My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 634 Just ask if it's long or not.
At least Lao Yu had a marriage first, and then somehow managed to get involved himself.

We're doing this genuinely to get the license, and to ensure that companies can invest in this reform and opening-up exploration. Even if everyone knows why, we can't say it.

Furthermore, we cannot attribute this arrangement to Lao Fang; this is basic courtesy and etiquette within the system.

Wei Dong gave a very simple reason: "My purpose in coming to Hong Kong is solely to attract investment. Economic system reform needs both internal and external impetus, but we must guard against the relentless cultural invasion of Europe and America, as well as resist investment fraud and bad practices from Hong Kong and Taiwan, so..."

These kinds of seminars are all about constant interruptions; anyone can interrupt: "What do you mean by the cultural invasion from Europe and America? And where do investment scams and bad habits from Hong Kong and Taiwan come from?"

Wei Dong blurted out: "In order to revitalize the economy, Shanghai rented out Building No. 5 on the Bund to our private enterprises as a show of support for the private economy. This did indeed immediately boost the development of private enterprises along the Yangtze River. We also considered making the most of the window position and set up a floor for Hong Kong cultural figures to use as an art gallery. As soon as they smelled the scent, European and American countries flocked to it, holding banquets, art exhibitions, and cultural activities. Is this as friendly and civilized as they appear? It's seduction, brainwashing people with their hypocritical high society pretense, and making them relentlessly attach themselves to and promote it."

Immediately, someone slapped the handrail: "We shouldn't have left any gaps for these flies to get on!"

Wei Dong said calmly, "You can't stop them. It's a fact that we're poor. Being poor is undignified. But some people only think about getting rich and enjoying themselves, while others hope to improve everyone's lives. Having such a window can also help us identify who is trustworthy. I selected four technicians and sent them to Washington State to study architecture. Before they left, I deliberately took them to these kinds of places. Some people couldn't suppress their desire to pursue it. I removed one of them because I knew he would be in trouble if he went out. In the end, he used explosives to retaliate against me. Isn't that good? It saved us from huge losses. Thanks to our European and American comrades for helping to identify it."

At this point, someone laughed, and the person from the Economic Commission chimed in: "Oh, it's the time you were injured and hospitalized earlier this year. At the time, they only talked about retaliation, but frontline work is still very dangerous."

Wei Dong then brought up another danger: "Based on my experience, Hong Kong people are truly shrewd and good at business, but they also love to boast and have a sense of superiority that idolizes Europe and America. So, when attracting investment, be careful not to assume that just because someone from Hong Kong comes, they are a wealthy Hong Kong businessman. There's a lot of exaggeration involved. The mainland is genuinely wealthy, but they also have many bad habits. It's fine for attracting investment to build hotels and the like, but the atmosphere on the mainland tends to be chaotic with nightclubs and dance halls. I've dealt with similar cases in Jiangzhou. Some of their overseas managers or representatives were having affairs on the mainland. When they were caught, they slunk back. Southeast Asia is known for its fraud. Two years ago, I came to Beijing to do sales work, specifically for that SOD whitening cream, the one that DB advertises every day. I met a Southeast Asian person there..."

He had never looked at what unit Lu Zien's red-shelled document belonged to, but now he revealed all the details: "Our Shangzhou City has ten counties and cities, more than 600 communes, and a population of more than 7 million. Except for the urban area with a population of less than 200,000, all the others are impoverished counties. We do need projects like the corn project to alleviate poverty and improve people's lives, but not to cooperate with such mysterious people. So I proposed that we could cooperate with any level of national department or agency, but we would not undertake such a project. In the end, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs assisted us in launching the work, and Jiangzhou City also held shares as a supervisor, but all investments were made by private enterprises. Currently, the SOD project has been implemented in Shangzhou, and corn will be purchased this autumn. We expect to help 80% of the rural population double their income within five to ten years."

This prediction is already very subtle and low-key; it's just that they don't want to get bogged down in the details.

But everyone kept asking about the 20%, so Wei Dong had to explain: "We're trying to multiply that portion of the income several times over, because those who leave the land to become construction workers and factory workers are the real beneficiaries of economic reform. But to be able to work in a high-tech factory and earn a high salary, you need to be at least a college graduate. So, for such a major factory equipment relocation, I definitely had to report and coordinate. Then this Indonesian Chinese came over and said that the situation in Hong Kong was very complicated, and it would be best to transfer the equipment from a port in Fairbank back to Pengzhen. Based on my experience and a sense of caution, I found someone else to transport it directly back to Pengzhen. He finally made his move on me when he was inspecting the factory in Fairbank..."

The meeting room was quiet, so Wei Dong wouldn't shift the blame to either side. He left a hint that Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia each had their own reputations and customs.

Now that things have come to this, he doesn't criticize the business practices or anything like that; he simply recounts the process: "His exact words were that he believed the SOD project should be his benefit, that it was unfair, that I bypassed him and stole his profits. I won't argue with him about that level of understanding, but detaining me at the Philippine police station on the grounds that I was stealing and transferring high-tech industry assets is already an act of hostility. All my actions were conducted and investigated in the name of the American company, so while he could persuade and bribe personnel at a small police station, he would find it difficult to justify himself to the public, the police, or even diplomatic circles. In the end, drawing his gun was his own fault..."

Mao's actions were still omitted, but his description of the handcuffed struggle was very clear: "The local police and staff witnessed the final scene, so they released us after issuing a statement. I also used this as a reason to request the relocation of the packaging plant. Both plants must be located near the Pengzhen West District Wharf to maximize their effectiveness and to allow the American company to inspect the production, processing, and R&D process openly at any time. I think this is more important than the fact that we can already produce chips from three to five years ago. It allows the technical experts in our various research institutes to clearly feel the direction of the world's advanced level and to keep up with the wave of this semiconductor revolution. At this time, my Hong Kong identity may be more useful. I'll try to delay it for as long as possible."

At this point, no one questioned it anymore; almost everyone was nodding in agreement.

"So you used funds to invest in the port and container company to cover up this factory?"

Wei Dong shook his head again: "There's a sequence to this. We first used funds to invest in the dock and container company, and only then did the factory relocation happen. Originally, we planned to build a garment factory and a cosmetics factory in the West District dock industrial zone, catering to both domestic sales and foreign trade. The reason we invested in the dock and container company is also a major initiative that urgently needs to be implemented..."

The timeline was kept clear for Wei Dong, preventing any ambiguity or misdirection, lest he be set up. He himself had become adept at this kind of constant probing. However, Lao Fang's intention in giving him this was certainly deliberate, ensuring Wei Dong wouldn't pin the blame on Lao Fang, but instead find his own footing in the inspiration Lin Wangfu had given him:
“We are currently supplying more than 500 million packs of sanitary napkins, millions of pairs of jeans, and tens of millions of bottles of shampoo to the whole country every year. This is a huge transportation project. In Jiangzhou, we are like a convergence point of the character '长' (chang, meaning long). The flow to the northwest and southwest is slightly less, but the main focus is on the three lines of Pingjing to the northeast, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The most important of these is the Yangtze River shipping. This is the conclusion we have drawn from our current practice. Water transport has huge advantages that railways cannot match. Domestically, we can make internal adjustments and give railway capacity to areas without shipping as much as possible. The construction of railways for the Yangtze River shipping can be slowed down a bit, but internationally, we cannot afford to wait.”

I wonder what the international information reports that you all have access to are like.

Anyway, Wei Dong had repeatedly reviewed and summarized his feelings about Lin Wangfu over the past and present: "Why did Japan suddenly rise in the 1970s and 1980s? They didn't have deep technological expertise themselves; their R&D was all based on the United States. But Japan had a very strong ability to transform scientific research into civilian products. And then, they happened to ride the wave of container shipping, which allowed them to conveniently transport all their production and sales around the world using containers. This alone far exceeded the flow between Warsaw Pact countries like the Soviet Union and the United States. The economic gap between European and American countries and Eastern European countries was amplified by this process. There are many reasons, but container shipping completely amplified these factors, which could lead to incalculable consequences!"

Predicting Su Lian's downfall at this time is still too shocking.

Wei Dong didn't want to be studied like a monster, but he tried to leave some loose ends.

Sure enough, everyone present had a shivering feeling as if they had been frozen by some obscure fact, much like how they would feel later when shocked by sensational headlines on social media.

It's just a metal shipping container. Aren't you exaggerating and making alarmist claims?

Instead of citing the data and examples that Lin Wangfu was familiar with, Wei Dong looked at the many figures in old military uniforms on the scene and chose this direction: "For example, if our unit is transferring and transporting a large amount of firearms and ammunition, dozens of different types, and hundreds of trucks are used to haul them over, is it more efficient to use a standard box for everyone and even design the loading and unloading tools specifically for this type of box, or is it more efficient to rely on a bunch of soldiers to carry and unload them?"

Speaking of this, I'm reminded of that common online joke among military enthusiasts: "In other words, is it better to have all guns and ammunition manufactured, maintained, and supplied from various countries, or to categorize them all into specific models for easier management? Which is more effective in combat? That's the role that shipping containers play."

Now everyone finally understood completely.

"I never imagined that shipping containers could be so powerful!"

"Old Fang insisted on doing this back then, but he didn't explain it so clearly."

"We should definitely give strong support to the scale of container shipping..."

Then, focusing all attention on Rang Weidong is a bit complicated.

You just mentioned that you produce hundreds of millions of packs of sanitary napkins, millions of pairs of pants, and tens of millions of bottles of shampoo every year. Now you're involved in container shipping. Isn't your private enterprise a bit too large?

Unexpectedly, Wei Dong himself added fuel to the fire: "These are actually nothing, I also have real estate..."

(End of this chapter)