My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 598: The emotional value was indeed well delivered.

I wonder if Lao Fang will clutch his chest in anger again when he hears Rang Weidong's outrageous remarks.

Of course, given his unconventional personality, he might secretly chuckle to himself, thinking that the person he chose was really great.

In fact, Wei Dong had practiced this part before.

From the first time he met the old leader in Shangzhou, he acted with great poise and confidence. Later, he met so many big shots in Jiangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, and he handled them all quite well.

There's a little trick to it, which he actually learned by practicing with Lao Shi back in the day.

After all, for a security guard with a missing hand, the difference between a former bureau chief and a retired city leader represents a huge social gap.

But Lao Shi has a special significance for Rang Weidong.

So after I retired, I spent almost ten years with him, spending every day together.

I occasionally watch short videos for life insights and relationship tips to adjust my coping strategies. If they are truly effective, I adjust and revise them accordingly.

First, you have to acknowledge that the other person is incredibly intelligent, truly amazing, and a master whose intelligence and abilities far surpass your own.

Don't treat the other person like an idiot.

Therefore, when dealing with this kind of person, you must be relaxed and respectful. The kind of flattery that is common in government agencies can easily make the other person look down on you.

If this attitude is handled well, then it embodies Shen Cuiyue's four-word mantra: clever flattery.

Focusing on what the other person truly cares about and working on that is far more effective than being overly attentive, showing off, or boasting.

For example, the old leader was concerned that Shangzhou should promote reforms quietly and subtly within a stable framework, and that commerce should benefit the people and give back to the people, and pay more attention to people's livelihood;
Shanghai's focus is on developing foreign trade and the electronics industry, on a much grander scale. It has no place for an outsider like him in matters of people's livelihood.
Jiangzhou values ​​the restructuring of old enterprises and their ability to turn losses into profits.

The Economic Commission focuses on more macro-level issues such as housing reform and finance;
Lao Fang deeply abhorred the local people using their hard-earned money for speculation and hype, and valued external exchanges even more.
Wei Dong practiced this skill for over ten years, just like he practiced boxing. He subconsciously adjusted how to communicate with Lao Shi every day, and it became a habit. He didn't even notice it when he returned to this era.

In fact, I have benefited a lot since Shangzhou.

For example, when Wei Dong first heard that Qin Zhiming and Chi Shiming both liked to communicate using the "Hoeing the Land" method, he secretly laughed and thought, "Smart people are everywhere."

The principle is the same as his: having money is awesome, but people are still human and need to play games. Getting close to fellow card players is the most effective way.

This is similar to how playing cards later became popular in government agencies.

But good relationships are one thing, whether they can translate into real benefits depends on real skill.

After all, at this point, making money is no longer a must for these people, and they certainly won't easily gamble their entire fortune.

Let Wei Dong stick to his old trick of treating people with sincerity:

"It's been two years, and I haven't cheated anyone, have I? My initial suggestion was for you all to open factories, but you prefer real estate. No problem, but in real estate, you need to be prepared to look at returns over ten, twenty, or thirty years. Opening a factory is the most immediate way to see results. Xiaoye's factory should be able to reach a production value of one billion yuan within the next two or three years. This is just a microcosm. Factories are opening and starting operations in various provinces and regions across the mainland. The massive amount of products produced will definitely have to be sold abroad, and the first choice will be to sell them abroad to earn US dollars. Where do you all think this export trade will go?"

At this time, exports were only available by sea. Border trade between East and North Asia had not yet taken off, and railway transportation was out of the question. The only option was to go to sea.

The Shanghai Port, which Wei Dong was familiar with, accounted for about 40% of the country's exports.

However, 70 percent of the country's import and export trade has to go through Hong Kong, just to take advantage of Hong Kong's free port status.

Forty years later, all mainlanders witnessed Hong Kong's rise and fall.

Those born in the 1970s and 80s are particularly sensitive to this change, as the 1980s had such a beautiful, idealized view of Hong Kong.

Therefore, almost everyone in this generation can clearly perceive that Hong Kong became rich because it was the only channel for mainland China to enter and exit, and it was almost the only window for a billion mainlanders to see the outside world. If it insists on arrogantly closing it off, then it deserves its fate.

Wei Dong embodies this typical mentality. He can't explain the specific details, but he understands that Hong Kong became rich because the mainland was too backward. Once the mainland becomes too powerful, if Hong Kong still tries to act as a valve core and continue to control the entry and exit points, it will inevitably collapse.

It can't be pressed down.

In fact, Hong Kong business tycoons are all watching closely: "This dock isn't all that great. A 50,000-ton vessel is not small, but with only two berths, how much throughput can it handle?"

"How many containers can you get? The mainland has very few containers now. I took a look when I went to Shanghai this time. Only 4% of exports use containers. It's very backward... Your international container terminal, hahaha, doesn't have many containers either..."

"Dongzai, you need to understand that Hong Kong is now the world's second largest trading port. Aren't you exaggerating too much? Two million container throughput? Your tiny port wants to achieve that? Dream on!"

"HK's status as a global free port is irreplaceable!"

"Deep-water ports are rare finds, and they also need an international commercial status like Hong Kong's. How can they be replicated!"

Hasn't the security guard with the severed hand suffered enough humiliation?

Besides, compared to the humiliation suffered by people with missing hands, this is nothing.

Wei Dong wasn't bothered at all; he listened with a smile. This was information passed down by experts, much easier than finding it himself. At least it would help him quickly establish a lot of data concepts.

Oh my god, to be among the world's top, you need to have the capacity of two million shipping containers.

Furthermore, it is clear once again that there are many types of docks.

Coal and ore are considered bulk cargo terminals;
The oil terminal in the industrial zone, which he had once jokingly referred to, was also dedicated to this purpose;

Industrial docks primarily target cement, steel, and building materials;
There are also public logistics terminals for groceries;
And the inland barge dock, which he himself had only recently entered.

Then there are the most prestigious and largest container terminals, which best represent the economic lifeline. How many berths are there for 50,000 to 60,000 tons? What is the annual throughput? How long do containers stay and transfer? These are all hard indicators.

Wei Dong almost took out his own pen and paper to take notes.

At this moment, Xiaodie finally shook off Zhuoma's hand, staggered to her father's side and clung to him, making Weidong quickly bend down and hug her. He shook his head at the anxious and apologetic Zhuoma, saying it was alright and that she should go eat some delicious food.

I dared to bring my child into the fold of those powerful figures like Lao Fang, Shanghai, and the Economic Commission, so why would I care about Hong Kong businessmen?

The child, dressed beautifully like a porcelain doll, made the seven or eight elderly Hong Kong businessmen pause for a moment.

Wei Dong picked her up and sat her on his lap, then picked up a flower from the dish to attract the child's attention before saying, "What you all said makes sense, but Hong Kong's ports have been developing for many years, while the mainland's ports have only been around for a few years. Believe me, as long as the mainland decides to focus its efforts on a certain aspect, it can definitely make that aspect bigger and stronger by pooling the resources of the whole country. As long as it's not something that requires a lot of high-tech development, it can definitely be done, because the mainland is like a newborn child, growing up by leaps and bounds."

As everyone looked at the child thoughtfully, Wei Dong set down his chopsticks and gestured: "From the Northeast to Qionghai, along such a long coastline, it's impossible not to find a better deep-water port. Then we can develop transportation hubs to connect them. It's just a matter of weighing whether it's worth it."

He put down his chopsticks and continued, "There's something I'm about to say that might sound harsh, but it's true. Hong Kong's prosperity and strength are due to its strategic position at the crossroads of the mainland's international exchanges. Previously, the only option was to go through Hong Kong because the mainland's economy was weak, requiring strict control to prevent foreign influence from crippling its economy, finance, and manufacturing. But think about it, experienced seniors. Based on the speed of change you've seen in the last two years, this weakness will change rapidly. Once we're strong and unafraid of the outside world, we can confidently move freely in and out of the mainland. Hong Kong won't be as essential anymore. This is an inevitable trend."

Right? This is a basic topic of discussion among netizens about politics forty years later.

It's not even a prediction, it's just a summary.

The reason Wei Dong is able to share this with everyone is because you all have billions or tens of billions in assets, so you are qualified to listen.

The future "confirmed" this, naturally making Wei Dong speechless.

Even now, one has to look at them with new respect.

Because this is a very rigorous logical conclusion, setting aside prejudice and arrogance, we must admit that the most ideal development trend does indeed lead to this result.

A self-made millionaire can be a bad guy, but he's definitely not an idiot.

To put it bluntly, Hong Kong is able to manipulate things right now because the mainland is poor, allowing it to collect tolls from the mainland and become incredibly wealthy.

Once the mainland becomes stronger and has more channels to the outside world, there will be no need to care about this place at all.

The reason is very simple.

But no one would have dared to think of that before.

Who would have imagined that 9.6 million square kilometers would develop to surpass the size of Hong Kong?

Even cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong wouldn't dare to dream of surpassing it.

At least until the end of Wei Dong's previous life, Hong Kong was still one of the world's leading powers.

But compared to the size of the entire country, it is indeed insignificant.

A moment of quiet fell over the sumptuous dining table.

Compared to capable people like Xu Rao, Rang Weidong is a businessman who focuses on the facts. Lao Fang has always been in charge of investment promotion in Hong Kong. He can make friends with all sorts of people, but he can't shake off his official status.

Private entrepreneurs are more likely to have an equal footing when communicating with their peers.

Finally, someone spoke up: "If you're so optimistic about the mainland, then why did you move to Hong Kong?"

Wei Dong immediately laughed and cursed, "I'm here to do business in the mainland, not to be a rich man and get punished. You all have experience with exchanges in the mainland now, right? You all clearly understand that as long as it's not illegal and they respect Hong Kong businessmen, anything can be discussed. At least it's not like... understand? Uncle Hou, your two henchmen in Jiangzhou are chasing girls all the time, changing them every few days, and keeping them as mistresses. I have to tell them to get lost immediately. At most, they'll just be deported back to Hong Kong, and you can just replace them. I have to take responsibility, and I might even have to shut down my business. Do you understand the difference? That's why I had to come!"

This is what reverse investment attraction truly means.

This is proof that Hong Kong businessmen are indeed very safe investing in mainland China right now.

The insurance was so good that even Wei Dong had to shamelessly beg for a Hong Kong identity.

The Hong Kong businessmen immediately burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)