In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

After hanging up the phone with Suzuki Toshifumi, Lin Haoran leaned back in his chair and began to ponder.

Samsung seems to think that Lin Haoran's companies are going to enter the South Korean market, which makes Samsung, as the host company, feel that it can easily manipulate Lin Haoran.

In contrast, Samsung currently focuses on the South Korean market, and its international business is just beginning, mainly consisting of low-cost manufacturing exports and trade.

This gave Lee Byung-taek the illusion that Samsung was "fighting on home turf" in South Korea and had an unshakeable advantage.

Even though Lin Haoran is the richest man in Hong Kong, he is just an outsider in South Korea who needs to rely on local forces to gain a foothold.

Moreover, there had been no prior cooperation between the two parties, and Samsung felt that it had nothing that Lin Haoran could manipulate.

"Unfortunately, such illusions often come at a high price." Lin Haoran's lips curled into a cold smile.

He sat back in the large leather chair, leaned back slightly, and glanced at the wall of the adjacent meeting room.

The office and the meeting room are separated by a glass partition. When Lin Haoran meets important guests, he usually meets with them in the meeting room.

On the wall was a large world map.

The map is covered with photos of many political and business leaders from around the world whom he has met and posed with over the years.

Samsung's threat is perhaps not even a significant ripple in his business conquest.

But the logic behind this wave is the arrogance and pressure exerted by domestic monopolies on international companies, which they must fight back against.

Otherwise, if there is one Samsung today, there may be countless "Samsung" companies imitating it in other markets tomorrow.

"Without cooperation, how can we control the situation?" Lin Haoran muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Chairman Lee, you are still too confined to the pond of South Korea. In the real global game, the chessboard is never within the territory of one country."

What he needs is not a war of attrition with Samsung over the convenience store issue in South Korea.

What he wanted to do was to make Samsung realize that the pressure and risks of challenging Lin Haoran's business empire would far exceed the meager benefits it could gain in South Korea.

He wants to steer the conflict to areas that are more core to Samsung and of greater concern to it.

Lin Haoran's thoughts quickly became clear and sharp.

At that moment, he had a solution.

Hopefully, Chairman Liu will receive a surprise when he wakes up tomorrow morning!
Thinking of this, Lin Haoran couldn't help but smile slightly.

Samsung, the absolute leader among South Korean conglomerates, later became a global technological behemoth.

Semiconductor industry, display technology, smartphones, shipbuilding, construction engineering, etc. are all areas where Samsung leads the world.

Furthermore, Samsung has consistently ranked among the top ten global companies in several authoritative rankings, such as GYBrand Global Brand Research Institute, Brand Finance Global Brand Value 500 Report, and Interbrand's annual "Best Global Brands" ranking.

This demonstrates just how enormous Samsung will be in the future, with its tentacles reaching deep into the capillaries of the global economy, and its influence extending beyond commerce to permeate national-level competition.

However, that's all in the future.

Lin Haoran's smile carried a hint of knowing history and amusement, as if he were admiring an unfinished painting, and he had already grasped the brush to make changes.

In early 1982, Samsung was far from the invincible behemoth it once was.

It's more like a young beast that's growing rapidly, but whose bones haven't fully hardened and whose internal organs are still developing.

Fierce, but not invincible.

Ambitious, but in doing so, they exposed their vulnerabilities to the wider world.

Though its wings are not yet fully grown and its claws are sharp, it is still confined within the boundaries of the peninsula.

He picked up his mobile phone and dialed another number.

The call was quickly connected, and the caller was none other than Cui Zilong, the intelligence chief!
"President Cui, please investigate Samsung's overseas expansion plans or any major moves over the past two years. I have two hours; I need the information as soon as possible!" Lin Haoran said calmly.

“Yes, boss, don’t worry, I will immediately conduct an investigation using our overseas channels.” Cui Zilong replied in a deep voice without any hesitation.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work," Lin Haoran said, and then hung up the phone.

I checked the time; it was almost 6 p.m.

He rose from his chair, walked slowly to the adjacent meeting room, and stood before the enormous world map.

On the map, with Hong Kong as the origin, red marker lines radiate outwards to New York, London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Beijing, Paris, Tokyo...

Next to each marker, there were several small group photos.

A cocktail party with the Morgan family heirs, a golf game with London financial tycoons, a meeting with the Queen of England, a private meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, a signing ceremony and handshake with the Chairman of the Development Bank of Singapore...

These images silently reveal a vast and secretive global network of relationships and capital.

What Samsung saw was that Lin Haoran had no foothold in South Korea.

What Lin Haoran saw was a vast chessboard where moves could be made anywhere, beyond Samsung's seemingly impregnable Korean fortress.

After standing there for a long time, he left the meeting room and took Li Weidong and Li Weiguo down to the garage in the elevator.

"Let's go back to the Shixun Road villa." Lin Haoran, sitting in the back seat, closed his eyes slightly and gave the order to Li Weidong in the driver's seat.

"Yes, boss!" The Rolls-Royce slowly started and drove away from the underground parking garage of the Kang Le Building.

Two private cars followed behind the Rolls-Royce as the convoy quickly entered the main street of Central and headed toward Stanford Road.

A dozen minutes later, the car finally stopped in the villa's designated parking space.

Lin Haoran got out of the car and strolled into the tranquil mansion located on Victoria Peak, overlooking Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island.

"Brother Haoran, you're back!" Guo Xiaohan quickly came to greet him and took off Lin Haoran's suit jacket.

"Um, when did you get back?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.

"I just got back not long ago. Today, I first went to the charity foundation office, and then I was busy preparing for the wedding. I talked to the designer about the design of the wedding dress, talked to the wedding planning team about the process, and talked to the general manager of the Peninsula Hotel about the venue setup. It feels like I didn't do much, and the day just flew by."

As Guo Xiaohan spoke, she hung up his suit jacket, turned around and gently loosened his tie.

She could sense that although her husband was smiling, there seemed to be a hint of coldness deep in his eyes, unlike his usual relaxed demeanor when he came home.

"Brother Haoran, are you in some kind of trouble?" she asked softly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran took her hand, shook his head and smiled, "It's not much trouble, it's just that some people don't follow the rules and need to be taught a lesson. Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go have dinner."

"Okay, go wash your hands."

In a warm and cozy atmosphere, the two concluded their simple dinner.

About an hour and a half after speaking with Cui Zilong, Lin Haoran received a call back from Cui Zilong in his study.

"Boss, the detailed intelligence has been compiled. I'll fax the information to you now. Are you at home?" Cui Zilong asked.

"Okay, wait a moment, I'll be right to the study." Upon hearing this, Lin Haoran quickly walked into the study and closed the door.

Soon, a detailed document was printed out by fax machine.

Lin Haoran picked up the fax paper, which still carried the warmth of the machine, and quickly scanned the dense text and data charts on it.

Cui Zilong's report was as professional and insightful as ever, not only confirming many of his previous judgments but also providing key coordinates for launching precision strikes.

"The South Korean government recently introduced the Semiconductor Industry Support Plan and the Semiconductor Support Specific Plan, which promote industrial upgrading through policy support and financial assistance, and establish the semiconductor industry as a national strategic direction."

"In the past two months, Samsung Group has keenly seized this opportunity and, under the leadership of its founder Lee Byung-taek, has made semiconductors a core area of ​​development and launched a large-scale technology import and independent research and development plan."

……

"It seems that Chairman Li is willing to stake the fate of the nation and his family on a future."

Lin Haoran murmured to himself, his gaze lingering on the keywords "national strategy," "core areas," and "large-scale introduction" in the report for a long time.

The information in the report perfectly matched his memories from his previous life and his assessment of the current situation, which meant that he already had a direction for his counterattack.

Semiconductors—that's one of Samsung's proudest areas for the future.

In the future, Samsung's semiconductor business will be unparalleled globally, and it will hold a dominant position in the memory chip field for many years, which can be regarded as the cornerstone and source of profit of its vast technology empire.

It must be said that Chairman Li has a keen eye and remarkable courage.

While most South Korean companies and even conglomerates were content with low-end manufacturing and trade profits, he dared to gamble the future of his entire group on an unknown field that was technology-intensive, capital-intensive, and extremely risky.

This strategic vision and decisiveness are truly befitting of a godfather-like figure who transformed Samsung from a small trading company into South Korea's leading chaebol.

"If you hadn't provoked me, your semiconductor project might have been a great success." Lin Haoran put down the report, and the cold smile on his lips reappeared.

"Unfortunately, you insisted on provoking me and testing my limits."

Appreciation is one thing, but stance is another.

Li Bingze's vision and courage are worthy of respect, but this does not mean that Lin Haoran will tolerate the other party using threats and bullying to erode his business empire.

On the contrary, the stronger the opponent and the bigger the bet, the more effective the counterattack will be once their weaknesses are exploited.

Since we know that the other party wants to make great strides in the semiconductor field and is extremely dependent on external technology, equipment and financial support, then precise interference with these "supply channels" is the most effective and painful counterattack.

Lin Haoran's gaze swept over the section of the report detailing Samsung's specific overseas operations. The acquisition of Silicon Valley SVLT was entering its final stage;
Negotiations with Sharp of Japan regarding production technology are at a stalemate;

A $2.8 million bond issuance is about to be led by Citigroup and Morgan Stanley…

Each one is a clear target.

Lin Haoran smiled.

Aren't these the areas where we can control things?

In fact, it's not just Samsung; Lin Haoran himself has already started to invest in the semiconductor industry.

Today, he not only holds a significant number of shares in Intel, but also collaborated with Motorola to explore mobile communication technology, making Hong Kong the world's first city to commercialize mobile communications.

Of course, Lin Haoran's semiconductor team is currently in its early stages and is far inferior to Samsung's semiconductor team.

However, since he himself also intends to develop the semiconductor industry, he might as well intercept some of Samsung's plans.

This not only creates trouble for Samsung, making its development path slower and more tortuous, but it is also an investment of great strategic value.

This is not just revenge, but also buying time and space for future plans.

I checked the time; it was already 7:30 PM.

In other words, it was already 7:30 a.m. in New York.

It's still early.

So instead of contacting the US, he first dialed a number in Japan.

Not long after, the call was answered.

Opposite him was Kenneth Fok, president of Hongkong Land's Japanese branch.

Lin Haoran was quite satisfied with the performance of Ma Shimin's successor in Japan.

It must be said that Huo Jianning is indeed worthy of being the general whom Li Jiacheng relied on in Lin Haoran's previous life. Although he is only in his early thirties now, he has already made a name for himself in the Japanese business world and managed the Japanese branch of Hongkong Land Group in an orderly manner.

Even Ma Shimin often praised Huo Jianning, saying that he was a rare gem that could stand on its own after a little polishing.

In January 1980, Lin Haoran took Huo Jianning to Tokyo, Japan, to establish the Japanese branch of the Hongkong Land Group.

It has been two full years now.

During his two years in Japan, Fok Kin-ning not only made the real estate business of the Hongkong Land Group thrive, but also cultivated deep local political and business relationships, established good connections with conglomerates such as Mitsui and Mitsubishi, and was well-informed about the dynamics of the Japanese industry.

Lin Haoran has planned to transfer Huo Jianning back to Hong Kong after a while to take over as president of Hongkong Land Group from Simon Murray, allowing Murray to focus on the work of Galaxy Strategic Committee.

“Jianning, it’s me,” Lin Haoran said with a smile.

"Boss, what can I do for you?" He knew that if his boss was calling from overseas, it must be something important.

"What is your relationship with the chairman of Sharp Corporation?" Lin Haoran asked.

“Boss, I’ve had several conversations with Keizo Saeki, the chairman of Sharp Corporation. We’re just regular business friends. A few months ago, he even came to my door to discuss Sharp’s sales channels in Hong Kong,” Huo Jianning said directly.

"There is indeed a very important matter that I need you to handle. You need to contact the president of Sharp on my behalf immediately and talk to him about the financing of Sharp by Jardine Matheson. Also, help me stop Samsung's negotiations with Sharp regarding the transfer of production technology. It would be best to get it done tonight!" Lin Haoran said directly.

Japanese companies are now considered imitators of many American giants, so major Japanese companies have always paid close attention to American business developments.

In the past two years, Lin Haoran's influence in Japan has gradually increased, especially due to his good relationship with major conglomerates.

The Japanese side is naturally well aware of what happened to Lin Haoran in the United States some time ago.

Therefore, Lin Haoran's influence in Japan is much greater than in South Korea.

Sharp is now considered a good company among Japanese companies, but it is not controlled by a conglomerate; instead, it is an independent publicly listed company, which gave Lin Haoran the opportunity to get involved.

More importantly, Sharp is currently in a period of transformation and expansion, and its need for funds is not small, especially in the research and development of LCD technology, which it is investing heavily in and which is a bottomless pit of money.

Presumably, if Lin Haoran wanted to raise funds, the other party would be very welcoming.

Therefore, preventing the cooperation between Samsung and Sharp would not be a difficult task.

Sharp is considered a major company in the Japanese technology industry. It not only developed milestone products such as Japan's first crystal radio, black and white television, and the world's first all-transistor electronic calculator, but also made breakthroughs in the field of LCD technology, laying the foundation for its later status as the "father of LCD".

Last year, Sharp released the PC1500 pocket computer, equipped with an 8-bit CMOS processor and a dot-matrix LCD display, which became the benchmark for portable computing devices today.

Therefore, for Lin Haoran, raising funds for such a company is not a bad thing.

On the contrary, it may become a very forward-looking investment, which can both target Samsung and lay a key piece in its future electronics industry layout.

"Boss, I understand! Sharp's LCD technology has huge future potential, and its calculator business can also synergize with our potential consumer electronics direction."

"I'll get to it right away and give you a satisfactory answer tonight!" Huo Jianning's voice was full of enthusiasm and confidence.

For him, this was an opportunity to make a good impression on his boss.

Huo Jianning is naturally skilled at negotiation.

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news." Lin Haoran hung up the phone, having no doubt about Huo Jianning's ability to execute orders.

The Japanese side has already started; now it's the American side's turn.

At 8:30 p.m., which is 8:30 a.m. New York time, Lin Haoran finally called John Reed of Citibank.

Because he knew that John Reed would usually arrive at Citigroup's office at 8:30 in the morning sharp.

Just as he expected, John Reed's voice came through the phone within two seconds of the call connecting.

"Good morning, Mr. John!" Lin Haoran greeted him with a smile.

“Good evening, Mr. Lin! It’s rare for you to call in person; there must be something important.” John Reed’s voice carried a hint of surprise and importance.

His relationship with Lin Haoran has long transcended that of ordinary allies. Lin Haoran is not only an executive director of Citibank, but also his most important ally within Citibank.

“Indeed, there are two things I would like to trouble Mr. John with,” Lin Haoran said with a smile.

“Mr. Lin, given our relationship, your business is my business, so there’s no need to be so polite,” John Reed said in a very warm and sincere tone.

Yesterday, Foresight Capital's returns on US stocks rose significantly again.

As the profits drew ever closer to the amount Citigroup had lost in the stock market, the entire Citigroup leadership breathed a sigh of relief.

It can be said that Lin Haoran is the one who deserves the most credit this time, while Johnny Reed is more of a facilitator.

Of course, the credit naturally went to John Reed.

Therefore, John Reed felt a very sincere gratitude towards Lin Haoran.

Let alone two things, even ten things, John Reed would help with anything he could.

"Then I'll be frank. One is that I plan to acquire Silicon Valley SVLT Semiconductor. I need you, on behalf of Citibank, to help me contact the head of Silicon Valley SVLT Semiconductor, tell them about my plan to acquire them, and do your best to facilitate this deal."

Another thing, I heard that Citigroup and Morgan Stanley are leading a $2.8 million bond issuance for Samsung in the US, is that right? If so, I hope Mr. John Reed can stop this deal!
As compensation, I will arrange for Universal Investment Company to collaborate with Citibank again within six months at the latest. Citibank should be able to earn a hundred million dollars or two from this deal without any problem!
At the same time, if possible, I hope Mr. John can persuade the board to cease all cooperation with Samsung. As for the reasons, I think Mr. John shouldn't have any trouble finding them!

Lin Haoran's voice was very calm, but the content of his words made John Reed on the other end of the phone sit up straight instantly, his expression becoming extremely serious.

Acquiring SVLT Semiconductor?
Blocking Samsung's bond issuance?

Cease all cooperation with Samsung?
Each of these three demands is significant and clearly a precise strike against Samsung's semiconductor strategy.

As a South Korean giant, Samsung naturally has many collaborations with Citigroup, especially in South Korea.

After all, South Korea is also one of Citibank's markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Although this market is not large, it has already been covered.

As the vice president of Citibank and the future successor to Citibank, John Reed knows Samsung inside and out.

"Mr. Lin, could it be that Samsung Group has offended you?" That was the first thing that came to his mind.

Otherwise, based on his understanding of Lin Haoran, the other party wouldn't target a company for no reason.

If not, why would Lin Haoran go to such lengths, even using top-tier resources like Citibank, to launch such a precise and severe attack on Samsung across three levels: technology acquisition, financing channels, and comprehensive cooperation?

This is no longer ordinary business competition; it's more like an attempt to sever the core lifeline of Samsung's future development.

If a top American conglomerate like Citigroup were to announce the cessation of all cooperation with Samsung, the impact on Samsung internationally would be unimaginable.

"Some unpleasant things did happen." Lin Haoran's voice remained calm, but the coldness beneath the calm was clearly felt by John Reed on the other end of the phone.

"Samsung attempted to use methods that do not conform to international business practices and are even coercive in nature to acquire some of my business in South Korea."

This is not merely a provocation against one company, but a violation of basic business rules. I believe it is necessary to make certain companies that are accustomed to using their local advantages to squeeze out international businesses understand that in the era of globalization, the rules of the game have changed.

Samsung is just a regional company.

Lin Haoran's importance to Citibank has become increasingly unshakable.

Not only did his precise trading save Citigroup from significant losses in the US stock market, but his keen sense of the global capital market and his ever-expanding business empire have also led Citigroup's top management to regard him as one of the most important strategic partners for the next decade.

In contrast, while Samsung is important, it is more of a regional key customer, and its global influence and deep ties with Citibank are far less than those of Lin Haoran.

Let Citibank choose between the two options; Lin Haoran believes that Citibank's top management will know how to make the right choice! (End of Chapter)