1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 671 I have no interests in Britain!

"Your Excellency, I think there's some truth to what you said, but it's not entirely true!"

“I admit that my uncle’s Worldwide Shipping grew and prospered with the support of HSBC, but I want to say that my company has little to do with you.”

“I understand what Your Excellency means. When Jardine Matheson needed the support of HSBC, Your Excellency and HSBC did not step in, which allowed me to successfully acquire Jardine Matheson.”

"But by the same token, Your Excellency, I also had the support of the Rockefeller family and Chase Manhattan Bank backing me at the time. I think Chase Manhattan Bank was no less powerful than HSBC."

"When the two sides clash, it's hard to say who will emerge victorious in the end. From this perspective, I don't agree with the Governor's statement."

Although Li Changhe was smiling, his words were incredibly arrogant.

After listening, MacLehose frowned slightly, wanting to refute, but he couldn't find the words.

Hong Kong Island is, after all, British territory. They now have a good idea of ​​how much Chase Manhattan was involved in the acquisition of Jardine Matheson by Bao Zeyang. After all, Chase Manhattan Bank has a branch on Hong Kong Island, and they can get some information from there.

However, MacLehose has no evidence to refute this now, and judging from the current relationship, Bao Zeyang's relationship with the Rockefeller family is indeed very close.

Therefore, even if MacLehose really wanted to bring up these old grievances, Li Changhe was not afraid at all, since MacLehose couldn't go and question Rockefeller.

Therefore, although Mai Lihao knew that Li Changhe was talking nonsense, he couldn't refute him.

Of course, there's no need to refute it. MacLehose is a diplomat by training, and he knows that his purpose in meeting with Bao Zeyang today is to win him over and form an alliance with him.

“Vic, I think you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not emphasizing that your company received our help. I’m just saying that we’re on the same page on certain issues, especially when it comes to that country to the north.”

“In their eyes, you are also a so-called capitalist, and you should know very well how they have treated capitalists over the years.”

“Once Hong Kong Island returns to their hands, I think your business and your fate will be difficult to guarantee.”

“But we are different, Vic. We have been in Hong Kong for so many years, and our actions have proven our credibility. We will protect your businesses and your money.”

"On this point, we've always been on the same page, don't you think, Vic?"

At this moment, Mai Lihao spoke sincerely to Li Changhe.

Li Changhe gently shook his head.

“Your Excellency, since you have explained things so clearly, I think I might as well also speak frankly with you about my opinion.”

“I know that His Excellency the Governor’s thinking is that he wants me, or rather our entire Bao family, to come forward as representatives of the Chinese business community to support the continued British rule of Hong Kong Island.”

"But to be honest, this is not a good thing for me."

"First of all, my uncle's main business is shipping. I think Your Excellency understands the importance of shipping to any country. This is also why my uncle has some influence among political leaders around the world."

“Even the northern continent needs shipping, and their high-ranking officials assured us of this when we went to the capital.”

"Secondly, our core business is real estate, which can be said to be the core enterprise of the entire Bao family. Whether it is Wharf Holdings or Hongkong Land, it is the best part of Hong Kong Island's real estate."

"Real estate is the lifeblood of any region. I don't think they will implement the same model they have on the mainland in Hong Kong Island. They have also discussed this with us. Even if Hong Kong Island is taken back, the system on Hong Kong Island will remain unchanged for a long time. Although I am skeptical about this."

"However, for now, they have given us sufficient assurances, and they are willing to open up the market. For example, my Bosak Group's main manufacturing sites are all in mainland China, where labor and other costs are extremely low. The benefits this brings me are no less than those from real estate."

"And there is another very important point, Your Excellency, apart from Hong Kong Island, I have no property or interests in Britain, and so does my uncle."

"In that case, why should we risk offending the northern continent by offering our support to Britain?"

“If we don’t speak up, at least we can maintain a friendly relationship with the mainland on the surface. And even if they reinstate the models you mentioned in Hong Kong, I can still go to the United States.”

"After all, most of my businesses are in the United States, and I don't rely solely on businesses in Hong Kong."

"Furthermore, I must say that I cannot fully agree with what Your Excellency just said about protecting our interests. In fact, in my view, the Government House's protection of the interests of Chinese businesses should have started from the time Your Excellency took office in Hong Kong Island."

"Before this, the four major trading companies held absolute power. Sir Zhou Xinian was a Justice of the Peace, a non-official member of the Legislative Council, a knighted by the Queen, and a member of the Zhou Yongtai family, one of the four major Chinese families. He had a lot of official titles, but so what? His dairy company was still forcibly taken over by Jardine Matheson without paying a single penny."

"My acquisition of Hongkong Land was simply Jardine Matheson paying the price for the mistakes it made back then."

"But I digress. Now, Your Excellency is leaving office this May. We have no way of knowing whether the new governor will share your attitude or that of the previous governor."

"If the other party continues to protect the interests of British merchants, then no one can guarantee whether Swire Group and Wheelock will replicate Jardine Matheson's methods."

"If we support Britain but offend the continental government in the north, and the new governor is unable to protect our interests, then I will have failed miserably."

"Your Excellency the Governor is fluent in Chinese and should understand the meaning of what I said."

"Personally, I cannot fully trust the Northern Continent, but I also cannot fully trust the Governor's Office and Downing Street."

"Since that's the case, I'll just stay out of it. Why take the risk of speaking up? That's not the kind of choice a competent businessman would make."

Li Changhe bluntly told Mai Lihao his "thoughts".

After hearing this, MacLehose sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, the young man's claim that he wasn't interested in politics was just an excuse; in fact, he saw things quite clearly.

He didn't want to speak up because he wasn't worried about the losses on Hong Kong Island. Clearly, Hongkong Land wasn't his core business, and he had miscalculated in that respect.

“Vic, please believe me, the new governor will continue my policies. His name is Youde, and he also came from the British Foreign Office. I know his capabilities.”

"And the British government will continue to protect your interests!"

At this moment, MacLehose spoke seriously.

Li Changhe smiled and nodded: "Your Excellency, I believe what you say, but I'm sorry, I don't want to gamble on this probability. For me, it's a risk that far outweighs the reward, and I don't want to take that risk."

"I'm sorry that my visit today did not bring you the desired results, but I would like to say that this is the best choice I have made so far."

“If you have no further instructions, I may need to take my leave. My flight is this afternoon; I’m going to the United States to attend a banquet hosted by the President tomorrow.” “Since it’s a banquet hosted by the President, I won’t keep you any longer, Vic. I hope you will seriously consider what I’ve said. The future of Hong Kong is a concern for every Hong Kong resident, including your family.”

"Of course, you have enough businesses in the United States, but for you Chinese, a Chinese community is the root of your prosperity."

At this moment, Mai Lihao spoke sincerely to Li Changhe.

Li Changhe nodded and said perfunctorily, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency. I will go back and reconsider this matter."

Mai Lihao could see through Li Changhe's perfunctory attitude, but he was helpless and could only let him leave.

After Li Changhe left, Bruno walked in.

"Sir, you finished your talk with him so quickly?"

When Bruno asked him this, MacLehose shook his head and said softly, "This young man is more cunning than I imagined."

"This"

"Sir, is he unwilling?"

Bruno then asked in confusion.

McClelland nodded, and then recounted his conversation with Li Changhe to Bruno. To him, the first secretary was essentially an advisor, and Bruno often gave him different advice.

"Sir, is it really necessary for Bao Zeyang to come forward? Actually, we have many other wealthy Chinese businessmen to choose from!"

After listening, Bruno pondered for a moment and then spoke.

MacLehose shook his head and sighed, "Other Chinese people can do it too, but the results will be relatively worse."

“The Bao family is different from others. They have developed rapidly in the past two years, especially Bao Zeyang. He has made a lot of big moves in recent years and has become very famous.”

"Most importantly, he is young. This is very important. If we want to win over the public opinion of Hong Kong Island, we can't rely on just a bunch of old guys. We must have the participation of young people because they represent the future of Hong Kong Island."

“In this respect, Bao Zeyang carries a lot of weight, and he has close ties with the United States. Whenever he speaks, the importance he represents far exceeds that of the average young entrepreneur.”

"That's why I value him. Often, the attitude of young people is more intimidating than that of the old guys."

At this moment, MacLehose spoke in a deep voice.

Young people often represent the future of a region, and Bao Zeyang is now being mythologized among young people in Hong Kong Island.

MacLehose values ​​him because he wants to use his influence to affect the choices of the younger generation in Hong Kong.

"Actually, my intuition tells me that he didn't completely reject it."

"This young man is cunning. He seems to disagree very directly, but I think he is actually making demands on me."

"He said he had no interests in Britain, which was actually an implication that we should give him some. But I can't figure out what interests he wants."

As a diplomat, MacLehose had his own keen insight. Diplomacy is essentially a tool for balancing the interests between countries, so he astutely found the hidden meaning in Li Changhe's words.

However, Li Changhe did not explicitly state that he was unsure about the other party's so-called benefits.

Upon hearing what MacLehose said, Bruno had a sudden inspiration.

"Sir, do you think the benefits he desires might not lie in Government House, but rather in Downing Street?"

“Judging from his actions over the past two years, he hasn’t made any major moves in Hong Kong Island. I think this also proves that he is not actually at ease with Hong Kong Island and has not kept his core funds there.”

"Given his massive investments in Europe and the United States, is it possible that he has his eye on some kind of resource in our country, but this requires Downing Street's approval?"

"So, by meeting with you in this manner, he actually wants to use us to communicate with Downing Street and then make a deal?"

Downing Street?

Upon hearing Bruno's analysis, MacLehose began to ponder.

Yes, perhaps he's thinking a bit off-topic. After ten years in charge of Hong Kong Island, he often considers things from the perspective of Hong Kong Island's interests, but he's overlooked the fact that Bao Zeyang's intentions might be in Downing Street.
"This line of thinking is possible, but I don't quite understand it either, because Bao Yugang had a very good relationship with Ms. Thatcher, and the Bao family could directly communicate with Downing Street."

"He can discuss his ideas with Downing Street; do we really need to do it?"

"How about this, you invite Mr. Redell over, I'd like to have a talk with him."

After thinking for a moment, MacLehose turned to Bruno and said...
Raeder, currently a key figure hidden within the Hong Kong Island Police Special Branch, is also a colonel in MI6, the covert controller responsible for intelligence gathering in East Asia.

Meanwhile, Li Changhe, who had left Government House, sat in his car, pondering his conversation with MacLehose.

Judging from today's conversation, it's clear that Mai Lihao was unprepared and underestimated him, which allowed Li Changhe to gain the upper hand and catch him off guard.

However, this does not mean that MacLehose has no other options. Given that the other party is a diplomat, he should be able to understand the meaning behind his words. So, what will the other party do next?
Li Changhe thought of the Hong Kong Police Special Branch, which is the intelligence core of MI6 in Hong Kong and even Asia. Li Changhe guessed that MacLehose might use them to obtain more and more complete intelligence on Li Changhe.

This way, we'll have more trump cards and tactics in the next confrontation.

Yes, Li Changhe believes that in the next confrontation, the other side will not give up so easily, after all, the British interests in Hong Kong are simply too great!
With annual revenue of hundreds of billions of Hong Kong dollars, which translates to nearly 20 billion US dollars, this is by no means a small amount for the UK today, considering that the UK's annual GDP is only 540 billion US dollars.

All things considered, I wonder if this counts as his first encounter with MI6?

"Ah Hu, later you can use a secret message to contact Hades and tell him that this time, the British intelligence agency might take action, and that your people should be careful not to give anything away."

After thinking for a moment, Li Changhe gave Ah Hu another piece of advice.

"Understood, boss. I'll send him a secret message in a bit."

(End of this chapter)