Sail across the sea

Chapter 463 will surely be criticized, won't it?

In the following days, Bi Liansheng wholeheartedly helped Pei Hengxue sell rare earth, while Gao Fan went out to wander around the city for two days. Neither Bi nor Pei complained about it.

The electronics show generated numerous big news stories, including the launch of groundbreaking new products by various companies and strategic partnerships between two firms. However, the booth of a Chinese semiconductor materials company failed to attract the slightest interest from the media, seemingly existing entirely elsewhere.

A sales representative from Japan's Moriya Corporation did visit the Chinese booth and inquire about the sales of photoresist, only to receive a disappointed reply from Bi Liansheng.

This sales representative was not Fujiki, but he reiterated the previous distribution agreement between Fujiki and Kaede Institute, stating that if Kaede Institute's annual production reached 200 tons, Moriya Company could sell 50 tons of it. This portion of the photoresist would be sold under Moriya Company's name and would not use the Shimoba Chemical Plant brand.

Bi Liansheng expressed his heartfelt gratitude for Moriya Company's friendly assistance and repeatedly asked if Moriya Company could help sell more photoresist. Fenglin Institute was willing to make greater concessions on the commission issue, which basically meant that as long as the other party could help him sell the photoresist, he could recover his costs.

Senya's sales representative was deeply moved by Bi Liansheng's request, but then resolutely refused.

A few days later, the exhibition successfully concluded. Gao Fan and his group returned to China by plane.

Before Bi Liansheng and Pei Hengxue returned to their respective units, the Ministry of Chemical Industry held a small-scale press conference. Following the conference, press releases published in several media outlets, including the Economic Daily and Science and Technology Daily, claimed that China had achieved a "breakthrough" in semiconductor materials at international exhibitions, with over twenty foreign manufacturers expressing strong interest in the high-purity rare earth produced by China's Zeshan Rare Earth Refinery, and a Japanese manufacturer promising to act as a distributor for the photoresist produced by Shuangye Fine Chemicals Plant.

The press release was somewhat vague in its description of the photoresist sales, only stating that the initial sales agreement amounted to $600 million. Indeed, this figure represents the sales revenue from the 50 tons of photoresist that Moriya Co., Ltd. agreed to distribute.

"That's basically how the cooperation with the South Korean semiconductor manufacturers went. The agreement signed by both parties has been classified as top secret by the Science and Technology Commission. Even within the Fenglin Research Institute, only a very small number of people know about it. We have agreed with the South Korean side to keep this transaction a secret for as long as possible."

In the office of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, Gao Fan reported to Zheng Linong on the situation of the exhibition, especially detailing the results of the talks with South Korean manufacturers, and concluded by saying the following.

"The Science and Technology Commission consulted with its superiors about this matter, and the State Economic Commission also asked me to understand the situation before finally approving your decision," Zheng Linong said.

"The leader is indeed farsighted," Gao Fan flattered.

Zheng Linong glared at Gao Fan and said, "I haven't settled accounts with you for this yet! You must have had this idea in mind all along. Why didn't you ask the organization for permission before going abroad? Why did you have to go to the United States and then do this without consulting them first?"

“If we had asked for permission before going abroad, I estimate it would have been rejected nine times out of ten,” Gao Fan said. “Besides, before we even started negotiating with the South Korean manufacturers, I didn’t know if this would work out. If our superiors approved it, but we still couldn’t get it done, wouldn’t we be criticized?”

Zheng Linong nodded and said, "Your concerns are valid. If you consult with your superiors beforehand, they might disagree with your decision because they feel the chances of success are too slim and it involves sensitive issues."

"But when you reported that the other party already had such intentions, the higher-ups had no more concerns and naturally agreed. However, even if you didn't report to the higher-ups, couldn't you at least have informed me beforehand? Do you think I'm the kind of inflexible leader?" "How could I?" Gao Fan feigned panic. "I know Minister Zheng has always been open-minded and dares to be a pioneer. The reason I didn't consult you beforehand is mainly because, as I just said, I wasn't sure if it could be done. I was afraid of making too much of a boast and then not being able to face you in the end."

Zheng Linong did not blame Gao Fan. Although China and South Korea have not yet established diplomatic relations, various exchanges between the two countries have begun, and the situation is no longer as tense as it once was.

Regarding economic and trade cooperation with South Korea, it remains a taboo subject in public. However, at Zheng Linong's level, he understands that the country's attitude is actually tacit approval, and as long as everyone does it discreetly, it's fine.

The secret cooperation between China and South Korea in semiconductor materials, facilitated by Gao Fan, is something the country is happy to see. Being able to exploit the internal contradictions within the Western camp and drive some wedges between Western countries is beneficial to China.

As the old saying goes, there is no such thing as a permanent friendship between nations.

After discussing photoresist, the next topic was rare earth elements, which was the main focus of Gao Fan's discussion with Zheng Linong.

"At this exhibition, semiconductor manufacturers from the United States, Japan, Germany, and the United Kingdom expressed great interest in the high-purity rare earth elements we provide. Their concerns are whether we can meet the purity standards we promised, and whether our production capacity can be guaranteed," Gao Fan said.

"These two aspects should not be a problem, right?" Zheng Linong asked.

Gao Fan said, "Regarding purity, after several months of testing, we have found the optimal production process, which can fully guarantee the required quality. As for production capacity, we were only in trial production before, and the scale was relatively small. Once we receive orders, we can immediately increase production capacity."

"In addition, Maoming Chemical Machinery and Water Chemical Equipment are also hoping that we will expand our production capacity so that they can sell more equipment."

"How many orders do you estimate you'll ultimately get?" Zheng Linong asked.

Gao Fan said, "Based on my experience negotiating with foreign manufacturers, I believe we can secure orders for no less than 500 tons within a year, including various rare earth oxides and rare earth metals. After that, it will be a matter of competing with foreign rare earth refining companies, which is what I was going to report to you."

"Tell me what you think," Zheng Linong said, solemnly unfolding a notepad as if preparing to take notes.

Gao Fan grinned: "Minister Zheng, please don't do that. You're putting me under a lot of pressure. Actually, all I want to say is that we should start gradually tightening the export of rare earths, forcing foreign countries to hand over all rare earth refining work to China."

(End of this chapter)