America: My Time

Chapter 1080 Accelerating the Layout
Chapter 1070 Accelerating the Laying Out
John and the Middle Eastern prince concluded their conversation in a friendly exchange, with both sides receiving satisfactory responses and feeling relieved. However, this incident also heightened their vigilance.

John and the Middle Eastern tycoon had no intention of hiding anything. After all, there was no point in trying to cover it up. At this moment, countless eyes were watching John and the Middle Eastern tycoon. Their every move was being watched by those with ulterior motives. Rather than hiding it, it was better to be open and aboveboard, which would make those guys worry more and put more pressure on them.

With the big boss giving the order, Paramount Pictures naturally had no problem and quickly approved the project. Everyone from top to bottom took their boss's requirements very seriously; if they didn't do well, their future would be bleak. However, John wasn't focused on this matter right now, but rather on his investments in China. John had quite a few investments in Shanghai. Some people had initially thought John's previous requests were problematic, given the large amount of land he had acquired back then. But with each expansion, land in the area had become scarce.

"Mr. John, rest assured, we will approve the land application soon this time, and it will not affect your company's development." This time, John proposed more land to increase semiconductor chip production. He has so many lithography machines, and he doesn't want them to be idle. Moreover, he does indeed have this much demand.

"We have been cooperating for so long, and I naturally trust your integrity. However, the leveling process is still a bit slow. Bentley has completed the acquisition of Nissan, and the demand for both chips and parts has increased exponentially. In Asia, we will focus on China, and even Japan will source all the parts from here. So this is no small matter. I originally thought it would take some more time, but now there has been a sudden change, and I can only ask for your help."

John's words were very pleasant to hear. Although China now values ​​investors highly, it's rare to find one as unassuming as John. He was also easy to get along with, making few demands, and even bought the land himself, which earned him a lot of good relationships in China. The contrast is striking; comparing other investors to John provides a clear picture.

"Mr. John, please rest assured, we will definitely advance the construction schedule before ensuring quality. After all, we need the business to operate so we can generate tax revenue and promote further development. However, there is one question I've never understood: many people are unwilling to spend more on labor, let alone build employee housing. Why are you doing this? Many people think you're obsessed with real estate!"

In fact, those who know John know that although his investments in China are astonishing, his expenditures on real estate are also astonishing. Moreover, John is different from others. While others want apartment buildings, John prefers courtyard houses, old Western-style houses from the Republic of China era, and some dilapidated old houses. This has puzzled many people. As for employee housing, this is something that many investors have not done. It should be noted that John has invested a lot in this area in China.

"This is just my personal opinion. I prefer the feeling of being down-to-earth and don't like those tall buildings. Something old is better, it has an artistic feel!" John never said that he knew how amazing these properties would become in the future. Now that they were so cheap, he would be doing a disservice to his chance to travel through time if he didn't buy them.

Many people don't see anything wrong with John's words, given his well-known desire for real estate and land. Following the exposure of his acquisitions in the US, many know of his global reach, with his farms alone being enormous, and his investments in Southeast Asia substantial. Some in the US are now suggesting John could become one of the world's new grain traders, even though his investments haven't yet entered the mainstream market; he's essentially trading with Russia, engaging in barter trade.

Just as remarkable was John's strategy regarding the farms, his arrangements at the wineries were equally astounding. The change of ownership of Château Mouton Rothschild caused a significant stir in European and American circles, signifying the Rothschild family's submission. Who would dare underestimate someone who could command such respect from the Rothschilds? No one dared to even consider such a thing, and it was precisely this that earned John the genuine recognition of top European and American conglomerates. After all, no one wanted to become the next Rothschild.

“Actually, my company also does real estate business, but our development in China is mainly focused on commercial real estate. Perhaps we will choose to transform in a while!” John said this, which surprised the people in Shanghai. Then they remembered that the Mandarin Oriental Group was a real estate giant in Hong Kong, having directly acquired many properties in the UK. However, their development later changed, and they began to shift towards commercial real estate and expand overseas. Therefore, everyone had overlooked the fact that the other party was also a giant in the real estate industry.

"As long as Mr. John is interested in investing, Shanghai welcomes you. We will do everything in our power to provide you with the best investment environment!" John's investments in Shanghai are now greater than those in Beijing. For such a large investor, winning him over is naturally the priority. Moreover, John's investments don't present many problems or troubles; he operates entirely according to the rules and won't cause any trouble for the local area. Even if issues arise, everyone sits down and discusses them amicably. Among numerous investors, people like John are extremely rare, which is why he is so popular! He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world; this applies to business as well. Without popular support, how can one run a successful enterprise? At least, officials across China generally approve of John's investments, without many problems or unreasonable demands.

Of course, even the two major media groups, Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media, maintained a neutral stance, which is unheard of in Western media. This further solidified China's recognition of John, leading to the green light for numerous investments. John served as a calling card, demonstrating China's friendliness and openness to business. John's global influence was also crucial, given his status as a major American financial tycoon.

Although John's time in Hong Kong has been relatively short, his influence there is considerable. After all, he controls Standard Chartered Bank and has acquired assets from British conglomerates, making him arguably the largest conglomerate in Hong Kong. Furthermore, the establishment of a futures exchange is proceeding smoothly without any resistance from Hong Kong. The British also highly approve of this, recognizing it as a global strategic move, not just for Hong Kong.

Before John officially announced the plan, many people thought that the 'Intercontinental Exchange' was not a large-scale project. However, as everything unfolded, people realized that things were not like that at all. It was a complete plan, even with a supporting internet system, which forced everyone to re-examine John's plan.

The US (San Francisco), Japan (Osaka), South Korea (Seoul), Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the UK are all accelerating their expansion. If there are no problems in the UK, then there will naturally be no problems in Hong Kong. You should know that John and the UK are currently in a 'friendly' relationship, and the British don't want John, this major investor, to have any dissatisfaction.

Although John is very interested in the Chinese real estate market, he won't be participating in the residential property market for a long time. Instead, he will continue to expand his commercial real estate investments in China, such as hotels and shopping malls. After all, this is a highly profitable business; once you start, you can sit back and make money. The competition isn't fierce right now, so John doesn't think there will be any problems with his investments in this area, at least not for a long time.

During this period, as long as money was invested, it was a sure thing. Unlike other investors, many international brands cooperated with Hong Kong people before entering China, but John did not do that. Instead, he invested openly and honestly. Now it seems that the investment has yielded great results. John now has a lot of RMB in various companies in China, which he will naturally invest all of.

John's gas stations are now flourishing along the coast, and all the money he makes is invested in new construction. As for the refineries, needless to say, with cheap Russian oil, they have a greater cost advantage than other companies. It would be abnormal if they didn't make money!

However, John also has a concern: the exchange rate will drop again next year, and it's best if his companies don't have too much money on hand, otherwise they might suffer losses for no reason. This is one of the reasons John came to Shanghai: to increase investment and acquire more real estate. The acquisition of those old villas is also why some people have asked John about it. After all, John has acquired quite a few old villas, which naturally attracts some attention.

Of course, these people in Shanghai couldn't have imagined how valuable these old villas would become in the future; they were selling for dirt cheap now, at least that's how John saw it. And this was just the beginning. After John finished dealing with things here, he would take a trip to Suzhou and Hangzhou, leaving everything to Mi Xue. A person's energy is limited, and John didn't have that much time to oversee these matters. He only wanted to discuss large investments; these small investments weren't worth paying attention to, at least not to the people in Shanghai. Investing in factories was the priority; those old villas weren't of much interest to them.

(End of this chapter)