Return to Hong Kong Island for a Century

Chapter 440 Exchange Conditions (5000)

"A million computers? I doubt even Western countries could sell that many," someone remarked.

The reason for this is that computers are very expensive nowadays.

The IBM 5150 personal computer, launched in 1981, was priced at $2880 and was one of the most well-known personal computers at the time.

Other high-end computers at the same time, such as the Xerox Star 8010, were priced as high as $17000.

One million computers, even at the lowest price of $2880, would amount to $28 billion.

"It shouldn't be just a computer."

"Li Song mentioned last time that there are computers, mobile phones, and other communication devices, as well as automated control and CNC equipment."

“I think we might as well be a little bolder, because Li Song and his team’s assessments are always rather conservative.”

"BMW motorcycles exported 18 units last month, and by the end of this year, exports will be at least 20 units per month."

"There are still tens of thousands of orders backing up for BMW, and the highest monthly shipment is only 7000 vehicles."

"Several manufacturers that outsourced the production of vans gradually increased their production capacity."

The leaders were discussing it amongst themselves.

As for the trade negotiations with Aramco, we'll have to wait for Aramco's response tomorrow.

Just as the leaders were about to adjourn after their meeting, Guangzhou sent in new information.

The main point is that Li Song decided to authorize BMW cars.

Upon seeing this news, the top leader asked, "What approach do you think we should take? Should we have Li Song and his team invest their technology and capital to establish a joint venture, or should we simply have them invest their technology?"

“My suggestion is to establish a joint venture!” a leader said.

"Yes, Li Song and his team's management model is very effective."

"Those who are willing to work will earn more money, and those who are unwilling will be transferred to other factories."

"We must face the problems of state-owned enterprises. It is unrealistic to expect large-scale changes, but we can change one at a time."

“You said they’re investing foreign capital, which gives us a perfect excuse.” The leaders present unanimously agreed with Li Song’s investment of foreign technology and capital.

Of course, things like purchasing equipment involve kickbacks at every level; otherwise, it would be impossible to pass the review.

Moreover, you'll find that these devices, after being left unused for two years, go directly from brand new to scrap.

These scraps were then sold at high prices to private factories through certain individuals.

Anyway, such things happen all the time.

"Then let's vote by raising hands. Those who agree with Li Song and his team's joint venture, please raise your hands!" the main leader said.

Everyone raised their hands, with only a few people not raising their hands.

"Another point is Li Zhong's views on joining the GATT. Let's take a look first, and then we'll discuss it further later," the leader added.

The other leaders nodded.

As for the cargo ship, it was not discussed at this meeting.

The news about the cargo ship was only communicated to a small group of leaders.

However, this information cannot be discussed at the moment because we do not know what exactly is on the cargo ship.

The leaders who received the information were very excited because they remembered what the cargo ship had brought back last time.

When the leaders had a full understanding of the power and influence of the people behind Li Song.

Everyone knows how powerful Fat Bear's intelligence network was during this period.

Please refrain from discussing this matter for now, and wait for Lee Jong-suk to provide more detailed information before proceeding.

Li Song was in Guangzhou looking at the bounties he hadn't yet completed on the second-hand platform.

Aside from the chips and related basic components that we're going to bring out this time, there's also 160.

The rest consisted of some grain crops, as well as hybrid pigs, cattle, and sheep, and some cash crops.

These take a relatively long time; some plants take up to 18 months, while the delivery cycle for pigs, cattle, and sheep can reach 24 months.

Because Li Song is demanding the traditional hybridization breeding method, not the gene culture that will be popular in 2080.

The key to hybridization breeding is selecting the right parents.

Just like hybrid rice, it was also developed from wild rice seeds.

Moreover, not all wild rice seeds can achieve the results of hybrid rice.

Yuan Longping discovered a wild rice seed in Hainan and found that hybridization yielded excellent results.

Second-hand hybrid seeds also need to be hybridized from parent seeds.

The process is not complicated; it's just that plants need time to grow.

Of course, Li Song didn't overlook soybeans either.

There are also fertilizers and pesticides.

In the 89s and 10s, many foreign biotechnology companies, under the guise of cooperation, donated money and equipment to domestic research institutions.

We have a pretty good understanding of the properties of the land in China, including its pH level, soil structure, and microbial community.

Because of these, these biotech companies can produce very suitable fertilizers.

This is still in the early stages.

Later on, seed companies and fertilizer companies joined forces.

If you want to use seeds from certain companies, you need to use their special fertilizers.

Because seed companies sometimes introduce genetic defects when producing seeds.

Specialized fertilizers contain formulations that target this genetic defect.

If you don't use its special fertilizer, your crops will at least not yield up to standard, or even suffer from various diseases and pests.

Especially with vegetables, if you don't buy their special fertilizer, the vegetables you grow won't look appealing, and they might not even achieve the desired results.

For example, if you grow cauliflower but don't use chemical fertilizers, your cauliflower won't grow well, or it might not grow at all.

The cabbages you grow won't wrap tightly.

Not to mention that some seed companies use even more underhanded methods, such as putting other things in the seeds.

If you plant his seeds on this land, and then plant other people's seeds on it, all sorts of problems will arise.

This is because its seeds leave certain substances in the soil during the growth process.

It can even disrupt the entire microbial community environment of the land.

Sometimes farmers in certain regions find that their seeds have various problems, which is because seed companies are conducting trials.

Of course, these seeds are not sold by the seed company itself, but through third parties or covert channels. When the farmers grow them and have no harvest, they have no one to compensate them.

This is what seed companies do when they conduct experiments. Although seed companies also conduct their own experiments, there are still some differences between large-scale planting and their own field trials.

The same applies to animal husbandry; they deliberately tamper with the genes of pigs, cattle, and sheep so that you can only make money by using their feed.

If you don't use his feed, your livestock won't grow at all, and they might even get all sorts of diseases because of genetic defects.

The consequences of genetic defects are severe; at the very least, they can lead to stunted growth.

That shows how powerful capital is.

However, these things should be done gradually, because fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides have already been monopolized by capital overseas.

To compete with these companies abroad, we still need to rely on China's huge population base and market.

China has a large population, and there is no problem in ensuring the food supply for people, but there is still a significant shortage of grain for animal feed.

The only way to counter this is through the market.

Li Song looked at the bounty on the second-hand platform; for the time being, he had nothing to do.

Now it all depends on the progress of the negotiations between the higher authorities and Amei. The next day, Li Song arrived in Shanghai and then received instructions from the higher authorities.

That is, Yum! Brands used BMW's technology and capital to invest, taking a 49% stake, to establish a new joint venture car factory.

As for the specific number of car manufacturers involved, the higher authorities are still discussing it.

Li Song could roughly guess that the Northeast and Shanghai were definitely among the places involved.

The remaining ones will likely choose a location in mainland China.

The main consideration is the industrial chain.

Li Song also had something to do: organize the content of the game consoles and then prepare to apply for copyright.

The higher authorities negotiated with Aramco's trade delegation, and the two sides went back and forth.

Good news came a few days later: Dongfang opened up the civil aviation passenger aircraft market. However, the Chang'an 201 still needs to obtain airworthiness certificates and flight permits from Europe and Aramco.

Boeing's stock price surged as a result of this news.

Meanwhile, Europe also became anxious and dispatched a trade and economic team to the East.

Now, the two sides are not talking about politics at all, but directly about economic cooperation.

Then a Chang'an 201 obtained a special airworthiness certificate and was ready to fly to Europe!

The aircraft was flying to Europe to apply for an airworthiness certificate and flight permit.

At this time, Li Song was already in Hong Kong Island, so he personally received the pilot and related staff of the plane at the Hong Kong Island airport.

Meanwhile, many media outlets on Hong Kong Island were taking photos around the airport.

This marks the first time the Chang'an 201 has landed on Hong Kong Island. Although two domestic airlines already operate under Beijing Airlines, neither of them fly international routes.

Because the Chang'an 201 has not obtained airworthiness certificates and flight permits from Europe and Aramco, it cannot land on Hong Kong Island. It is currently holding a special airworthiness certificate.

The plane stopped on Hong Kong Island for an hour and a half before flying to London.

Everything was arranged in London long ago.

After Li Song left the airport, many reporters surrounded him.

Because these reporters are too eager to advance their careers and too eager to win bonuses.

Li Song hasn't given any interviews for a long time recently, which resulted in everyone not receiving much of their bonuses last month.

Li Song's fleet now consists entirely of BMW SUVs that he built himself. Li Song's current SUV is a custom-made vehicle that is bulletproof.

Li Song's security team is divided into two layers. The first layer is Anjie Security, and the second layer is the people Li Song recruited himself. These people all live around Chang'an and have elderly and young families.

These families have already achieved a comfortable standard of living ahead of time. Every household has built a house and owns a motorcycle, and most of their family members have been assigned to work at the Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant.

After the bodyguards got out of the car, the reporters knew that Li Song was going to be interviewed.

"Mr. Li, what is your opinion on the rise in Boeing's stock price?" a reporter asked directly.

"Boeing's strategy is sound. The East is currently in dire need of commercial airliners, especially excellent ones." Li Song felt quite relieved at the thought that Boeing's shareholders would probably be crying in a few days.

Because Parkson has established a wholly-owned international logistics subsidiary, the mainland branch of this subsidiary will sign a contract with McDonnell Douglas to purchase dozens of aircraft.

Of course, this information is kept confidential for now.

Boeing is now celebrating the arrival of its aircraft in the Eastern market.

However, it was unexpected that the negotiations between the Eastern side did not specify Boeing aircraft.

Therefore, purchasing McDonnell Douglas aircraft does not violate the agreement between the two parties at all.

Moreover, once this order is placed, people will naturally speak well of McDonnell Douglas.

Because it's all about interests.

"Furthermore, I personally have no objection to the negotiations between the East and Ami!"

"And as I've said in previous interviews, competition is what drives progress!"

"However, if Aramco's commercial airliners are to enter the Eastern market, the prices will probably have to be adjusted," Li Song deliberately said, referring to Aramco's commercial airliners.

Upon hearing this, the reporter asked, "Mr. Li, aren't you afraid that Boeing's aircraft will dominate the Eastern market?"

"As you know, sometimes cheap things don't sell well, while expensive things sell better!"

Li Song chuckled upon hearing this: "Anyway, our Chang'an Aircraft Manufacturing Plant will just do its best and leave everything else to the market!"

"Mr. Li, there are rumors that you have applied for some copyrights. May I ask what kind of copyrights they are?" another reporter asked.

"No comment!" Upon returning to Hong Kong, Li Song handed over all the copyrights to Zhang Dehua, including classic games like Super Mario, Contra, Battle City, Raiden, Tetris, and more.

It also includes arcade content such as Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and King of Fighters.

"Mr. Li, does your company have any plans to acquire Land Rover and Jaguar?" a reporter asked.

"After our company acquires these two brands, we will start a manufacturing plant in London!"

“We will build Land Rover into a high-end off-road vehicle brand, and Jaguar into a high-end sports car brand.”

"Our company, Parkson, possesses complete technological and manufacturing capabilities." Li Song wondered if the reporter had any other reason for asking this question.

Because Volkswagen attempted to disrupt Yum! Brands' acquisition of the two brands through public opinion.

Although Li Song has already severed ties with his connections, in the West, public opinion is a very important battleground.

"Does your company have any plans? How much are you prepared to invest?" the reporter pressed on.

Li Song was already prepared and said, "Yum! is prepared to invest at least £1 million. Our goal is to make Land Rover and Jaguar global high-end luxury brands."

Li Song did indeed plan to invest £1 million to build a factory in London, but not in the current model; instead, it would be a highly automated factory.

In other words, the automated equipment in this factory is all manufactured in mainland China.

This means making extensive use of robotic arms and CNC equipment.

Upon hearing Li Song mention one hundred million pounds, the reporters quickly took notes.

£1 million is roughly $2.5 million, which is already a huge investment.

However, the reporters weren't satisfied because Li Song didn't say anything else today.

How could Li Song, with his big mouth, not say something eye-catching? What would happen to their bonuses?
“Mr. Li, the House of Representatives in America has passed a car bill, and the Senate will vote on it soon.”

"What's your opinion on this matter?" the reporter asked again.

"Hehe, as I said before, there must be competition for progress."

"Tell me loudly, how many years has Ford been around!" Li Song knew pretty well what these reporters were asking, so he decided to launch a tirade.

Ford was founded in 1903 and has a history of 78 years.

One reporter immediately replied, "78!"

"Then how long did it take for the first internal combustion engine locomotive to be built?" Li Song asked again.

A reporter raised his hand and answered, "I know that. The first automobile was invented and patented by German engineer Karl Benz on January 29, 1886."

"It has a history of 95 years now!"

Li Song was satisfied with the answer and then said, "This is the first time BMW has adopted driver and passenger airbags across its entire model range!"

"The combustion efficiency of BMW car engines can reach 30 percent."

"Then why is it that BMW has been able to do things that Ford couldn't do, and things that German automakers couldn't do, in just two years?"

"Is it really that they can't do it? Or is there some other reason?"

"I expect that Aramco's three major car manufacturers will be able to produce car engines that are better than those of BMW."

"Instead of using political means to monopolize the market and allow one's own car company to develop in a comfort zone."

"Because this harms the interests of our customers!" After Li Song finished speaking, he looked at the reporters present and noticed that they suddenly became excited.

(End of this chapter)