Reborn since 1993

Chapter 1391 The First to Eat Crab
What is a pioneering company? In layman's terms, it's cannon fodder!
Whether it can succeed or not, nobody knows, probably not even the company itself. Dongling High-Tech, which was established back then, also fell into this category, but Dongling High-Tech quickly found a way out.

Meanwhile, Belgium's IBA company is still struggling, and may struggle for many more years.

IBA's proton therapy device is currently relatively unknown, and for most people, it's probably something they'll never even come into contact with, or even ever in their lifetime. That would be a good thing.

However, in the event of a serious illness, especially if children and adolescents are unfortunately diagnosed with cancer or other serious illnesses, IBA's proton therapy can help them survive with minimal damage to their bodies.

IBA is now the best company in proton therapy hardware accelerators, software, and system treatment solutions.

However, this thing is just too expensive. Building an experimental proton beam knife department now costs more than 100 million US dollars, and the effects have not been truly proven. Whether it can be done or not is still being observed by all parties. Only some experimental research and development institutions and large medical schools are willing to try it out.

IBA helps these research institutions and large hospitals build proton accelerators, but the number of orders it receives each year is not exactly few, but it may not get one for several years.

This shows what kind of situation IBA is in now. They're making a big fuss about the medical industry all over the world, but there are hardly any companies willing to buy their products or services.

But the philanthropist Li was planning to bring IBA, pot and all, to Hong Kong.

What kind of industry is suitable for a port city? Whether we like it or not, given the housing prices, cost of living, and salary levels in the port city, it can only be an industry with extremely high profit margins. Otherwise, if other industries came here, they would probably lose their shirts.

However, IBA is the most suitable for Hong Kong. If it can take root and flourish in Hong Kong, it can make Hong Kong a world-class base for high-end medical research and development.

With the top hospitals in the port city, once the effectiveness of proton therapy is proven, it will attract wealthy people from all over Southeast Asia and even overseas celebrities. Anyone with this kind of medical need will come to the port city to receive high-end medical care.

Furthermore, with its backing by the inland market, securing IBA status is tantamount to obtaining a ticket to the future top-tier medical equipment industry.

Only industries with high R&D, high investment, and high returns are suitable for port cities and can take root here!

"IBA Company?"

When the head of the Hong Kong government heard that Li Dongling wanted the Hong Kong Future Industry Fund to acquire a medical equipment research and development institution, he was also a little surprised.

Hong Kong's current medical standards, especially its private hospitals for the wealthy, are renowned throughout Asia, ranking alongside Tokyo, Japan, as one of the best medical centers in Asia.

"IBA is the most suitable for Hong Kong. It has the opportunity to bring high-end medical research and development to Hong Kong in the future!"

"Cyberport Future Industry Centre will acquire and support high-end medical R&D companies in the future, but it will also need the support of the Hong Kong government."

If IBA can be acquired and relocated to Gangcheng, the Gangcheng Future Industry Fund will collaborate with the Gangcheng Huanhai Medical Center to establish the world's first commercially operational proton therapy hospital.

Li Dongling said, "The Huanhai Medical Center was invested in by the philanthropist Li. It's impossible to expect other hospitals to invest more than 200 million US dollars to build a proton therapy hospital that can be called the 'moon landing project' of the medical industry."

Only the Huanhai Medical Center, with its own people taking the lead, can set an example. Only when this project succeeds can the outside world see what IBA and the proton therapy knife really are. Only when they see the results will other hospitals spend a lot of money to purchase them.

However, building a proton therapy hospital involves not only expenses, but also the need for several thousand square meters of land, as well as a large amount of water and electricity.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the proton beam knife is just a medical cabin; behind it lies a complex industrial system with a large number of operators. This is why it's so expensive to operate each time it's turned on—essentially, the entire factory serves just one person.

All of this requires the support of the Hong Kong government; some things cannot be bought even with money.

The Hong Kong government leader was slightly taken aback when he heard Li Dongling's words. The entire IBA involved an investment of several billion Hong Kong dollars.

The acquisition of IBA and the construction of the proton therapy hospital are estimated to cost between five and six hundred million US dollars, equivalent to a gamble with five billion Hong Kong dollars.

But what if you win the bet?
Even the Hong Kong government leaders could foresee that the world's richest people would flock to Hong Kong, and the wealthier people are, the more they value their lives.

Just like that widely circulated line from a skit, the greatest pain in life is that you are gone but your money is still there. For those rich people, there are still lots and lots of money left to spend.

As long as they see a glimmer of hope, wealthy people suffering from serious illnesses are willing to spend money to save their lives, no matter how much it costs.

Most importantly, it's not just that the world's richest people flock to Hong Kong, and some even spend their later years there. They don't come empty-handed; they bring vast fortunes and resources with them, and may even transfer their businesses here. For those powerful figures, money is something they can't afford to lose, but how could they be willing to give up their power? So, it's very likely that they will also shift the center of their power along with them.

Seeing the Hong Kong government leader's thoughtful expression, Li Dongling added, "If the proton therapy hospital of the Universal Medical Center is officially operational, then the insurance industry in Hong Kong and even overseas will come to Hong Kong and sign agreements with the Universal Medical Center!"

Li Dongling only said one sentence, but the Hong Kong government leader suddenly looked at Li Dongling. How could he not hear the implied meaning in Li Dongling's words?

If the proton therapy hospital at the Global Medical Center proves to be truly effective, then insurance companies in Hong Kong and around the world will likely be drawn to it.

They all want to sign agreements with Huanhai Medical and then sell insurance policies that include proton therapy to their users, especially the middle class, the wealthy, and social elites, who are definitely the biggest buyers of this insurance!
For the insurance industry, this is a new type of high-profit insurance. Middle-class and above families would absolutely not be able to refuse such an insurance policy that could potentially save their lives in the future!

You might never need this insurance that covers proton therapy, but what if you don't buy it? If that day comes, a single proton therapy session can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even for middle-class families or minor celebrities, how many people can afford that?
Insurance companies around the world that want to sign a contract with Huanhai Medical Center need to establish a branch or headquarters in the port city before they can sign a cooperation agreement.

Insurance companies are among the most profitable industries, alongside banks. The influx of insurance companies will bring a large amount of capital to the port city, as well as jobs and tax revenue.

Once these insurance companies have tasted success with the proton therapy device in Hong Kong, they will support Hong Kong in developing other high-end medical equipment.

Thus, a closed loop is formed!

The research and development of high-end medical equipment in the port city has received funding from the insurance industry. In turn, the insurance industry needs these newly developed high-end medical devices and drugs from the port city to attract more users to purchase their medical insurance. Both sides need each other.

As a result, the "medical visa" that has emerged in the port city will also become a "necessity," and the port city's hotels, tourism, transportation, and even housing and translation services will experience a huge boom!
The Hong Kong government official's throat bobbed, and his gaze toward Li Dashan changed somewhat.

Previously, he had heard of Li Dashan's vision and operational capabilities, and the Hong Kong government leader thought he had already witnessed Li Dashan's methods in managing Cyberport, China.com, and the Hong Kong Future Industry Fund.

But now, with the proton beam project, the Hong Kong government leaders are experiencing firsthand what the successive leaders of Ping Yang thought when they faced Li Dongling.

An IBA and a proton therapy device act as a fulcrum, leveraging and even reshaping the high-end medical equipment and insurance industries in the port city, and then affecting all aspects of the city.

If this plan fails, the losses will be considerable, but what if it succeeds?

This kind of business acumen is a stark contrast to those Hong Kong tycoons who spend all their time eyeing land deals.

The reason Li Dongling proposed this plan was to reap the benefits of being the first to try something new. As long as Hong Kong City takes the lead in launching a proton therapy hospital, these plans can be implemented.

Even if we don't say we're ten years ahead of our peers, just five years is enough to establish Hong Kong as a "holy land" in the global high-end medical industry, and all future plans can proceed smoothly.

In the high-tech industry, taking the lead at one step means taking the lead at every step.

That's for sure. As long as the first person to reap the benefits doesn't cause any trouble, those who come later will need to spend huge amounts of resources, funds, and time to catch up, and they still might not be able to.

Chief Secretary for Administration Tsang, a close confidant of the Hong Kong government leader, had a constantly changing expression on his face when he saw the Hong Kong government leader standing with Li Dongling.

Director Zeng knows the Hong Kong government leader quite well. He doesn't know what Li Dongling said to the Hong Kong government leader that made him show such a somewhat out-of-control expression!

"The Hong Kong Future Industry Fund is responsible for introducing high-end medical equipment research and development to Hong Kong. If the Hong Kong government needs support, I will give it the green light."

After saying that, the Hong Kong government leader added, "If the Hong Kong government can't do it, then I can call Beijing to request assistance!"

Given Hong Kong's recent return to China, as long as they open their mouths to Yanjing, then whatever the problem may be, it will most likely not be a problem.

The Hong Kong government leader raised his glass, clinked it with Li Dongling's, and then drank it all in one gulp. He hadn't actually had much confidence in the Silicon Harbor project before.

Now, the Hong Kong government leader suddenly felt much more at ease. He felt that the Silicon Harbor project might encounter setbacks and be imperfect in the future, but with Li Dongling in charge, the project would definitely leave a deep mark on Hong Kong!

(End of this chapter)