My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 811 This is not a divine secret, but a grand trend.

The person, who had worked at the Economic Commission for many years, said: "Our biggest problem now is the shortage of materials. In recent years, there has been an overabundance of social demand, too rapid industrial development, excessive credit and money supply, excessive price increases, and obvious signs of economic disorder."

Wei Dong's lips moved but he didn't say anything; he didn't actually understand the macro-level implications.

People laughed and said, "But you've been working on this very situation for the past few years, promoting the private sector to solve these problems, increasing the supply of products and materials, reducing the burden on state-owned assets, stabilizing commodity prices, and most importantly, developing foreign trade to alleviate the problems. This move was better than I expected."

With such a large-scale situation and so many experts involved, it's impossible that no one had anticipated it.

But no one can actually do it.

This reminded Wei Dong of his explanation of GATT: "When I was in Silicon Valley negotiating with computer companies, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) became particularly important. I defined myself and even the relatively backward inland industries as the world's factory. As long as we can join the GATT and remove the restrictions on our foreign trade, all industries in China, from leading to lagging, can find their respective positions in this world factory."

Perhaps no one in the 1980s could have imagined that mainland China would develop into the world's largest manufacturing country across all categories in just twenty years.

The reaction must have been a bit surprising, right?

"For example, let me give you an example. Our county-level and prefecture-level city-level factories produce enamel basins, foam sandals, and plastic slippers. You might think that we are very backward and need to develop and improve. But actually, these products can be sold in underdeveloped third-world countries. The key is how to sell them!"

Wei Dong's confidence only made him laugh: "You know how to sell to third-world countries?"

Unexpectedly, Wei Dong shook his head: "I don't know. I only know that I do business with Apple. But when I went to the Tokyo World Expo to investigate, I encountered such business opportunities. As long as we obtain permission from the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and as long as we do not restrict private merchants from legally doing business, there are plenty of people who will try to find sales channels."

The other person was also very perceptive: "Are you alluding to the case of the Anhui-Zhejiang foreign trade tycoon?"

Wei Dong waved his hand and told him to get to the bottom of things: "I have no connection with him, but more than a year ago, his company made money and bought ten 212s from Chaoping Auto through my salesperson as a sales bonus. At that time, I had someone observe his business. After all, we are both private enterprises, and I definitely wanted to see if there was anything I could learn from his approach."

Then I went straight to the conclusion: "I certainly don't know the specific scale and details of his industry, but his interception of foreign exchange and tax evasion are enough to warrant an investigation. He deserves it. But the key is to see whether his foreign trade business is good or bad for the country, in order to decide whether to encourage this practice or to make an example of him to prevent others from doing so. We cannot let his personal illegal behavior affect everyone's confidence in foreign trade."

He listened and slowly began to speak: "Foreign trade... the results you've achieved together are indeed remarkable. It's August now. In the past year, we've also worked together to stabilize real estate prices and prioritize the adjustment of heavy-duty trucks over passenger vehicles. There are still a lot of debates... but we are firmly working towards the direction we believe in."

Wei Dong didn't understand the meaning of "August," but he felt the atmosphere was a bit heavy, so he took the initiative to bring up the matter of dragging the old aircraft carrier out to hold the Penghu-Hong Kong-Macau three-way basketball tournament.

If there were a third person here, they would definitely think you're crazy, why are you talking to someone of this level?

Even this guy almost stood on end when he heard this: "You brat, you're just messing around!"

Wei Dong spent over ten years with the retired Old Shi, and he gained some experience from watering and planting flowers every day.

Adopting a frontline stance: "What else can we do? Those gambling debts are just a pretext; the main issue is the excessive involvement of Hong Kong and Macau triads in economic life."

So they laughed instead: "You're rough around the edges but meticulous at heart. This is like charging into battle with a bomb on your back. Try to avoid doing things that could involve your life in the future. You already have a lot of economic leadership responsibilities, and I don't want to see you break the law for trivial matters. You're still young, and doing something outrageous like this once in a while is harmless, but don't develop the bad habit of solving problems this way all the time!"

Wei Dong then pretended to listen attentively and said okay.

But this certainly raises the question: "Is it really necessary to spend so much money to build a basketball arena in Hong Kong?"

Wei Dong's explanation changed again: "I've definitely had a lot of contact with people from Hong Kong this year. Mr. Fang called me over to work on the docks and containers. Container ships and gantry cranes have already started construction in Shanghai. All of this indicates a direction: the mainland will become more and more open, and there will be more and more foreign trade ports. In addition to Shanghai and Shenzhen, there will be more ports and terminals participating."

It was so clear that people immediately became more focused and listened intently.

Wei Dong can now "claim" to be an expert on Hong Kong, just like how he dared to come back to Jiangzhou and boast about the city's future plans after only visiting Hong Kong once.

Now he is undoubtedly a high-level player: "Anyone with a little strategic vision can see that Hong Kong's prosperity is due to its control of almost the only foreign trade channel. Because our other ports are not recognized as commercial ports by the World Trade Organization, if we can secure a tariff agreement, it will inevitably lead to a huge leap forward for the coastal provinces, including the Pengzhen West District Wharf, which can become a backbone of foreign trade, even if it takes a little longer."

It was 1987. The whole country was looking forward to Hong Kong's advanced prosperity, because Hong Kong films and TV dramas showed audiences across the country that vibrant capitalist city.

As a result, Wei Dong was already considering what would happen after the mainland prospered.
"Your suggestion can serve as a warning."

Wei Dong was certain: "The upper and middle classes will see this change."

As Wei Dong said these words, he also thought about the rules that Cheng Lang had mentioned.

I'm strong and healthy, what am I afraid of? It might even affect my marriage. Uh, what does it matter to me if something happens to my wife...

Moreover, this isn't just a random leak; it's all "derived" from the current situation.

A logical and predictable situation.

So how could the listener not take it seriously? His previous seriousness and smile vanished, and he even rested his chin on his hand, looking at her gently: "So you want to try a new possibility?"

Wei Dong nodded deeply: "What are Hong Kong's advantages? It is an international free port and indeed a great place for shopping and connecting with the outside world. If it was the only entrepot trade node for the mainland for the past few decades and became extremely wealthy, could it become a service center for shopping and tourism for the national masses as it gradually develops?"

He gestured and said, "Of course they are unwilling. They want to be a financial center and a wealth center. They can't let go of their past glory. But reality will eventually teach them a lesson. Since I went to Hong Kong, I hope to find a backup path that can help with a smooth transition in ten years and also help with the transformation, without affecting the overall situation or becoming a burden on the mainland. I will try to create a situation where sports and culture flourish and the city shines in East Asia and Southeast Asia as a sports, culture and entertainment capital."

In fact, these kinds of words are quite common 30 or 40 years later.

Even in tiny third-, fourth-, or fifth-tier inland cities, development zones need to figure out their positioning just to survive.

But in 1987 it was too ahead of its time. At that time, the whole country was thinking about how to control the price level and whether to liberalize the prices of meat, vegetables, eggs and sugar.

Wei Dong is already helping HK figure out its positioning.

And who gave him that qualification?

But extraordinary people are extraordinary. Instead, the person opposite smiled and applauded, saying, "Shanghai's positioning is to become an international metropolis open to the outside world, a comprehensive metropolis. So this time, I hope you can effectively lay a solid foundation for the automotive industry chain and get things sorted out as soon as possible."

Wei Dong dared to disagree: "It won't be that fast. The physical distance of crossing the ocean alone determines that the automotive industry chain will have a gradual process. Of course, during this period I will mainly stay in Shanghai, focusing on the construction of container ships, quay cranes and port machinery, and the Cherokee industry chain in Beijing. I will definitely not be running around."

Unexpectedly, he shook his head: "Two months, two and a half months at most. Something has to come out. You figure it out yourself!"

Wei Dongcai suddenly realized that three years ago he had gone to Beijing with Jiangzhou City for a meeting in October, and now all the important meetings were held around October.

So he agreed, even though he wasn't quite sure what he could do.

Having spent forty years at the grassroots level within the system, Wei Dong still understands the significance of these celebratory project milestones.

Sometimes missing such an important juncture is a completely different matter.

Just like Olympic athletes, their age and peak performance are sometimes a matter of fate; if they miss that point, they're nothing.

Anyway, provide and explain all the photos you took of the international community, Apple's contract manufacturer, and the automotive supply chain command center.

After letting Wei Dong walk along the Bund, I suddenly remembered that the Asian Championships mentioned by the Basketball Association were also scheduled to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, at the end of October.

Does this mean I won't be able to go to the event?
(End of this chapter)