Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 874 Thatcher's Refusal
And so, around 5 p.m., the two sides reached a final agreement on more than a dozen issues. It can't be said that the problems were completely solved, but at least the direction was set. If any issues arise in the future, we'll deal with them later.

Director Zhao and the others were clearly satisfied with today's outcome, and said with a smile, "Mr. Yang, with the results of today's meeting, I think the central government will soon issue its approval."

Yang Wendong said, "That would be best. I hope we can cooperate happily in the future."

"Same here, it's a pleasure to cooperate." The two shook hands, and Director Zhao continued, "Mr. Yang, such a big cooperation is bound to make the news, most likely on the evening news. I wonder if you would like to be on the news?"

Yang Wendong thought for a moment and said, "Okay, but I won't be giving interviews for now. I'll just make an appearance at the signing ceremony."

"That works too," Director Zhao said with a smile.
"Okay." Yang Wendong nodded;
At this time, he still wants to keep a low profile. After all, China and Britain will soon be negotiating over the Hong Kong issue. Although he is not afraid of the British, there is still a lot of cooperation between them, so there is no need to be too high-profile.
Similarly, he generally avoids interviews with Western and even Hong Kong media, hoping to avoid being involved in future events.

Although Director Zhao said the central government's approval would be quick, it wouldn't be possible to get results in just a few days. Therefore, Yang Wendong wouldn't stay long after completing his purpose for coming to Yanjing.

On the 22nd, Yang Wendong checked on the recent progress of China Resources' acquisition of courtyard houses. A total of 12 courtyard houses have been acquired so far. After inspecting the locations, Yang Wendong decided to renovate the largest courtyard house in one of them.

The requirement is to preserve the traditional courtyard house style while also allowing people to enjoy modern technology. As for how to do it, that's up to the designer.

On the 23rd, Yang Wendong secretly met with the big boss again, discussing development plans with him in various aspects of the automotive, electronics, and economic fields, and he also put forward some of his own opinions.
As for whether the central government adopts his opinion, he doesn't ask, because often, businessmen's opinions may not take into account the overall situation. The management of the country and the management of a business are two different things.

At the same time, the Big LD also made a commitment to Yang Wendong's Deep-Sea Science and Technology University and Yanjing Mini Project, saying that these two projects will be approved soon, and that Yang Wendong's side should be ready at any time.
Yang Wendong is quite pleased with this. The commencement of these projects will also promote his accelerated cooperation with the mainland, allowing his company to fully utilize the various advantages of the mainland for its development, while also opening up new markets.

On the 24th, Yang Wendong returned to Hong Kong, concluding his trip to the mainland.

In Hong Kong, the media also learned about Yang Wendong's two major investments in mainland China, and things immediately became lively.

Some media outlets commented that Yang Wendong, as a Hong Konger, should build his university in Hong Kong to promote the city's economic development; others believed that the Mini car factory should also be built in Hong Kong.
Yang Wendong naturally ignored this, and after reading a few newspapers, he simply threw them aside;
As celebrities, it's impossible to please everyone. Just like stars, even the most beautiful and handsome male and female stars will have some people who are dissatisfied.

He had been busy in the United States and mainland China for a while, so on the 27th, Yang Wendong took a cruise ship with his whole family for a sea trip.

Although it's almost December, it's not too cold heading towards the South China Sea. Enjoying the sun while fishing on the boat is a great experience. Plus, being able to be with family and watch the kids play happily is a blessing for a father.
What the eye can see is the past;

Looking at children also brings back memories of my own childhood;

And so the ship sailed at sea for ten days, and only returned after its supplies were almost exhausted.

"Once that Italian cruise ship is completed, the supplies on board will be enough for us to sail to the United States or even to the vicinity of Antarctica," Yang Wendong said with a smile as he looked out over Hong Kong in the distance from the deck.

Su Yiyi asked in surprise, "You can drive that far?"

Yang Wendong said, "That's right. The bigger the ship, the stronger its deep-sea navigation ability. I've also arranged for a small aquaculture base on that ship, so that we can eat all kinds of fresh meat and vegetables in the sea in the future."

Normal commercial vessels would naturally not have this capability, but a luxury yacht that is 100 meters long can certainly create an area for aquaculture.

Of course, they weren't raised on the ship the whole time. Instead, before a long voyage, various small animals and vegetables were transported to the ship and kept there, and then consumed as they sailed.
However, the main food source is still frozen food, and these live animals are just a supplement. After all, even on land, it is impossible to eat fresh food all the time.

Bai Yushan smiled and said, "That would be great! Dong-ge, when will that ship be ready?"

"Around the middle of next year, I guess. The initial design took three months to complete, and construction is underway over there now. As you know, the efficiency in Europe can't compare to that in Asia, so we'll just have to wait," Yang Wendong replied.

The decline and relocation of European and American industries in the 80s was partly due to low efficiency. For example, in the famous chip industry, the production efficiency in the United States was far lower than that in Japan.
If it weren't for the intervention of the US government and the combination of Microsoft and Intel to monopolize processor chips, the US industry would have been finished in the 80s.

This is especially true for traditional industries, and it's the norm. After all, factory work is not respectable, and few people would want to work in a factory if given a choice. Even the former industrial giant, Tokyo University, faced this problem, as many parents were unwilling to see their children go to work in factories.

Bai Yushan said, "That will be quick, only about half a year."

"Yes, but I'm planning to go to Europe at the end of the month. Do you want to come? You could go have some fun, or check out cruise ships. You can also give me some advice on your future rooms," Yang Wendong continued.

After playing for more than ten days, he should get back into work mode. After all, he is the head of a large conglomerate. No matter how much authority he delegates, he still needs to provide strategic guidance on many things.
If he wants to truly let go, then his successor must take over and prove to be capable enough before he can appropriately relinquish some power.
Fortunately, time was running out. By 83, his eldest son had graduated. Yang Wendong did not plan to let him continue to pursue a master's or doctoral degree. He thought it would be better for him to learn through practical work. Moreover, with their family's resources, it wouldn't be difficult for them to obtain a master's or doctoral degree even if he wasn't in a particular school.
Su Yiyi and Bai Yushan exchanged a glance and said, "Okay, let's go to Europe together then. Are you going to Italy this time too?"

"I'll go to England and Germany, but I won't go to Italy." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "I'll fly to England first, and then you can go to Italy. You're just sightseeing, so my schedule will take precedence."

Italian businesses are mostly family-owned. Since his own profits in the country are limited and there's not much to invest in, he basically gave up on it and just treated it as a market.

He still attaches great importance to the other three European countries. Although Britain has declined, its imperial influence remains and it is also one of his political backgrounds. Germany excels in industry, and with his current foray into the automotive industry, there are areas for cooperation. As for France, it may be relatively less important.

“Of course, your needs come first. Actually, it’s the same whether we go to England or Italy,” Su Yiyi said with a smile. Yang Wendong nodded and said, “Okay, then let’s go back to Hong Kong for a couple of days to rest, and then prepare to leave at the end of the month.”

On November 29, Yang Wendong once again came to the UK. His family and bodyguards went to Oxford Street for sightseeing, while Yang Wendong went to Buckingham Palace to meet with Thatcher.
After exchanging pleasantries, Thatcher smiled and said, "Mr. Yang, Mini's production capacity in recent months has been much stronger than the same period last year. It seems that our previous cooperation was very successful."

"Yes, I also hope that Mini in the UK can return to normal and become self-sustaining," Yang Wendong said with a faint smile.

After acquiring MINI, in addition to building factories in mainland China, he also ordered his more than 1000 car dealerships to fully promote MINI cars and build a corresponding after-sales system and local media promotion.
With after-sales service guarantees from retail stores, some customers decided to try buying them. The presence of over 1000 stores collectively provides significant assistance to Mini cars.

He himself hopes that Mini can develop. On the one hand, it is also his own industry. On the other hand, Mini is his first large-scale acquisition overseas. If it achieves success, it will be more convincing to local government departments when he acquires other companies in the future.

In large-scale cross-border mergers and acquisitions, the other company is often not a big problem. Everyone is a capitalist, and as long as the money is in place, it's fine. The government behind the company is the most difficult to persuade. Therefore, Yang Wendong must also carefully manage the acquired companies and establish model enterprises.

Thatcher nodded and said, "That is indeed very good. I also praised the results of this acquisition in a previous parliamentary session. However, some members of parliament are worried that after you build a factory in mainland China, it may affect the mini factories in the UK?"

The biggest factor that led the British Parliament to agree to the acquisition of MINI by Hong Kong capital was the determination that MINI cars could not be produced anywhere else except in the UK, as labor costs were higher in the US and MINI's sales there were not good.
If you go to Asia, only Japan has an automotive industry chain. However, Japanese car manufacturers are very exclusive. They can't even get into the market, let alone the UK, or even the US and Germany. Only BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi) has managed to open up a little bit of the Japanese market by positioning themselves at different prices.

But no one could have imagined that Yang Wendong would dare to open a factory in mainland China. You have to understand that mainland China is currently a wasteland of automobile industry. Although mainland China has its own cars, it is not a modern automobile industry at all, and it is far worse than the declining automobile industry in Britain.

Yang Wendong smiled and said, "Please rest assured about this. According to our rules, both European and American Mini cars will be produced in the UK, and this will be the case for at least 15 years."

"And everyone knows that the mainland Chinese auto industry isn't doing very well. My production of Mini cars in mainland China is mainly to expand into the mainland market. In the early stages, we'll even have to source many parts from the UK, which will only benefit the British economy, right?"

This was also part of the plan. In the early days, the mainland's automotive supply chain was not good, so we could only rely on the supply chain in the UK. Although the UK's supply chain was not very good either, at least Mini cars had been produced in the UK for decades and there were no major mass production problems. It was just that the technology was not very advanced.

"Okay, as long as it doesn't have any impact in the short term, we can deal with the future later." Thatcher nodded;
Given the current state of the automotive industry, it's still a long way off for mainland China to manufacture its own cars. It might not even be possible by the time she steps down, and she doesn't need to worry about the next administration.

Yang Wendong then asked, "Madam Prime Minister, what do you think if I said I also want to acquire Leyland's trucking company?"

Goldman Sachs contacted almost every trucking company in the United States, but none were willing to sell. Goldman Sachs also consulted Congress, which has very strict controls on foreign acquisitions of trucks, far exceeding those on normal automobiles.

Therefore, Yang Wendong had to temporarily abandon his idea of ​​acquiring a truck company in the United States, and Japan was even less feasible. The best direction was still Europe, and within Europe, the country with the best resource relationships was the United Kingdom.

"A truck company? You're not thinking of opening a truck company in China, are you?" Thatcher asked cautiously.

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "That's the idea."

When he acquired Mini in the early days, he took advantage of a cognitive gap. The British side did not expect anyone to invest in the automotive industry in the mainland, which is why it was approved by Parliament. There were no restrictions on this aspect in the contract.

Of course, it's also possible that the British government doesn't care much about this. After all, cars are purely for civilian use, and unless they're at the level of Volkswagen or Toyota that influence the national economy, they don't have much strategic significance. On the contrary, Mini is a financial burden on the government.

Since he was already preparing to jointly produce cars in mainland China, his acquisition of a truck company would naturally make the British side guess his purpose.

Denying it is not an option, otherwise a restriction might be added to the contract, making the acquisition pointless.

Thatcher shook her head and said, "That won't work. Truck engines and transmissions are similar to those of tanks. Leyland Trucks also has military business and cannot sell to foreigners unless you become a British citizen and promise not to leak the technology to any country or build factories overseas. That would be a little more possible."

"Is it feasible to divest the military industry business?" Yang Wendong asked.

In the past, the British navy and army in the 21st century were a joke, with more admirals than fleets and very few tanks; but Britain in the 80s still had some military strength, so it must have cared about its military industry.

Thatcher said, "No, if the military business is separated and only military products are produced, it will inevitably suffer heavy losses. Leyland Trucks is barely operating because of its military and civilian businesses. If it is separated, both businesses will lose money."

"Besides, it's been like this for decades, since World War II. How can we possibly try to break it up just because you want to acquire it? Leland, Parliament, the military, and even I wouldn't agree to it."

"Never mind then." Yang Wendong could only give up helplessly.
It's indeed troublesome when it involves the military industry;

But this was to be expected; many industries cannot be entered simply by having money.

Thatcher pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Yang, from a personal perspective, if you want to acquire some truck companies, you could consider some smaller countries in Europe. There might still be some opportunities in those countries."

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(End of this chapter)