America started its counterattack from the bum

Chapter 391: Wind Rising in Nanhua 5
Few people took the jokes in the car seriously. Perhaps the only one who took it seriously was the director of the Suzhou Investment Promotion Bureau. He did not know these people who came to inspect, but he knew Wolfe and the American Consul in Shanghai.

As an advanced region in China's service-oriented government construction, Suzhou has always been very attentive in its investment promotion work, and the words of the director of investment promotion are not exaggeration.

However, the heirs of the Anglo-Saxon and Semitic wanderers are still somewhat arrogant and unable to accept the cruel reality - compared to Suzhou, the old industrial areas such as California, London and Greater Paris are completely finished.

In the evening, in a hotel by Jinji Lake.

As the nominal organizer, Cheng Daiqi is taking his heirs from all over the world to taste the delicacies of the Suwu region.

"This kind of crab is different from ordinary crabs. Although it is troublesome to eat, it is precisely because of the trouble that we can best avoid the loss of taste due to over-processing. You can try it."

The best season for hairy crabs is mid-autumn, when the crabs are fat and meaty and taste the best. But in fact, from a breeding technology perspective, crabs in March are not necessarily much worse than crabs in October.

"Chan, I still can't forget what that person said about ten months. The Chinese are too arrogant."

This question is actually very interesting. Sandy has a good relationship with Mi'er, so she is naturally closer to Cheng Daiqi. She is not interested in hairy crabs, but she is interested in making cars.

The automobile industry is one of the most complex civilian industries in human history. Before the development of the semiconductor industry, it had long been at the top of the civilian industrial sector.

So, she wanted to hear Mr. Cheng's opinion on Suzhou's industrial potential. After all, it was Cheng Daiqi who called them here.

"Can Tesla's Shanghai factory really be built within a year?" Wolf echoed Sandy's question and asked a more realistic question.

Tesla is now the most talked-about company in the U.S. stock market. Everyone present knows Rocket Horse. When Sandy and Wolf talked about Tesla, everyone stopped eating and looked at President Cheng.

Cheng Daiqi was originally a mysterious figure in their eyes. They only knew that he seemed to be marrying Mier, and then Mr. Cheng brought Xiao Zhao to accompany them to visit the cities of Suzhou and Changzhou - which made it even more mysterious.

Therefore, all the successors of Mr. Cheng’s car-making business are looking forward to it.

Cheng Daiqi certainly would not let such expectations down. This time, he used Mike Pompeo as a lever to persuade the Shanghai Consul to lead a team for inspection, in order to ensure a smooth start of the car-making project with Lao Jia as the front-line figure. He was very attentive to every step in the series of processes.

Noticing everyone's gazes, Zhao Hongjin's face, which had been gloomy today, finally became serious. She understood that Cheng Daiqi's next answer would be very important, which made her a little worried.

She didn't understand why President Cheng wanted to build a car, but she understood that President Cheng had asked the American Consul in Shanghai to be his tour guide, which showed that Cheng Daqi attached great importance to this trip to the Yangtze River Delta.

She was the one who hated Cheng Daiqi for being a good-for-nothing, and she was also the one who was worried that Cheng would mess up. The emotions between people were very complicated, and perhaps Xiao Zhao did not handle the relationship between them well. But at least at this moment, Cheng Daiqi was relieved that Zhao Hongjin was still on his side.

He put down the crab shell, picked up a towel to wipe his mouth, and stretched out his hand to signal the Consul of Shanghai to shut up first, because he was about to start showing off.

"Sandy, you are right. The Chinese are very arrogant. Where in the world can a car factory be built in ten months? It takes at least a year!
Tesla was mentioned today. It is a very interesting company, especially the land they have in Shanghai. You may not know one thing about it. "

At this point, Cheng Daiqi kept the suspense, glanced at Sandy and others, and asked with a smile.

“Guess how much that Tesla cost?”

Everyone looked at the Consul of Shanghai, and the Consul hurriedly spoke.

"It's less than 1 billion yuan, and the price is 40% lower than the price of industrial land in Shanghai!"

He is the consul of the American Consulate in China, but in front of these American heirs, he is just an ordinary waiter. If any one of them can favor him, his future development in America will be different.

President Cheng's battle in California forced the California gang to surrender, and he fought to the death against the federal government, Capitol Hill, and the President, winning too many intangible things. Now that he sits in the game and can look down on the American Consul in China, it is only the most insignificant part of these intangible gains.

"What the Consul said is very correct, but this is not the most important thing. In fact, the land of Tesla's Shanghai Super Factory was originally ours!"

This statement was so shocking that even the Consul in Shanghai was shocked.

Is Tesla's land yours?

I do not know how?
". Unfortunately, in 2017, LeEco went bankrupt and Jia was forced to leave China. The land originally prepared for Faraday Future fell into the hands of Tesla by mistake!"

Cheng Daiqi simply told the story of Lao Jia, and Zhao Hongjin's face changed color.

She used to think that Cheng Daiqi was simply unscrupulous, but now she realized that Cheng was not unscrupulous, but was trying to kill two birds with one stone.

Lao Jia, ah Lao Jia, he is so talented.

“Faraday and Tesla are both scientists, and now they have both started new energy vehicle companies. Lao Jia and Rocket Horse both started successful businesses before—and they were both in the Internet industry before they started making electric cars.

It can be said that Lao Jia is not a liar, but a serial entrepreneur on the same level as Rocket Ma, with extremely strong leadership qualities.

BEC's market value has plummeted recently, and Lao Jia is busy communicating with investors and cannot come in person, so I am entertaining you on his behalf.

In short, Faraday Future is no worse than Tesla from any angle. Compared with most American new energy car companies that build cars based on PPTs and videos, Faraday Future's prototype car has begun to be upgraded iteratively. "

Anyway, these people are not familiar with Lao Jia, so Cheng Daiqi just praised him. After all, Faraday Future's prototype car has indeed come out, and the iteration is also in progress - the money paid by Brother Belt, when the iteration will be completed is not yet determined.

But you just tell me, isn’t that the case?
"I can't imagine that there is such a connection between Faraday Future and Tesla, Chan. This is the first time I've heard of such a story."

Wolfe was the one who gave Cheng Daiqi the most face. While others were still thinking about Cheng Daiqi's nonsense, he had already taken the lead in flattering him.

Mr. Cheng’s meaning is clear enough. He takes car manufacturing very seriously.

Wolfe was actually very tempted because Cheng's record was traceable. Although he was not so successful in business, he had never lost in areas other than business.

Mr. Wolf of the Dracula family believes in Cheng Daiqi's ability to organize events. For example, Mr. Cheng can always arrange for high-ranking officials from China to receive them in person, which is a manifestation of strength.

This person didn't know that the director of the Merchants' Association only appeared because of his and the Consul of Shanghai's arrival.

"Stories are just stories. The key point is the prospects of the industry. Here we have to go back to the time it takes to build a factory. It took Tesla 21 months from the start of construction to the start of production of its factory in Austin, the United States. This is the ceiling for the speed of factory construction in the United States and also the ceiling for the speed of construction in major countries in the world.

But in fact, it is no joke that the Shanghai factory will be completed and put into production within a year. I even suspect that the ten months mentioned by the Merchants Bureau Director is not a joke. Can you imagine what this means? "

Giorgio is the one who understands regional differences the best. Similar to Achilles, he has been working outside of America for a long time and is quite sensitive to such data.

"If the one-year production is not an exaggeration, then it can show that China's overall efficiency is extremely high. This high efficiency can even offset the high tariff barriers China faces in the global market, allowing its competitive advantage to continue to be maintained against the backdrop of Mao Zedong sanctions - America's high costs are too much of a drag on production efficiency."

Sandy was still thinking, but Wolfe had already noticed the key.

Wolf asked, recalling the investigation that Cheng Daiqi took them to the Yangtze River Delta region.

"Chan, do you mean that based on the comparison of competitive advantages, you are very optimistic about the combination of Faraday Future and China?"

Mr. Cheng nodded.

"The development trend of the times is a chaotic model that cannot be accurately predicted, but historical experience can be used as a reference. Wolf, where are you from? I mean, where did your ancestors come from?"

"France, my family immigrated to Louisiana from France," Wolfe replied, confused.

Zhao Hongjin had studied history, and she opened her mouth in surprise.

French Louisiana is a concept that 99.9% of people in modern society are not aware of. It originated from France's colonization of America. Later, this colony was incorporated into the territory of America.

The Dracula family from France took root on the West Coast as the Westward Movement took place, and in two hundred years they became the wealthy family they are today.

"Gio, Sandy, what about you?"

"Britain, but my ancestors are Romans." Sandy didn't know why Cheng Daiqi asked such a question.

"Austria, my name is also Italian, but I actually prefer to consider myself to be of German descent, hahaha." Giorgio's composition is the most complicated.

Cheng Daiqi shook his head and sighed.

"Germans in Austria, Latins in Britain, Semitic wanderers in France, coincidentally, you have the bloodline of many empires in history.

The rise of the Holy Roman Empire was accompanied by its control over Central Europe. Vienna served as the cultural and economic center of Europe for a considerable period of history. However, this traditional empire was constrained by many historical and environmental limitations and was unable to give birth to large-scale capitalist production relations.

Therefore, the Holy Roman Empire was bound to fail. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a constitutional monarchy, its unique and inefficient political system doomed it to failure. It did not fail in other areas, but entirely because of its economic and cultural backwardness.

Napoleon used constitution and war to shape the first modern nation-state of a certain scale in human history. The foreign plunder during the colonial era met the needs of the development of French capitalism. The advanced productivity of capitalism is subversive, so France was able to lead the times for hundreds of years.

But behind these macro narratives are the rise and fall of regional economies. The Greater Paris area, the Loire Valley, the Bordeaux area, and so on are the sources that support the French industrial empire.

The rise of a great power is bound to be accompanied by an explosion of productivity, and the role of capital is to provide conditions for the explosion of productivity.

However, the world's resources are limited, and first movers and latecomers fight for limited resources. As a result, Austria-Hungary, which lacks industrial capital, disappeared. Gio, don't pretend to be so sad, haha."

Cheng Daiqi was amused by Giorgio. This guy was really funny. He had been an immigrant for many generations, but he was still pretending to cry for Austria-Hungary.

“I know this sounds like nonsense, but, my friends, in my opinion, World War I and World War II were a clash of industrial capacity. After Germany chose Austria-Hungary and Italy as teammates in World War I, it was destined to be difficult to win - unless they could bet right all the way.

Or the production capacity of Ford Model T speaks for itself. We cannot predict the future, but I can show you how amazing Suzhou's industrial capacity is.

Don't compare GDP, it's a deceptive numbers game. From the perspective of purchasing power equivalence, the industrial capacity of Suzhou alone exceeds that of France.

So, I am not introducing you to new energy vehicle industry projects, but to the regions that will overturn the world’s automotive industry in the future!”

Cheng Daiqi stood up and walked to the window of the restaurant under the complicated gazes of the guests. Outside the window was Suzhou Jinji Lake, which was reflected with lights in the night.

“Thirty years ago, this was a swamp. Thirty years later, it has become the most developed industrial zone in the world, bar none.

China's development model has been widely questioned as unsustainable, but what I see is that even if it is slowing down, it is still the fastest growing region - there is no other.

By the way, Mier and I both bought a large amount of Tesla stock, not because its electric cars are so good, but because it built a factory in China. "

Sandy is the one who understands finance or capital operation best among everyone here, and she herself works in an investment bank.

"Chan, I understand that you are very optimistic about the opportunities in China. Our family, Wolf's Dracula Group, and so on, actually have large investments in China. But I am more concerned about your perspective on the issue. Why would you talk about history, even World War I, when it is clearly an ordinary investment?"

"What happened to talking about World War I? I like Chan. This approach is more interesting than those who only talk with data."

Giorgio joked without any psychological burden. He actually didn't quite agree with Cheng Daiqi's nonsense, but he didn't plan to invest, so it wouldn't hurt to do him a favor.

"War and peace are the eternal themes of mankind. What I want to say is that from the perspective of industrial capacity, America has already lost. It is bound to lose. Ladies and gentlemen, our America is just waiting to die. The only question is how it will die."

Talking with a group of America's successors about how America will die, I can only say that success always has courage.

Giorgio was stunned for a moment and whispered.

"I agree, and I believe Sandy also understands this. The problem with America is that no one is willing to solve the problem. It is doomed to decline. I have also been making arrangements in different regions abroad.

It’s just that this process of decline will take a long time. Even if it does decline, America will still be an important country. As for war, I don’t believe anyone dares to do that.”

Cheng Daiqi's astonishing judgment is actually nothing new. At this point in 2019, China's public intellectuals still think that America is invincible in the world, but there are already many people inside America who have begun to speak ill of their own country.

Ten years have passed since the financial crisis, but the problem has not been resolved. The big capitalists' response is to continue to evade responsibility and that terrible bomb by all means.

That's all. There is no unified deep government or super interest group. The fight between capitals is more cruel than ordinary people imagine. They have their own interests, so how can they unite or sacrifice for others?

"No, how can America decline? We have the most advanced technology, the best education system, and the most powerful military in the world. Are you kidding me?"

The Consul of Shanghai City has begun to sweat on his forehead. He knows that everyone present is the heirs and bigwigs of America, but what are these bigwigs talking about?

"The most advanced technology may not be that useful. Advanced and useful are two different things. Useful and easy to use are different. When the Third Reich collapsed, it was still one of the countries with the highest level of technology in the world. The nuclear weapons research of the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain was largely influenced by it."

Sandy complained that she understood the consul's anxiety, but she had many opportunities to study technological innovation, so she knew very well that the so-called advanced technology in the United States was just that.

The most advanced does not mean the most useful. There is a huge gap between laboratory verification and on-site promotion. No one dares to say this out loud, but it is a cruel fact.

What is advanced is not necessarily easy to use, and investment in scientific research is more risky than venture capital.

Buffett never invests in technology companies. One of the reasons he invested in Apple is that he saw that Apple was not innovating.
“The best education system is promoted. America has a standard elite education system, but today’s elite education system cannot train engineers on a large scale. The transformation of the industry and the mismatch of values ​​have caused smart people to change their careers and become doctors and lawyers.

Lawyers and doctors cannot work in the manufacturing sector. Industrial capacity is indeed the key, Chan. What you say is exactly what I have always believed.”

Giorgio is the most open-minded one. He is not the heir of the family and has been working hard outside America over the years. He doesn't care what the future of America will be like.

"I have a say in the most powerful military. Ha, my family is in the Pentagon business. Mr. Consul, the American military can't even control Afghanistan, let alone other larger countries. Forget it, let's not talk about this.

Chan, you said too many things that made us sad in order to get us to invest in that crappy car company in China. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is not polite. "

Wolfe made a closing speech, but it was somewhat bitter.

Politicians may talk nonsense to win votes, but capitalists will not betray their interests. The consul may have some illusions about the strength of America, but these heirs of America will not be unaware of the problem.

After all, one is an employee and the other is a shareholder, and their perspectives are completely different.

Just like Mi'er said, Mr. Cheng must think about the truly important issues himself and cannot rely on the advice of think tanks, experts, and executives for everything. Those people are poor, how can they fully understand the interests of capitalists?
Cheng Daiqi smiled at these friends with different expressions, stood up and walked to his seat. He pressed the chair with one hand and announced the global automobile sales ranking in 2018.

“Volkswagen Group – Germany, Toyota Group – Japan, Renault-Nissan – Japan, GM Group – America, Hyundai-Kia – South Korea, Ford Group – America, Honda Group – Japan, FCA – Italy, PSA – France, Suzuki – Japan.

Among the top ten automobile groups in the world, none is from China, but China's industrial strength is now the world's number one. Guess how many Chinese automobile companies will be on this list in the future?"

Wolfe was a person who liked to surf the Internet. Looking at Mr. Cheng who was standing there smiling, he thought of a hanging picture that was commonly seen on forums.

A Grim Reaper holding a scythe was knocking on doors one by one. The doors he opened were wide open, and there were bloodstains on the ground.

Now, the Grim Reaper walked to the new ten doors. On the doors were written the names of the ten major automobile groups, and on the head of the Grim Reaper there was a big label - China Automobile!
"laugh!"

Wolfe smiled and quickly picked up the cup to drink water.

He really gave Cheng Daiqi face and respect.

"Three families?"

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhao Hongjin chose to help President Cheng break the awkwardness.

Cheng Daiqi looked at her deeply and said, "Xiao Zhao, Xiao Zhao, how can I return this?"
“How many there are is not really the main point, I can just briefly tell you some important news.

First, in July last year, China lowered tariffs on complete vehicles and auto parts. The import tax rate on complete vehicles dropped to 15%, the lowest among major global markets.

Second, in April last year, China lifted the restrictions on foreign equity ratios in new energy vehicles, and plans to lift the restrictions on foreign equity ratios in passenger vehicles by 2022.

Third, throughout 2018, China’s new car companies raised more than billion yuan in financing!

Fourth, the sales growth rate of the world's top ten automakers in China peaked in 16 and 17. In 18, Ford, GM, Kia and other companies even saw their sales in China begin to decline sharply! "

Giorgio shrank back with a serious expression. From Cheng Daiqi's words, he heard China's confidence in its own industry and saw the rise of China's domestic automobiles.

Yes, if you weren’t extremely confident, how could you dare to let go like that?

"Substantially reducing tariffs, opening up foreign equity, frequent industrial financing, and drastic market changes. Well, Chan, I just wanted to come and take a look, but now you really have me interested - well, don't look at me like that, I like Wolff and the like, I mean, I'm interested in investing in that Faraday Future."

Wolfe, feeling a chill on his back, jumped up and down.

"Gio, I treat you as a friend. OK, although we are both gay, we are just friends!"

"Okay, stop arguing about this, Chan. I want to know why Mi'er isn't here?"

Sandy interrupted Rainbow Guy's flirting and looked at Cheng Daiqi seriously.

They are all Mi'er's friends. It was because of Mi'er that he met Cheng Daiqi. But now that Mr. Cheng is organizing a party here, Mi'er did not come.

Well, Sandy decided she needed an answer.

Circle culture is nothing more than this.

"We at Xinshi have run into some trouble. The California Senate has blocked Xinshi's application for a non-profit entity. Mier is in California and can't get away.

As the founder of Faraday Future, Lao Jia should have come with us, but he recently started a cryptocurrency project, BEC, which you may have seen in the news. Anyway, he was busy, so I had to receive him.”

After hearing this, Sandy shook her head speechlessly and sighed.

"You have some great ideas. You actually want to make New Times a non-profit organization. I'm not familiar with the California Senate, otherwise I could still help you."

"Is it difficult to get an application from a non-profit organization?" asked Zhao Hongjin.

Wolfe explained. He was familiar with Cheng's career.

"It's not difficult to get it done, but they are usually small, decentralized organizations. Larger organizations will operate in a decentralized manner. It's just that the New Times Group must be considered as a whole to apply, and California is not a place where our party is dominant. In short, it's difficult to do."

Cheng Daiqi waved his hand and joked with a smile.

"Don't worry, everything is progressing steadily. Are you doubting the strength of Mi'er and me?"

Cheng Daiqi's words are too arrogant, Giorgio raised his finger and said dissatisfiedly.

"Ha, steady progress~ We invested in OC, and Mier invested in LCE and BEC coins. Now these two projects are not doing well. Before we explained this to the board of directors, she contacted me to buy back my shares.

You just said that you want to make Xinshi a non-profit organization and OC will be merged into Xinshi. Then what do we investors do?
You come to us when you need money, and want to keep it all for yourself when you don't. Chan, why do you think I don't want to invest in the new energy vehicle project you introduced?
I'm afraid you two will play a trick on me again!"

When he was not planning to invest money just now, Giorgio was even willing to help Mr. Cheng out of the predicament.

Now that he is preparing to enter the car manufacturing industry, he is starting to find it difficult to become a great man.

Man, it's that complicated.

How much is OC's equity worth? At most, tens of millions - Mi'er will pay for it, so he doesn't lose anything. What Giorgio cares about is not tens of millions, but the right to speak.

Cheng Daiqi sat back at the table and looked at Sandy. The girl was communicating with her followers and seemed to be too busy to hear Giorgio's attack.

He looked at Wolfe. This old man didn't even pretend. He just smiled at Mr. Cheng who was being bullied, and seemed to be gloating.

Wolfe: You two are too cruel, you deserve to be scolded by Gio!
Cheng Daiqi picked up the wine from the table and walked to Gio with the glass in his hand.

Just apologize, what else can you do?

You can't kneel down and call someone your godfather in the business world. In the East and the West, there are only so many ways to show your sincerity.

China has a drinking culture, and so does America. The specific differences are huge, but it still exists. In 17, someone died from drinking at a fraternity party at the University of Pennsylvania, and this is not even an isolated case.

Compared to Wolfe's showing of sincerity by sending a plane, drinking a few glasses of wine is nothing.

Giorgio and Sandy are the true heirs. They are young now and their voice has not yet been revealed. In another twenty years, they will be the real decision-makers in America.

In traditional feudal states and modern power-centered states, bloodline is only one of many factors in the inheritance of power.

But in the order of capital, blood becomes the only key factor. Although the Giorgios don't look good, they are still capable and support Cheng Daiqi and Temir. Mr. Cheng must respect other people's blood and thank them for their help.

Human society has developed for thousands of years, and as long as it has not gotten rid of private ownership, this tragic behavior of bowing to capital will never disappear completely.

If you want to achieve something in your career, it is not enough to just stand on the shore. You have to get involved, and once you get involved you cannot be afraid of getting wet.

President Cheng walked past the smiling Wolfe, glared at him, and said to Gio who was sitting next to Wolfe.

"I'm sorry about what happened at Xinshi, and I'm also sorry about Sandy. In fact, shares are only one aspect. If you don't want to withdraw, there will be other ways to repay you later. This can all be discussed.

Mi'er and I are under a lot of pressure in California. Just like now, Niu Sen is blocking our application. Hey, Gio, I'm still very grateful that you can come to China. If you and Sandy didn't come, the consul wouldn't even see me, hahaha."

The consul smiled awkwardly and said: Don't cue me, every one of you is an evil capitalist, I can't afford to offend you.

"Chan, this is a Chinese drinking party, but I'm American. Okay, I understand your troubles, and we can discuss the new things."

Seeing Cheng Daiqi's sincerity, Giorgio stopped hesitating. He stretched out his hand to push away Cheng's cup and said seriously.

"But if you want me or Sandy to support you, you have to give us a specific and strict plan. You can't be so hasty as when we raised funds for OC. Otherwise, if you try to turn it into a non-profit entity again, wouldn't it be embarrassing for us?"

Sandy complained when she heard that Gio took her with him.

"Don't take me with you. I've already sold my shares to Mi'er. The return on investment is 20% in less than half a year. I'm very satisfied. Besides, I don't think a car company can become a non-profit entity. That's crazy."

1.2 times in half a year, this rate of return is quite high.

They were growing too fast, and OC needed money to expand. Meanwhile, they had to convert to a non-profit entity to avoid taxes to a large extent, and they also had to buy back shares from shareholders, which was a complete hassle.

Even the fact that BEC crashed the market to cash out was due to the fact that Mr. Cheng and Mi'er wanted to supplement their respective cash flows and thus integrate the shares of Xinshi.

Cheng Daiqi noticed that Sandy's words only denied part of Giorgio's content, but avoided the most crucial point. He smiled and realized that the two were starting to discuss specific conditions.

Okay, let’s start negotiating the terms. I’m just afraid that you’re not interested and don’t even want to talk about it!
"As for the specific plan, you've only looked at it for one day, and you still have a schedule to go on. We can discuss it in detail after you've finished looking at it. These few days won't be a big deal."

To become a great man, he needs to let his guests see his cards clearly, display the chips first, and then let these heirs place big bets.

This round of financing is different from OC’s. OC makes perfumes, and the industry ceiling means it can only do small things.

Automobiles are the real jewel of industry. If you do a little bit of industrial chain development, you can start with a value of tens of billions. When the profits of automakers are good, a few billion dollars a year in profit is not too much.

“So, I’m very curious, why did Niu Sen block your application to convert to a non-profit entity?”

Giorgio and Cheng Daiqi clinked their glasses gently, then asked with a smile.

(End of this chapter)