America: My Time

Chapter 1139 The Impact of Cooperation

Chapter 1129 The Impact of Cooperation
"Mr. John, you mentioned a 'population advantage' in your conversation. Could you explain it to us? This is the first time we've heard of this term!" The Chinese personnel quickly changed the subject, because their visit to John wasn't solely for this cooperation; they had other purposes and wanted to learn more from him!
"The demographic advantage is easy to understand; it's the benefit of a large population. Japan's rapid development is partly due to their hard work and dedication, but more importantly, it's because of their demographic advantage. This allowed them to develop rapidly when opportunities arose, and South Korea is currently experiencing a similar situation. However, Japan's situation has changed. This demographic advantage is disappearing, and without it, Japan's development will inevitably be affected, leading to economic stagnation. Of course, this situation is related to their economy. Their aggressive real estate development has indeed enabled rapid growth, but the overheated real estate market has also become a crisis. The reason we entrepreneurs invest in China is because we see China's huge population advantage—a market that's hard to resist!"

John was well aware of the situation in Japan, and Japan itself was also aware of it. However, it was too late for them to make changes now. Moreover, those guys were too prone to gambling, so they would act rashly in a moment of passion, whether in the economy or in technological research and development. Furthermore, after the bubble burst, Japan's manufacturing industry was flowing out of the country, which was the biggest problem.

Of course, this isn't just a problem for Japan; the US is facing the same issue. The outflow of manufacturing has become the final straw for them. Rising labor costs are a disaster for any country—the British, the US, Europe, and now Japan. Perhaps it won't be long before South Korea follows suit.

John had mentioned the issue of labor costs before, but unfortunately, no one in the US listened. After all, these guys only care about votes and don't care about this point. Moreover, the US has so many illegal immigrants, who become cheap labor, but this doesn't solve the problem at its root.

Later, when Americans realized their own danger and the emptiness of their manufacturing industry, they frantically tried to bring manufacturing back. However, the situation in the United States was not enough to entice those conglomerates. The United States had more than just labor costs; workers were another major problem. This was true not only in the United States but also in Europe.

"Mr. John, India also has a large population, but it seems that your companies don't invest much there? Is there some other reason for this?"

Hearing this, John nodded with a wry smile and said, “That’s right, there are indeed many reasons. If we’re talking about my companies, only Asia Energy has invested in India, specifically the Mangala oil field. Unfortunately, these guys have absolutely no integrity. Asia Energy had only just confirmed the existence and scale of the oil field when these guys came knocking on our door wanting to discuss acquisition. Do you think such integrity is worth our investment? We originally thought these guys would change, so we invested with a try-it-out mentality, but now it seems they haven’t changed at all. Cooperating with these guys is like courting death. Integrity is a big problem, and the laxity of the Indians is also a big problem. They’re not as hardworking as the Chinese.”

"But they have a huge market. Aren't you tempted by that market?"

"It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted, but no matter how tempted I was, I couldn't invest in a country that lacked integrity. It was a trap. Coca-Cola was scammed, and many people from other companies have been scammed as well. Who would dare to invest in such an environment? Even if there was a huge market, we wouldn't dare to go there."

John dared not invest in a country with no credibility and no integrity. The more he learned about the country's shamelessness, the less he would harbor any illusions. Moreover, after selling the Mangala oil field, Asian Energy withdrew completely from India immediately and stopped paying attention to these guys.

This time, no matter how much those Indian bastards swear, it won't work. Asian Energy will not participate in any Indian investments, and no matter how good the terms they offer, it won't be accepted. The market is indeed tempting, but you have to be able to actually make the money. For a bunch of dishonest guys, they will never let you get your money.

John understood how insidious and despicable the Indians were, so he wouldn't waste his time and energy. With so much time and energy, he might as well invest it in other countries. Among the many countries in Southeast Asia, all of them were far more trustworthy than the Indians. Moreover, John's focus in Asia was China, which was something he had decided long ago.

Although John wanted to say more, there were many things that couldn't be said at this moment. Saying too much would bring him considerable trouble. He knew that oil capitalists, led by Soros, had already begun planning for the Asian economic crisis, albeit discreetly. However, no matter how careful they were, they couldn't hide it from someone as observant as John. John had a complete grasp of their every move.

Given Soros's greed, he would inevitably make a move once he discovered the situation in various Asian countries. Therefore, John didn't need to do anything else; he only needed to quietly wait for everything to begin. Soon, Asian Energy signed a cooperation agreement with China, and shortly after the contract was signed, Kazakhstan began to take action to build an oil pipeline to China. This project shocked the entire European Union, the United States, and even Russia.

Good heavens! Upon seeing the details of this project, everyone gasped. It was clear that all the production capacity of the oil and gas fields was to be transported to China via pipelines, and China was making preparations. As for Asian Energy's involvement in the Kashagan oil field, no one paid any attention to it.

At this point, the Koreans were getting desperate. They were still trying to persuade Asia Energy to restart the undersea oil pipeline project, but before they could even take action, Asia Energy and China had already engaged in such a crazy collaboration. Moreover, Asia Energy was planning to transport their energy from Kazakhstan to China via an oil pipeline.

A smart person could see at a glance that John was perfecting his strategy and eliminating the biggest hidden danger in Asian energy: dependence on Middle Eastern oil. Once this step was completed, the entire layout of Asian energy in China would be revitalized, with no more hidden dangers, and it would be able to take full control of its own destiny.

This is madness. When this happened, some people laughed, while others worried. The guys from Sejri naturally laughed. They saw John's wariness of the Middle East in this project, and for them, as long as John's relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoons had even the slightest problem, that would be their opportunity.

"Gentlemen, as you all know, Asia Energy has a presence in China, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. If their plans succeed, Asia Energy's petrochemical plants in China will no longer be subject to others and will have ample raw materials. Don't you think this is our opportunity to make a move?"

"No, it's too early to act now. Although everyone understands Asia Energy's strategy, this project has only just begun. If we act now, it will only provoke a counterattack, and we might accidentally get ourselves involved!"

“That’s right. Right now, there’s really nothing we can do. We even have to help Asian Energy and shield them from pressure from all sides, especially from the United States. We can’t let anyone stop this project from moving forward. Only if this project succeeds can we create a rift in John’s relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoons. Without John’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil, how long do you think their cooperation can last? You know, those guys in the Middle East are wary of John.”

"Yes, if they hadn't done this, we really wouldn't have had a chance to disrupt their cooperation. Now John has already taken action and is working on improving energy in Asia. As for Europe and the United States, they are not a problem. After all, John's original plan was to place the petrochemical industry in Asia, not in Europe and the United States."

"Alright, all we need to do now is maintain the status quo and prevent any problems from arising in this project. We won't get involved in anything else. Under these circumstances, doing nothing is better than causing trouble. I believe those Middle Eastern tycoons are getting even more nervous now, since it won't be long before John, that little fox, no longer needs their energy."

"That's not the case. Even if John has completed his plans, there will still be a demand for Middle Eastern oil. His refineries in Southeast Asia also need oil, not to mention the situation in Europe and the United States!"

"No way, John isn't really planning to build oil refineries and petrochemical plants in Europe, is he? I've never heard of such a plan." At this moment, someone couldn't help but exclaim. They knew that if such a plan existed, it would have a significant impact on them. These guys didn't want John's relationship with the Middle Eastern tycoons to continue, as that would be a disaster and a threat to them. So they didn't want to see such a situation happen!
(End of this chapter)