In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 697 Li Jiacheng's misunderstanding is getting bigger and bigger

"Governor, it is a great honor that you could personally attend this press conference!" Lin Haoran greeted Governor Merrihow first.

“Mr. Lin, you deserve immense credit for Hong Kong becoming the world’s first city to commercialize mobile communications! This is a major event concerning people’s livelihoods, how could I not support it?” Mai Lihao laughed heartily, his words full of praise.

Being the world's first city to commercialize mobile communications was an honor that would make Hong Kong shine on the international stage, and Governor Merrih was well aware of its significance.

Hong Kong will surely be recorded in the annals of communications history because of this landmark event today.

As the then Governor of Hong Kong, he also benefited from this, which will leave a significant mark on his record of achievements.

Although this achievement was the result of a project introduced by Lin Haoran in cooperation with Motorola, it was accomplished during his tenure.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Mai Lihao, Lin Haoran turned around and greeted the other business tycoons one by one.

The event was attended by many prominent figures, including Governor Merrih, Motorola President Robert Galvin, and numerous business and political leaders from Hong Kong.

For example, Guo Henan, Guo Desheng, Zheng Yutong, Shao Yifu, Swire & Co.'s Schjöck, Wheelock & Co.'s John Madden, and diplomats from various countries stationed in Hong Kong all made appearances.

In addition, several of Lin Haoran's key figures, such as Burton, Chen Shulin, and Cui Zilong, also came to the event as guests to support their boss.

When many prominent Chinese figures met Lin Haoran, they showered him with compliments and gestures full of goodwill.

Just as Huang Yingdi said, if you become powerful, you will be surrounded by kind people, and everyone will smile at you.

That's just how realistic the world is.

Even Mr. Bao Yugang, the shipping magnate who has not made a public appearance for a long time, showed up at the event.

This is the first time Bao Yugang has appeared in the public eye since his surgery.

"Uncle Bao, congratulations on your full recovery!" Lin Haoran clasped hands with Bao Yugang and then laughed heartily.

“It’s time for these old bones of mine to get some fresh air and stretch their legs. Haoran, congratulations, this mobile phone is sure to be a big hit!” Bao Yugang replied with a hearty laugh.

At this moment, Bao Yugang's complexion was rosy and radiant, clearly indicating that after treatment and more than a month of recuperation, his body had recovered quite well.

Bao Yugang had actually been using a mobile phone for a long time; Lin Haoran had given him one not long after returning from Japan.

Therefore, Bao Yugang can definitely appreciate the convenience brought by mobile phones.

Even when he is recuperating in a nursing home, or occasionally goes out for a walk or exercise, he can remotely handle the business of his company anytime and anywhere with an assistant by his side to help him with his mobile phone. Unlike before, when he could only communicate by landline while confined to his room.

This is undoubtedly a revolutionary change for the leader of a business empire.

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries with Bao Yugang, Lin Haoran turned his attention to the others.

After all, he is the host of this event today and has to fulfill his duties as the host; he can't just chat with one person the whole time.

Time passed by little by little, and soon it was 9:40 in the morning.

"Huh? Mr. Brown didn't come? Or is he not here yet?" Lin Haoran looked at the people present and whispered in Ma Shimin's ear.

He remembered that Ma Shimin had shown him a guest list, and Brown's name was indeed on it.

After all, although Standard Chartered Bank is now inferior to Hengsheng Group, it is obviously much stronger than the Standard Chartered Bank of the past.

He didn't see Li Ka-shing at the scene, nor did he see Brown from Standard Chartered Bank.

It's understandable that Li Jiacheng didn't come, since his relationship with Li Jiacheng is now just so-so, not even that of ordinary friends.

“We have already sent an invitation to Mr. Brown, but he declined, citing his busy schedule,” Ma Shimin replied in a low voice.

Lin Haoran didn't seem to care much when he heard this.

Come if you want, don't come if you don't want.

Although the relationship between his Hengsheng Group and Standard Chartered Bank seems to be quite good now, everyone knows that as their only competitors, they can never be true partners.

Putting everything else aside, the cooperation hadn't even ended yet, and the other party was already trying to swindle HK$50 billion from Hengsheng Bank!

With the acquisition of Huifeng Bank by Standard Chartered Bank, this partnership has now come to an end.

We're better off without this kind of partner.

A cold smile crept across Lin Haoran's lips as he glanced at the crowd of people clinking glasses in the hall.

"Besides that, neither Mr. Li Jiacheng nor Mr. Laurence Kadoorie have been seen. I guess they probably won't be coming," Ma Shimin continued in a low voice.

Lin Haoran nodded.

It was expected that Li Jiacheng would not come.

As for Laurence Kadoorie's absence, it was somewhat unexpected.

His Hong Kong Electric Holdings Limited and the Kadoorie family's CLP Power, one in the south and one in the north, are each responsible for the power supply in different regions. They are both doing monopolistic business and have no competitive pressure.

Although the two sides had no prior contact, in principle, Laurence Kadoorie should have given him face.

Unexpectedly, the other party didn't come either.

Why didn't these people all show up? Could there be some kind of conspiracy behind it?
Lin Haoran took a thoughtful sip of champagne, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the entrance to the guest room, where he saw Mr. David, the general manager of Hong Kong Telephone Company, stride in and stand in front of Lin Haoran and Ma Shimin.

“Mr. David, what’s wrong?” Ma Shimin asked.

"Boss, Mr. Ma, the press conference venue is all set up, and the media area is ready. We should go in with the guests now," David said.

“Then let the ushers come in and lead the guests to the press conference venue,” Ma Shimin said.

“Yes, Mr. Ma.” David said, then went out to arrange for the ushers to come in.

As for Lin Haoran, he was deep in thought.

He called out to Cui Zilong, who had just walked past.

"Boss, did you need something from me?" Cui Zilong asked.

Today, the security at the scene is being handled by Huanyu Security Consulting Company, a subsidiary of Oriental Media Group. Cui Zilong, the general manager, is currently instructing the security manager to take precautions.

Lin Haoran lowered his voice and said to Ma Shimin, "President Cui, could you arrange for someone to find out where Mr. Brown, Mr. Li Jiacheng, and Mr. Laurence Kadoorie are now?"

For today's highly anticipated press conference, the company did not invite many people, but only industry leaders from Hong Kong.

Under these circumstances, the fact that all three of them didn't show up made Lin Haoran feel that they might be plotting something, and he had to be on guard.

Although his influence in Hong Kong is now so great that few can rival him in business, the business world is like a battlefield, and caution is always the best policy.

Cui Zilong immediately understood and lowered his voice, saying, "Don't worry, boss, I'll send someone to investigate right away. As long as they're still in their respective companies, I'll give you a reply within half an hour."

After making the arrangements, Lin Haoran stopped paying attention to the matter and went to the press conference with Ma Shimin and others.

The press conference was not actually held in the square or inside the Hong Kong Telephone Company building, but in a large conference hall of a hotel next door, which is more than 7,000 square feet in size. The hotel entrance is about 20 meters to the left after exiting the Hong Kong Telephone Company building.

This hotel is also a member of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.

Soon, all the guests arrived at their seats and took their places.

Lin Haoran, Robert Galvin, Ma Shimin, David, and a representative of Motorola in Hong Kong were seated on the stage.

Below the stage, in addition to the guest seats, there was a media group of five or six hundred people further away.

Nearly one-third of the delegation consisted of overseas media reporters.

This is still a limit on the number of people; otherwise, the press corps could have exceeded a thousand.

The conference hall felt somewhat crowded with so many people, but it was orderly.

Security personnel from Huanyu Security Consulting Company, dressed in uniform, maintained order throughout the venue.

Down in the hall, TVB and RTV had already set up equipment to broadcast live from the stage.

"Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen," Lin Haoran began into the microphone, his voice carrying throughout the venue through the sound system, "thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend the Hong Kong Mobile Communications Commercial Launch Ceremony."

Sitting here at this moment, my heart is filled with excitement and pride, because today we will witness a historic moment together: the world's first commercial mobile communication network is officially launched in Hong Kong, a vibrant and innovative land!

The hall fell silent immediately, and all eyes were focused on the stage.

The flashes of reporters' cameras went off one after another, capturing the moment. Lin Haoran paused slightly, his gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd below the stage, and continued, "Here, I am most grateful to Mr. Robert Galvin, the president of Motorola."

It was his agreement to cooperate with Hong Kong Telephone Company to jointly build the world's first mobile communication city in Hong Kong that made Hong Kong a pioneer in this historical process..."

TVB Jade and ATV broadcast the press conference live to every household.

Hong Kong Radio also broadcast the event live, allowing many radio listeners, and even drivers, to listen to the press conference.

In front of their televisions, countless Hong Kong residents stopped what they were doing and focused their attention on the screen, witnessing this epoch-making moment together.

Lin Haoran's voice echoed throughout Hong Kong via radio waves: "From today onwards, our citizens will be able to communicate anytime, anywhere via mobile phones, completely freeing them from the constraints of landlines. This is not only a technological innovation, but will also fundamentally change the lifestyle and business model of Hong Kong people!"
Today, Hong Kong has set a new benchmark for the global telecommunications industry, once again placing it at the forefront of the world!

There was warm applause from the audience.

Meanwhile, a red taxi was driving on Nathan Road.

The radio broadcast Lin Haoran's passionate speech.

"Wow, this mobile phone is really amazing," driver Lao Wang exclaimed as he drove. "If this function could be applied to taxis, it would be much easier for us to find fares, and we wouldn't have to search for phone booths all over the streets anymore."

The middle-aged passenger in the back seat adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and chuckled, "That's right. I run a small foreign trade business and frequently need to contact clients. With this mobile phone, conducting business will be much more convenient."

"But it must be expensive, right?" Old Wang glanced at the passenger in the rearview mirror. "People like us who drive taxis don't know when we'll be able to use it."

"Who knows? We'll have to wait for them to announce the price, but I can't wait to become a mobile phone customer. I'll support them no matter the price." He laughed heartily.

At this moment, people all over Hong Kong are discussing this and are full of anticipation for this revolutionary communication product that will soon be a world-class success.

At the press conference, Lin Haoran continued, "Imagine that in the near future, whether it is business people on business trips, ordinary citizens strolling around, or families traveling, they will be able to stay in close contact anytime and anywhere."

Information transmission will no longer be limited by time and space, which will greatly improve our life efficiency and enhance emotional communication between people.

The media reporters quickly recorded every word Lin Haoran said, afraid of missing any important details.

"For the business sector, the commercialization of mobile communications will bring unprecedented opportunities, allowing companies to communicate with customers more promptly, understand market demands, and adjust their business strategies."

Remote working will become more convenient, breaking the limitations of traditional office models, saving businesses significant time and costs, further stimulating Hong Kong's commercial vitality through mobile communications, and ushering in new growth points for our economy.

The guests in the audience nodded in agreement, their faces showing expressions of approval and anticipation.

These guests are all industry leaders. They are not short of money, but they make and receive many phone calls and often miss some crucial calls because they are out of the office, which affects their business success rate.

"Now, I'll hand the microphone to Mr. Galvin, the president of Motorola, so he can say a few words," Lin Haoran said, handing the microphone to Robert Galvin who was standing next to him.

At this moment, Robert Galvin, who was sitting next to Lin Haoran, stood up, took the microphone from Lin Haoran, and said with a smile: "Mr. Lin is absolutely right. Motorola has always been committed to promoting the development of mobile communication technology. We are very honored to cooperate with Hong Kong Telephone Company to achieve this great initiative."

Hong Kong boasts an open market environment, an innovative spirit, and outstanding talent, which are key reasons why we chose Hong Kong as the world's first city to commercialize mobile communications.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "We believe that the successful experience in Hong Kong will provide valuable lessons for other regions around the world. In the future, Motorola will continue to increase its R&D investment in the field of mobile communications, continuously improve its technology, and provide global users with better and more convenient communication services."

At the same time, we look forward to working hand in hand with our partners in Hong Kong to jointly explore a broader market.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, expressing their appreciation and agreement with Robert Galvin's speech.

……

While the press conference was in progress, less than a kilometer away from the Standard Chartered Bank headquarters building in Hong Kong, Brown, Li Ka-shing, and Laurence Kadoorie were all sitting in chairs in a conference room.

Not only that, even Henry Keswick of Jardine Matheson was here.

After John Leigh stepped down and Jardine Matheson withdrew from Hong Kong, Henry Keswick, the former head of Jardine Matheson, took over the position of head of the new company.

As for his brother Simon Keswick, after all that had happened, the shareholders felt he was not capable enough for the position and he was reassigned to head the South African subsidiary.

Henry Keswick had very mixed feelings upon returning to Hong Kong.

This is where Jardine Matheson & Co. rose to prominence, but it is also a place of shame for the company.

Their former glory in Hong Kong vanished completely with their departure.

When Henry Keswick received the invitation from Mr. Brown, the Hong Kong tycoon of Standard Chartered Bank, he accepted without hesitation.

Not only that, he also flew from the UK to Hong Kong and arrived at Hong Kong Kai Tak International Airport this morning.

Brown also specially invited Li Jiacheng and Laurence Kadoorie to pick him up at the airport and then return to the Hong Kong headquarters of Standard Chartered Bank to discuss the grand plan to counter Lin Haoran.

This is also why Brown, Li Jiacheng, and Laurence Kadoorie were all absent from this press conference.

Originally, even if the relationship wasn't very good, they would still maintain a basic facade.

For them today, Henry Keswick is naturally the most important person.

After all, Jardine Matheson's agreement meant they had gained a powerful ally who was hostile to Lin Haoran.

Of all those present, Henry Keswick was undoubtedly the one who hated Lin Haoran the most, to the point of being utterly disgusted.

After all, Jardine Matheson suffered heavy losses and its strength was greatly diminished due to Lin Haoran's actions, and the Keswick family, as the largest shareholder, naturally suffered the greatest losses as well.

Now back in Hong Kong, Henry Keswick has only one thought in his mind—revenge.

He wanted to make Lin Haoran pay the price and make Hengsheng Group regret what they had done!
In front of them was a television set, which was broadcasting the proceedings of the press conference.

Seeing Lin Haoran's high spirits, the four people present all had gloomy expressions.

In particular, Li Jiacheng and Henry Keswick.

In recent days, another thing has come out of the Kwai Chung pier that has angered Li Ka Shing: a long-term international freight partner of HIT Kwai Chung Pier No. 4, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, has chosen not to renew its contract with Hutchison Whampoa!
Instead, they have partnered with Hongkong Land's freight company, and containers transported from overseas to Hong Kong will no longer choose Hutchison Whampoa's Kwai Chung No. 2 pier, but will instead choose Hongkong Land's piers.

It's worth noting that this long-term partner is one of the largest clients of their freight company, accounting for at least 20% of the annual cargo volume at Cheung Wah Freight Terminal.

The cargo terminal is definitely one of Hutchison Whampoa's most important businesses, much more important than retail businesses like ParknShop supermarkets!

Since acquiring Hutchison Whampoa, Li Ka-shing has frequently made strategic moves to develop the Kwai Chung Terminal, with a future goal of capturing more than half of the terminal's cargo throughput.

But now, the freight business has been snatched away by Hongkong Land's terminal company, which is also its most important partner. How could Li Ka-shing not be furious?
Their reduced cargo volume means a sharp drop in port revenue, and more importantly, it means that Hutchison Whampoa's market share at Kwai Chung Port is being further eroded by Hongkong Land Group.

This further convinced Li Jiacheng that Lin Haoran was deliberately targeting him, trying to eliminate him completely, and retaliating against him for his previous public support of Huifeng Bank!
From retail to hotels to port operations, each business is being relentlessly pressured by Hongkong Land, with its market share being constantly eroded.

Li Jiacheng's face was terribly gloomy.

The misunderstanding is getting bigger and bigger.

In reality, Lin Haoran did not pay much attention to his many businesses, given the vastness of his industrial empire and the complexity of his affairs.

He doesn't need to concern himself with everything, nor does he want to worry about every little detail. As long as the professional managers of each company can handle things properly, he will give them his full support. What he mainly focuses on is the monthly financial statements.

The partner who had originally partnered with HIT, a subsidiary of Hutchison Whampoa, ultimately decided not to renew the contract with HIT and instead signed a cooperation agreement with Hongkong Land's freight company.

Behind this, in addition to normal business competition, the key factor is that as Lin Haoran's business empire continues to expand, this partner has many necessary business overlaps with other companies under Lin Haoran's control.

In order to secure more favorable cooperation terms, they simply outsourced container loading and unloading, warehousing and yard leasing, as well as port-related services, to the port company under the Hongkong Land Group. In reality, this was just a perfectly normal business decision.

After all, who wouldn't want to gain more benefits for themselves?

Hutchison Whampoa was unable to meet the other party's expectations for profits, so it was only natural that the other party chose another partner.

But Li Jiacheng obviously wouldn't think that way; he would only see it as Lin Haoran's act of revenge.

After all, the decline in the performance of many of its businesses was caused by Hongkong Land Group or other companies under Lin Haoran's control. The overlap between the two businesses was too high, and the Hong Kong market was only so big. The loss of market share naturally had a serious impact on the performance of the Cheung Kong Group.

Therefore, no matter what, Li Jiacheng felt that there was no possibility of reconciliation between him and Lin Haoran.

Since there's no way to ease the tension, so what if we offend the other party?

Even now, his ambition remains great, and he cannot be controlled by Lin Haoran.

This is why he wanted to join forces with other forces to deal with Lin Haoran.

Henry Keswick watched Lin Haoran's triumphant appearance on TV and grew increasingly annoyed.

Once upon a time, when he was in Hong Kong, he was full of vigor and ambition, and many people flattered him when they faced him.

But now, Jardine Matheson has left Hong Kong like a defeated dog, and the influence they have built up in Hong Kong over the past hundred years has been destroyed in an instant.

How could Henry Keswick, who had always viewed Jardine Matheson as their Keswick family business, swallow this insult?
　Asking for a monthly ticket~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)