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

Chapter 757 Private Enterprises Take the Stage!

In the reception room, Li Changhe sized up Qiu Daxin.

Qiu Daxin is still young, just thirty-five years old, in the prime of his life.

"Hello, Mr. Victor!"

Qiu Daxin took the initiative to greet him in Cantonese, with a hint of Hakka accent.

"Just call me Vic, no need to be so formal. Have a seat!"

Li Changhe gestured for Qiu Daxin to sit down.

The two chatted casually for a few minutes before Qiu Daxin took the initiative to bring up the topic.

He knew that Li Changhe's meeting with him was not without reason; in fact, Xie Chen had already given him a hint.

“Vic, I heard from Martin that you guys are thinking of doing some business in Chiang Mai, is that right?”

Li Changhe nodded: "Yes, one is my own side. I'm planning to open a jewelry store, and for the jade jewelry segment, I'd like to send someone to Myanmar to scout things out."

Qiu Daxin nodded: "No problem. Our Qiu family has a lot of connections over there. Some warlords are actually Chinese. However, the best area, Hpakant, should be the territory of the Kachin Independence Army."

"In fact, Vic, if you want to get your hands on the best jade mines, the best place to go isn't me, but the CIA!"

"The Kachin Independence Army has always had a close relationship with the CIA. Many of their weapons come from American arms dealers. I heard that you are familiar with many arms dealers in the United States and also have connections with the CIA. It is much easier for you to contact them than for me."

Qiu Daxin told Li Changhe what he knew.

The warlords in northern Myanmar are scattered, including Chinese warlords and warlords of other ethnicities. The areas where jade is produced are not under the control of the Chinese warlords.

In fact, the Kachin Army is the Jingpo ethnic group in China. However, the other side is not interested in this. The Kachin Army in Myanmar is entirely supported by the United States. They are Christians and act as the United States' lackeys.

“I know I’ve already arranged for people to look into things in Kachin, but what I need now is a transport route from Kachin to Chiang Mai. This route passes through the territories of several warlords, and I think I need your help with that.”

After listening to Li Changhe's words, Qiu Daxin did not immediately agree, but sat there and pondered.

After a moment, Qiu Daxin looked at Li Changhe: "Vic, do you have a map of Southeast Asia? Or a world map would also be fine?"

"I can send someone to fetch it!"

Li Changhe then gave Ella some instructions, and soon a map of Southeast Asia was brought in.

Qiu Daxin then took the map and said to Li Changhe, "Vic, I don't know if you've studied geography, but in fact, the route you chose isn't the safest or most cost-effective one."

"The reason why Chiang Mai has become the trading center for jade is very simple: China has closed its borders. In fact, the shortest route is from Hpakant to Yunnan Province in China."

Qiu Daxin then took out a pen and drew a straight line at the border between Hpakant and China.

“Vic, if you transport jadeite rough from Hpakant to Chiang Mai, not to mention the distance, just these warlords, as long as they cross the border, even if we smooth things over, each of them will take a piece of the flesh.”

"So actually, the price difference between transporting jadeite rough directly from Hpakant and getting it directly from Chiang Mai is not that significant."

"If you really want to build a distribution channel, the best way is here!"

Qiu Daxin pointed to a point on the map, which was a small city on the border of Yunnan Province.

“I’ve heard that Country Z is undergoing reform and opening up, and you’re going to Beijing soon. If you can convince them, I think we can work together to create a trading market here.”

“At that time, we will build a border trading market, and then take the finished products directly from here and transport them by air to the Greater Bay Area of ​​Hong Kong and Macao. This route is actually more cost-effective than the route to Chiang Mai that you chose.”

Qiu Daxin then spoke earnestly to Li Changhe.

After listening, Li Changhe began to ponder.

From a planning perspective, this route is indeed without problems. Moreover, establishing such a foreign trade distribution center would have certain advantages in boosting local employment in Yunnan Province and even earning foreign exchange.

However, on the other hand, there are also many problems. This is equivalent to opening up some border crossings, which will also bring other problems. Whether it will be successful or not, Li Changhe really has no idea.

“Vic, you can actually use the reason of industrial relocation to persuade the people in Beijing. Jade mining is a huge industry. From raw stone cutting to jade carving to logistics, it requires a lot of manpower, which can create a lot of jobs. I think Beijing is clear about this.”

“There used to be state-owned jade factories there, which traded directly with Myanmar.”

Qiu Daxin then spoke seriously.

"If that's the case, it's probably not good news for Chiang Mai province. Are you sure you want to do this?"

Li Changhe said with some surprise.

Qiu Daxin smiled and said, "The Qiu family isn't the only one in Chiang Mai. In fact, our Qiu family has never been very involved in the jade mining business. In Chiang Mai, we can't say that we are directly involved in this industry. Several major families actually control certain industries in a tacit way."

"So whether the jade trade is declining or not doesn't really matter to me or the Qiu family."

"Actually, weakening the jade industry also indirectly weakens the power of other families, which is beneficial to us. Moreover, I've heard about your business acumen, Vic. If you really succeed in Yunnan Province, I can also take a stake, right?"

After listening to Qiu Daxin's words, Li Changhe couldn't help but admire him. He truly deserved to be Thailand's future number one figure, having single-handedly led his family to the top of Thailand. His vision and political acumen were indeed extraordinary.

"I can give this a try, but I don't think we should abandon the original line."

"Even if Yunnan Province opens up the construction of trading markets, it will probably take some time. In the short term, Chiang Mai will remain a jade trading base."

Li Changhe felt that it was possible to make two preparations: the Yunnan province side needed to be dealt with, and the Chiang Mai province side could not be abandoned either.

Qiu Daxin nodded: "Of course, as long as you send someone over from Chiang Mai Province, I can provide you with the greatest support."

"Okay, let's talk about the second thing now."

Li Changhe then began to talk to Qiu Daxin about the security training base, which was relatively simpler than the jade transaction.

Myanmar is currently fragmented, so this kind of thing is actually the easiest to do: just spend some money in Yangon to get a permit, and then make a private deal with the warlords in the area.

In uncontrolled areas like this, official permits from the Myanmar border are incredibly easy to obtain; they're basically just empty words, and you can get them for a little money.

The Qiu family could help deal with the local warlords, and transporting supplies across the border would not be difficult.

What Li Changhe considered the most troublesome thing was actually simple to Qiu Daxin.

The Myanmar border is mountainous and densely forested. A training school for a few hundred people like this could easily be found in a remote mountain valley, making it virtually impossible for outsiders to know about it. Besides, this training mainly focuses on security, not driving tanks and artillery in. At most, they'll have some firearms, so it's not a big problem.

The two quickly settled the details, and then waited for Li Changhe to arrange for personnel to proceed.

Subsequently, Qiu Daxin returned to Thailand ahead of others, carrying a check for two million US dollars.

The two million dollars were given to him by the club to help him build relationships in Chiang Mai.

This also includes helping him obtain the necessary permits on the Myanmar side.

After Qiu Daxin left, Li Changhe summoned Ming Wang and Leng Fei.

"Boss, you were looking for us?"

In the study of the Deep Water Bay villa, Ming Wang and Leng Fei sat opposite Li Changhe.

Li Changhe nodded, then spread out the map.

"I want the two of you to go to Myanmar."

"To Burma?"

King Ming was somewhat surprised after hearing this.

“I want you to establish a training base here on the border between Myanmar and Chiang Mai province, under the name of a security company training base, and train a group of elite personnel here. They will then be distributed to the club members as part of the security force.”

"In addition, I hope you can secretly use this base to spread influence in this area."

Li Changhe said softly.

"Boss, we're expanding our influence here? You mean?"

King Ming was still somewhat puzzled.

Li Changhe sighed: "This area, also known as the Golden Triangle, is right next to our border and is now one of the world's three major drug bases, as well as a key area for our defense."

"In addition, this area, including Kachin State occupied by the Kachin Independence Army, is another jade and gemstone base. Europeans don't understand jade, but we have a jade culture in China. Sooner or later, the border will be opened because of jade."

“Once it is opened up, this area will be full of warlords, and this area will be a natural breeding ground for Huang DD and a paradise for domestic criminals to hide from capture.”

"You're in the US, so you should know about the situation in Mexico and South America. To put it bluntly, the US's underground dark paradise is in that area."

"As for our country, once the situation improves, this region will be the same as Mexico for the United States."

“We can’t wait until this place becomes really big before we start to deal with it. At that point, it won’t be easy for China to get involved, since this area belongs to Myanmar and is a foreign country’s territory.”

"So what I'm thinking is that you can use the name of the training base to quietly spread our influence here, and then use the name of our club to spread our influence throughout this area. It's a way to prepare for the future."

Li Changhe spoke earnestly to Ming Wang and Leng Fei.

The two nodded thoughtfully.

"Go back and tell Li Jian about this. He's an expert at this kind of thing. As for manpower, you can arrange it as you see fit."

"With the current large-scale troop reduction in China, a lot of personnel have likely been transferred out. You can take this opportunity to bring some out as appropriate and then distribute them to Southeast Asia through here."

"Australia is still too conspicuous."

"In addition, I will send Wendy to Chiang Mai Province to help you under the guise of the jadeite rough business. This guy is an old hand. Once he gets there, with the help of the Qiu family in Chiang Mai Province, he will be able to help you open up the situation."

Another useful person Li Changhe currently has is Wendy, a recruit from the gambling ship finance company. She likes to operate in the gray area and deal with underworld figures.

Unfortunately, he also knew law and accounting, giving him an overwhelming advantage over those underworld figures.

Such a person is perfectly suited to be assigned to Chiang Mai Province to help King Ming and his men with logistics. Li Changhe even considered entrusting him with the jadeite rough stone business in Chiang Mai Province as well.

In the days that followed, Li Changhe summoned Li Jian, Ming Wang, and the others for several more meetings, and then went through the entire school's arrangements several times, including changing some training subjects.

During this time, Qiu Daxin also called. The people he found quickly got the approval for the training base sorted out, and the address was also selected.

June arrived in the blink of an eye. Ming Wang and Li Jianwendi set off for Thailand, while Li Changhe came to the capital with the Hong Kong business delegation.

This time, instead of staying at the Friendship Hotel, the group checked into the Jianguo Hotel.

In the capital, many people were undoubtedly arranged to receive him, and the person in charge of receiving Li Changhe was Secretary Liang.

With Liao's passing, Secretary Liang also resigned from her post in Beijing and returned to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office to work with Liao Hui on some tasks.

The reason for this arrangement is that Li Changhe's uncle, Shen Yuchuan, has now become one of the heads of the Beijing Municipal Government, and Secretary Liang's position overlaps with his to some extent.

After all, one of the reasons why Secretary Liang went to the Beijing Municipal Government was to facilitate communication with Li Changhe for investment promotion. Now, Shen Yuchuan is closer to him, and with Liao Lao leaving the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and Liao Hui not yet fully mature, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office needs a suitable candidate to connect with Li Changhe.

Having learned of Li Changhe's identity, Secretary Liang returned to the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and was promoted to Director Liang.

During his time in Beijing, Li Changhe didn't make any special appearances. Apart from attending a few meetings as part of the general trend, he basically kept a low profile.

Because of the influence of this delegation, Li Changhe did not sneak home, but stayed at the Jianguo Hotel to talk to Director Liang about his new plans.

"Brother Liang, I've come here today for two things."

"One is that I want to cooperate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to start a computer company. The personal computer market in the United States is booming right now. This is a brand new technology field, and it's not too late for us to enter this market now."

"Are you planning to do this under the name of a joint venture?"

Director Liang asked curiously at this moment.

"Brother Liang, I'm not quite sure how these kinds of technology companies are defined in China. If we can use a joint venture for promotion, then I'd prefer to use a joint venture."

"But if a joint venture doesn't work, I mean we could establish a joint R&D center and then license the technology from Hong Kong to startups in mainland China. That would also work!"

Li Changhe was mainly unsure about the country's current attitude, because joint ventures often have requirements for exporting products, which is a regulation made by the country to protect the domestic market from the impact of foreign products.

Therefore, joint ventures are often not allowed to get involved in certain domestic industries; only domestic companies can develop the domestic market. In such cases, private enterprises have to step in.

(End of this chapter)