In 1978, I was admitted to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 261 provides a comparison: the poor but demanding client stopped mentioning any conditions.
"Harbin Institute of Technology signed a tank contract with Iraqis?"

General Ahmed stared in astonishment at his subordinate reporting to him, then became furious: "Weren't they going to Harbin Institute of Technology to purchase rocket launchers? The tank project is a collaborative project between us and Harbin Institute of Technology. Didn't they consult us beforehand?"

In his view, if things drag on, Harbin Institute of Technology will make concessions on the cooperation plan.

Instead of getting any concessions from the other side, the damned Iraqis got the better deal?
How can I accept this?

"General, not only was the contract signed, but Abdullah also paid for the equipment today..."

The subordinates gave the general a detailed report of the information they had gathered.

After hearing this, Ahmed was stunned and remained silent for a long time.

"Contact Murita and Immohan immediately and tell them to come back right away. We must go to Harbin Institute of Technology as soon as possible to finalize the cooperation!"

Can't drag it any longer!
Iraq awarded a $3 million contract, which is an astonishingly large sum of money for Harbin Institute of Technology, although the amount that may actually be used for research and development is probably less than the $8000 million in research and development funding they provided.

With more money, Harbin Institute of Technology's technological research and development can continue, and the need for funding will not be so urgent. It will not be easy to cooperate after they have made certain achievements, and the cost will be much higher.

Ahmed couldn't sit still any longer.

With huge sums of money in hand, Harbin Institute of Technology, which was short of funds, was in a dominant position. Now that others have money, their initiative has vanished.

While waiting for his key subordinates to return, General Ahmed took the initiative to contact Ibrahim of the Ministry of Education.

"What? Giving up on fighting for better treatment for our international students? General Ahmed, did they offer you something in return?"

Ibrahim was furious when he was told to give up advocating for better treatment for international students.

The insults were very vulgar.

I have been communicating with leaders of various relevant departments in China recently, and many of them have said that they support providing a good learning and living environment for international students.

The problem was almost solved.

Ahmed actually told him to give up?
"General, without better treatment, how can international students concentrate on their studies and contribute to the nation's development in the future? You won't find a school in the world that accepts international students, yet they provide them with dormitories for eight people a day! And they don't even have dedicated staff to take care of them..."

Seeing Ahmed remain silent with a gloomy face, Ibrahim did not back down at all.

The more you talk, the angrier you get!

What happened to China's promise to treat international friends with warmth and hospitality?
“Your Excellency, their own students, sometimes more than ten people, are crammed into one dormitory room, and many students even have classes outdoors! Relatively speaking, the conditions they provide are already very good.”

Ahmed couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted Ibrahim.

The talent development agreement was an addendum to a military project. The Ministry of Education, which usually has little presence, got involved for the sake of credit. Under normal circumstances, they would have held the initiative, and it would have been understandable for Ministry of Education officials to fight for better treatment for the talents selected by the military.

Although it is said to be a nationwide selection, the selection process is not public.

Most international students come from families with connections and status.

Ahmed naturally didn't want to offend the people behind these international students.

Not anymore.

These seemingly insignificant things have already affected the cooperation between the military and Harbin Institute of Technology, and even impacted national defense security.

“They are students who came to China to learn better skills so they can serve their country in the future, not to enjoy themselves! If they want to enjoy themselves, let them go to America or Europe…”

Ahmed showed no mercy at this moment.

"..."

Seeing his resolute attitude and threatening tone, Ibrahim was at a loss for words.

"Furthermore, this matter ends here! The dispatch of students was for a technical project between the military and Harbin Institute of Technology. If the students affect the technical cooperation project, I will propose to the military to cancel the dispatch of students! Your Excellency, Vice Minister, please think carefully!"

After saying that, Ahmed turned and walked out without waiting for Ibrahim's reaction.

Logically, he was only a major general in the military, a rank much lower than that of the vice minister of education.

only……

Ibrahim watched Ahmed's departing figure, took a deep breath, and suppressed his anger.

Now that the other party had spoken, he knew he couldn't keep making trouble.

He wanted to use his advocacy for better treatment of international students to demonstrate his abilities and even to cultivate relationships with the families of some of them.

Unfortunately, this matter cannot continue now.

Murita Zalidak and Imohan Farouk, who were assigned to procure Type 56 assault rifles, 40mm rocket launchers, 107mm rocket artillery, and even donkeys and Yunnan horses—equipment suitable for guerrilla warfare in the mountainous environment of the Imperial Cemetery—all returned to General Ahmed within two days.

"General, abandoning the effort to secure better treatment for international students won't actually have a significant impact on cooperation. Besides, Harbin Institute of Technology isn't willing to sell its man-portable rocket launcher technology..."

After hearing the situation, Murita reminded the general, "Those with strong backgrounds all went to study in the United States or Europe..."

Those with powerful backgrounds and wealthy families naturally choose to study in the most developed places and then enter politics after returning to their home country.

The students sent to China are typically assigned to become engineers or technicians.

At most, its development will be limited to the military logistics system.

Ahmed is not worried at all.

"Now we're worried they'll back out and we'll have to renegotiate the details of the cooperation. After the last meeting ended badly, Principal Li, who had previously contacted us, hasn't even reached out to us recently..."

Immohan said with concern.

The other party's attitude changed from initial enthusiasm to complete indifference.

How can we not cause people to worry?

"Therefore, we cannot allow any other issues to affect the progress of the cooperation negotiations. We'll go to Harbin Institute of Technology tomorrow!"

The general took a deep breath, suppressing his worries.

When the group returned to Harbin, they were greeted only by Liu Debao, a far cry from the previous reception.

Although Secretary Liu remained outwardly enthusiastic.

Ahmed and the others sensed a subtle coldness beneath Secretary Liu's enthusiasm, which further deepened their existing worries.

"Should we finalize the contract as soon as possible and begin collaborative technology research and development?"

Liu Debao seemed not to understand what the other party meant.

“Yes. We were busy purchasing weapons and equipment before, and neglected our technical development cooperation with you. Now that school is about to start, our staff also want to get into their studies as soon as possible…” Knowing that the other party was pretending to be stupid, Ahmed did not dare to make a sound.

"That's right, with school starting soon, there's just too much going on at school... We probably won't have time to discuss cooperation these next few days..."

Liu Debao looked troubled.

Seeing Liu Debao's expression, Ahmed and his group looked even more bitter.

revenge!

This is blatant revenge!

But they had no choice.

"Secretary Liu, we have prepared the $8000 million funding for the joint tank development project. It will be transferred to your domestic account immediately after the contract is signed. Our military leadership attaches great importance to this project..."

What can you use to impress the other party?

US dollars!

It's not just Harbin Institute of Technology that lacks research funding; China is also facing a severe shortage of foreign exchange.

The Pakistani military originally planned to directly import the Type 59 tank production line. After Pakistan imported this tank in 65, it became almost the main battle equipment of the army.

However, after India imported the T-72 from the Soviet Union, the Type 59 tank was no match for this advanced tank. Even with anti-tank rocket launchers from China that could destroy it with a single shot, it couldn't solve the problem of the huge performance gap between the two tanks.

Just then, Harbin Institute of Technology came up with a tank design that was better than the T-72 and could complete its development in a very short time.

More importantly, the other party promised to help set up a production line.

How could the Pakistani military not be tempted? However, due to other reasons, the already agreed cooperation became fraught with difficulties.

"Furthermore, we have already spoken with some clients, and they have expressed strong interest..."

Knowing that research and development funding alone would hardly impress the other party at present, General Ahmed simply created some interested clients out of thin air.

We all live in a global village, so which country doesn't have a few friends?
"Is that so? I'll discuss it with the relevant school leaders to see if we can put other things aside for now."

General Ahmed had been watching Liu Debao's reaction closely. When he saw that Liu's attitude changed abruptly after hearing these words, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The group arrived at the school quickly.

Liu Debao first escorted Ahmed and his party to the Northern Building.

In the entire city of Harbin, only the Northern Building is qualified to receive foreign guests.

"General, their attitude is so different from before."

Throughout the entire process, Imokhan and the others witnessed Liu Debao's attitude.

"Don't worry, we have no other conditions. If we make some concessions in the cooperation, they shouldn't have any problems."

Liu Debao's reaction reassured General Ahmed considerably.

"Although the other party did not make a direct statement, their attitude has changed significantly from before. They said that as long as the contract is signed, the 8000 million yuan funding for the joint development of the tank will be available immediately, which is very different from the previous proposal to pay in three installments, with the first installment being 2000 million US dollars."

In Zhang Mingqiu's office, Liu Debao explained the situation to Xie Wei and the others.

"The other side actually made such a big concession?"

Zhang Mingqiu was quite surprised.

It's important to understand that there's a significant difference between paying $8000 million in three installments and paying it all at once.

Especially given the current situation where the country is in dire need of foreign exchange.

“We’ve reached a $3 million deal with the Iraqis, and with ample research funding in hand, their funding isn’t as important.”

Xie Wei said calmly, "Since they have made concessions, let's talk."

"What about rocket launchers and technology exports?"

Liu Debao asked Xie Wei.

The school wasn't unwilling to sell the technology before, but Xie Wei wanted to use it to demand a higher price in order to solve the school's funding shortage.

When it came to cooperation with Iraq in this area, the school didn't even quote a price, but the other party immediately increased the price by 50%, and Xie Wei even asked for a technology transfer fee of $1200 million.

"The technology transfer fee of 1200 million is a must. As for the rocket launcher, we will not make any demands."

Xie Wei thought for a moment and then spoke.

Since the technology was sold to Iraq anyway, selling it to one country or multiple countries makes no difference.

This technology export agreement, apart from restricting the buyer from transferring the technology to other customers, does not restrict them from selling products.

In reality, restrictions are useless.

Iraq wanted the technology because it was backed by the Soviets; while Pakistan wanted it because it was backed by the United States, Xie Wei knew this very well.

They'd rather make a quick buck than nothing.

"If Iraq finds out, will it affect future cooperation?"

Liu Debao was somewhat worried.

In Iraq, Xie Wei even forced them to buy 5000 rocket launchers.

"will not."

Xie Wei shook his head, offering no explanation.

Since the Soviet invasion of the "graveyard of empires" in 79, the United States, in order to hinder its old rival, not only supported the guerrillas with its own weapons and equipment, but also helped Pakistan purchase weapons and equipment, spending approximately $2 to $3 million annually in this regard.

Even if the other party obtains the technology, they can only purchase it from Harbin Institute of Technology before it is fully put into production.

It's not a small-scale operation.

"Would anyone who gained an advantage go around telling the world about it?"

Xie Wei wore a playful smile.

So the two sides quickly sat down at the negotiating table. Unlike before, when Ahmed was discussing the tank development cooperation project, he did not put forward any conditions. He even took the initiative to say that the international students should follow the school's arrangements and no longer ask for preferential treatment.

The contract, which had already been agreed upon, was formally signed in just two days after Pakistan provided $8000 million in R&D funding in one go.

The technical personnel involved in the research and development are different from international students; Pakistan had already made preparations.

They did not ask for better treatment, and the school naturally had no objection, indicating that it was ready to accept their engineering and technical personnel at any time.

"To facilitate management, the school has allocated a dormitory building, and each floor will be equipped with a dormitory manager and a life teacher who can communicate with them... Your side can also send management personnel, but they need to be included in the school's management."

Zhang Mingqiu told the other party that engineering technicians would not be allowed to live with students.

In response, General Ahmed stated that everything was proceeding according to the school's arrangements.

"Thank you. Regarding the rocket launcher production technology, is it really impossible to transfer it?"

Only after the contract was signed did Ahmed inquire about the transfer of Shewe's rocket launcher technology.

He did not mention that he already knew Iraq had obtained production technology from schools.

"It's transferable as long as the price is right. A few days ago, Iraq purchased 5000 rocket launchers from the school and paid an additional $1200 million for technology transfer... Of course, the technology does not include the high explosives used in the warhead and other related technologies..."

Xie Wei didn't hesitate at all.

If the other party is sensible, there's no need for me to make things difficult for them.

"what?"

Ahmed assumed that Shewe's demand for technology transfer was 5000 rocket launchers plus $1200 million, which left Ahmed and his team at a loss for how to continue the negotiations.

They thought that as long as they acquired the technology, they could quickly establish production capacity with the help of Chinese technicians. Before they had production capacity, they would first purchase a batch from China, enough to meet the needs of the cemetery.

Selling from China is cheaper, so you can make a 50% profit. If you produce it yourself, you can make even more, right?

"Thank you, could you reduce the quantity you need? The entire cemetery only has a little over 1000 Soviet tanks... We've purchased a large number of 40mm guns..."

What he meant was obvious.

We hope to purchase fewer rocket launchers.

"The technology transfer fee of $1200 million is a must, but there are no requirements regarding the purchase quantity."

Xie Wei said calmly.

Ahmed had originally wanted to discuss the price, but seeing that Shewei had made concessions, he ultimately remained silent.

Since the Americans were paying for it anyway, and they were getting the technology for free, they naturally had no concerns.

"How about we add another 600 armor-piercing missiles and 1000 explosive fragmentation missiles... still at the original price, is that alright?"

As he said this, Ahmed kept a close eye on Shewe's reaction.

The price Iraq paid was their quote to the CIA.

Perhaps the CIA quoted them a higher price domestically, but that has nothing to do with the Pakistanis.

"can!"

Xie Wei thought for a moment and then spoke.

Ahmed was immediately delighted by his attitude.

(End of this chapter)