Sail across the sea

Chapter 371 There's a second thing.
Gao Yiping's strengths lie in his extensive experience in corporate management and his network of contacts within the industry.

People like Tan Rongjiang and Luo Jiazhen are very familiar to Gao Yiping, and they have drunk together more than a dozen times.

Gao Fan could talk endlessly about the development plans of the fertilizer industry company. But when it came to actually managing the company, ten Gao Fans couldn't compare to one Gao Yiping; the interpersonal relationships alone could drive Gao Fan to the brink of collapse.

Gao Fan's strengths lie only in his knowledge reserves as a time traveler and his policy insights, coupled with some unconventional ways of thinking cultivated in the Internet age.

Gao Yiping could not have conceived of a strategy like this one, which uses public opinion to force local officials to comply, but Gao Fan could do it with ease. The reason is simple: there are just too many similar stories on the internet in later generations, and who wouldn't try to manipulate public opinion?

After giving Gao Yiping some pointers on the future trends, Gao Fan didn't need to go on about the remaining matters concerning the fertilizer company; Gao Yiping was definitely better able to handle them than him.

The father and son discussed some other matters, and finally Gao Fan said, "Dad, now that the ammonium sulfate to urine conversion project has been finalized, I've completed the first task Minister Zheng assigned me. Next, I need to handle the second task he assigned me. Could you make an appointment with Aunt Xu for me?"

"There's a second thing? Why didn't you tell me?" Gao Yiping asked, somewhat surprised.

After Gao Fan returned from Beijing, he told Gao Yiping that Zheng Linong had discussed with him the difficulties encountered in the nationwide ammonium-to-urine conversion project and requested that he use Maolin Province as a pilot area to advance the work. Subsequently, the Provincial Department of Chemical Industry also received a verbal notification from the Ministry of Chemical Industry, suggesting that the department authorize Gao Fan to conduct this pilot project.

The reason Gao Yiping allowed Gao Fan to use his name to carry out conspiracies was because he knew it was an arrangement from the Ministry of Chemical Industry.

Gao Fan only mentioned this one thing at the time, but unexpectedly there was a second one.

"The Ministry of Chemical Industry submitted a document to the Central Committee, suggesting that the state strengthen the management of rare earth development in the south and effectively protect rare earth resources in the south. The leader made instructions on the document, saying that the Middle East has oil and China has rare earth, both of which are strategic resources. The state should make good use of the rare earth card and let rare earth resources play a greater role in the construction of the four modernizations."

Gao Fan introduced it to his father.

The Ministry of Chemical Industry's report was actually drafted jointly by Gao Fan and Xia Shihui. After Gao Fan submitted it to Zheng Linong, Zheng Linong arranged for some investigations, made some revisions to the report, and then submitted it to the Central Committee in the name of the Ministry of Chemical Industry.

Not long ago, Zheng Linong personally called Gao Fan to inform him that the leadership had given important instructions on the report and had instructed the Ministry of Chemical Industry and the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources to establish a joint working group to investigate and rectify the chaotic situation in rare earth development in the south, and to ensure that rare earth development work is put on a scientific and orderly track.

Zheng Linong said on the phone that if Gao Fan was willing, he could nominate Gao Fan to join the group, as he was very confident in Gao Fan's ability to solve complex problems.

Incidentally, Gao Fan also reported on the progress of the ammonium chloride conversion project in Maolin Province over the phone. Zheng Linong, quite unkindly, expressed schadenfreude about Gao Fan ultimately smashing someone's window. This incident further increased Zheng Linong's confidence in Gao Fan.

“Rare earth? Shouldn’t that be the responsibility of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources? Why did the Ministry of Chemical Industry submit the report?” Gao Yiping asked, puzzled.

"The refining and application of rare earth elements are both chemical processes, so it's understandable that the Ministry of Chemical Industry is paying attention to rare earth issues," Gao Fan explained.

He would never admit that the Ministry of Chemical Industry report was related to him. He's already 18; he should have some secrets of his own.

"So how did this get involved with you?" "I was chatting with Minister Zheng when we inadvertently touched on this topic. He asked me if I knew anything about rare earth elements, and I said I knew a little..."

How do you know about rare earth elements?

"Dad, you can't just kick me while I'm down. Wasn't it me who suggested developing rare earth catalysts for our factory in the first place?"

"Oh, that makes sense."

Gao Yiping also remembered that this kid had indeed studied rare earths. The rare earth catalyst developed under Gao Fan's guidance is now an important product of Canghai Fertilizer Plant. Not only do fertilizer plants in Maolin Province use this catalyst, but fertilizer plants in other provinces have also come to purchase it.

As a result, he forgot about the greatest contributor.

"What did Minister Zheng ask you to do?" Gao Yiping asked.

Gao Fan said: "The main problem with the rare earth industry in the south is the rampant development. First, there is a lack of regulation, resulting in widespread development, mining rich minerals and abandoning poor ones, which leads to a huge waste of resources. Second, the refining methods are improper, resulting in low utilization rates and damage to vegetation and soil."

"According to estimates by professors in our school's geology department, most small rare earth mines have a resource utilization rate of less than 10%, with the remaining 90% of resources being discarded, and it will be very difficult to recycle and develop them in the future."

"The Ministry of Geology and the Ministry of Chemical Industry are preparing to establish a joint working group to address these two issues. Minister Zheng hopes that I can use my expertise in chemical engineering to work with experts from the geological department to explore better development and refining technologies."

"Do you have any ideas?" Gao Yiping asked.

Gao Fan said, "During my trip back to Beijing, I looked at some materials in the library and have some preliminary ideas. After I finish working on the ammonium-to-urine conversion project, I plan to go to Zeshan and talk to the experts at the Zeshan Nonferrous Metallurgical Research Institute."

Zeshan is the southernmost prefecture-level city in Maolin Province, and most of Maolin Province's rare earth resources are concentrated in Zeshan City. Gunan County, the place where Xia Shihui was so angry she wanted to eat braised ribbonfish to vent her frustration, is a county under the jurisdiction of Zeshan City.

In addition to rare earth resources, Zeshan City also boasts nationally renowned tungsten mines and uranium mines that remain classified to this day. In the 50s, the state established a non-ferrous metallurgical research institute in Zeshan and assigned two geological teams to prospect for minerals locally.

The rare earth deposit was discovered accidentally during a geological exploration by the 908 Geological Team of Zeshan in the late 60s. Since then, the Zeshan Nonferrous Metallurgical Research Institute has dedicated a portion of its staff to rare earth-related research, a process that has continued for over a decade.

In later generations, the Zeshan Institute of Nonferrous Metals was considered the strongest institution in the country for heavy rare earth research—well, perhaps "one of" at best. Gao Fan had some knowledge of this institute and some memories of the development of ion-adsorption rare earths in the south, though the information was somewhat fragmented.

When he was in Beijing, he did go to the library to look up some information, but he didn't find much useful information because the development of ion-adsorption rare earth was just beginning at that time, and there were very few results.

He wanted to visit the Zeshan Institute of Nonferrous Metals to see what the researchers were doing and whether it could evoke his memories.

(End of this chapter)