigger a local war, which is not a good way to solve the problem.

Now even overseas regions like Luzon, which are relatively close to the country, have to provide more preferential conditions when recruiting immigrants in order to attract enough immigrants.

If the more than 2,000 immigrants transported from Japan are not counted, the number of immigrants sent to the Special Operations Division this time is far from reaching the target set by the Executive Committee. In fact, these Japanese immigrants accommodated in Kyushu were originally prepared for the North American region, and such a large number cannot be supplied all the time.

Thirty to fifty thousand people a year, what does that mean? Even if we add up the immigrants that Hai Han can recruit at this stage, including prisoners, prisoners of war, and foreign refugees, it is unlikely to reach the number that Qian Tiandun requires. This has little to do with the level of maritime transport capacity.

Shi Diwen knew that Qian Tiandun was deliberately playing dumb and that he only mentioned a large amount for the purpose of bargaining. However, he did not intend to argue with Qian Tiandun on this issue because the Executive Committee had already made a clear attitude towards this issue.

"Old Qian, since we are talking about the issue of immigration, let me say a few words on behalf of the Executive Committee."

Shi Diwen said solemnly: "The Executive Committee believes that domestic immigration alone cannot solve the problem of immigration needs in overseas new colonies. Key positions such as management and technical positions will be solved domestically, but ordinary positions, especially those that require basic physical labor, should be solved nearby in the new colonies."

"From what I have seen so far, most of the management positions within the Special Operations Division can be absorbed internally, with a small number of people transferred from the country to fill the gap. As for technical positions, the Executive Committee is also trying its best to meet your needs. As for ordinary labor, the Executive Committee believes that it is not necessary to recruit all of them from the country, and the limited transportation capacity should be used to complete more valuable tasks."

Shi Diwen's words basically rejected Qian Tiandun's immigration request. To put it more seriously, this can also be regarded as dissatisfaction with Qian Tiandun's immigration acceptance standards. This is of course not just due to economic considerations. The labor shortage in the special warfare division has also slowed down the local construction process to a certain extent.

Previously, the Executive Committee did not invest too many resources in the Western Front, allowing Qian Tiandun to play freely. However, since the goal in the future is to build the Maritime Silk Road, Qian Tiandun will no longer be able to select immigrants with higher standards. Efficiency must be prioritized, and race and bloodline will no longer be the first consideration for introducing immigrants to overseas colonies.

Shi Diwen had said it quite bluntly, and that was the opinion of the Executive Committee. Even though Qian Tiandun was dissatisfied in his heart, he had to consider the authority of the Executive Committee in front of everyone, so he had to agree first.

Of course, the introduction of this new policy is not necessarily a bad thing for the special warfare division. After the standards are relaxed, the speed of the special warfare division's introduction of population will undoubtedly be significantly improved. At that time, whether it is hiring laborers or recruiting immigrants, it will be able to replenish the labor force needed for development more quickly.

However, after this standard is relaxed, the population structure of the special operations division's jurisdiction will inevitably undergo significant changes. It will become increasingly difficult to maintain the absolute proportion of the Han people in the future. The most likely scenario is that the area will gradually become a mixed population like Xingdao.

However, this news is a major benefit to neighboring countries, especially to the grassroots people.

Working for Hai Han can earn more wages, and becoming a Hai Han citizen can enjoy many benefits. This has become a consensus among people in neighboring countries. However, the threshold set by the Special Operations Division was too high in the past, and most people found it difficult to meet the standard. Now that this threshold is about to be removed, more people will inevitably flock to Phuket to seek job opportunities.

Qian Tiandun was certainly well aware of the changes this would bring to the areas under his jurisdiction, but due to the circumstances, he had to make concessions and accept the new arrangements of the Executive Committee.

On the third day after Shi Diwen arrived in Phuket, Qian Tiandun did not arrange any more sightseeing for him. In fact, as far as the built-up areas on the island are concerned, they have already seen almost everything. Now Shi Diwen needs to deal with some diplomatic activities.

Envoys from nearby Siam, Myanmar, Aceh and other countries have been waiting in Phuket for several days in order to be received by Shi Diwen.

When Shi Diwen's fleet left Sanya and headed south, Qian Tiandun had already sent diplomatic invitations to neighboring countries, informing them that senior officials from the Executive Committee would visit Phuket and that consultations could be held with each country on some high-level diplomatic affairs.

As a result, almost all the countries that received the notice sent special personnel to Phuket to meet with Shi Diwen. It was much more convenient to hold talks with Hai Han's top leaders not far from home than to send people to Hangzhou thousands of miles away.

The contents that the neighboring countries want to discuss with the Executive Committee are mainly some cooperation projects on which they have reached an agreement, such as trade, mining, professional personnel training, etc., which are basically all helpful for Hai Han to establish international influence in this region.

These cooperation projects were not entirely led by the Special Operations Division. Some of them were initiated by the other party. For example, Aceh hoped that Hai Han would increase its military support and remove many restrictions on the purchase of arms so that they could purchase the weapons and equipment they wanted without limit.