America: My Time

Chapter 235 Cathay Pacific
Chapter 235 Cathay Pacific

With John's current funds in Hong Kong, can he complete the acquisition of these numerous assets? Yes, without any problem. Yuan Tianfan had already calculated this. Pacific Investment has also made considerable gains in this stock market fluctuation, and as long as there is demand in Hong Kong, new funds will be invested soon.

Swire Group is unwilling to give up Cathay Pacific, but the current situation doesn't allow them to do as they please. Pacific Investment Corporation (PIC) is indeed powerless against Cathay Pacific because it's not a listed company. However, Swire Group is different. If other British companies compromise, can Swire Group withstand PIC's relentless attacks? If PIC were a Hong Kong company, everything would be easier; they could leverage the Hong Kong government to force it to relinquish control. But PIC is backed by US capital, which creates a major problem.

The Hong Kong government has intervened before, such as in the case of Hong Kong Telecom, which provoked a fierce counterattack from the other side. The Hong Kong government cannot continue to be an enemy of the other side for the sake of Swire Group. Therefore, without the help of other British-funded conglomerates, it will be difficult for Swire Group to compete with Pacific Investment on its own. Once Swire Group's capital chain breaks, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Seeing that Swire Group had not responded for a long time, Yuan Tianfan smiled calmly and said, "You all have two more days to consider. As long as it takes this time, we can still do business. Of course, if it drags on and the exchange rate changes again, then our business will be based on the latest exchange rate."

At this point, Yuan Tianfan was not in a hurry. He had plenty of time to fight with Swire Group, because the initiative had always been in the hands of Pacific Investment. Swire Group's situation was not ideal. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Swire Group, and their market value would fluctuate more.

“When it’s time to make a decision, make a decision. There’s no need to worry too much. If Cathay Pacific is abandoned, so be it. If there are problems on the US side, Swire will be in big trouble. You should know the current situation in the US. Don’t give them a chance!” At this point, HSBC had to persuade Swire Group to avoid delaying the transaction further, which would affect HSBC itself and the entire British conglomerate.

"Alright, I agree to your demands, but you must cease all actions against Swire Group once the transaction is completed!"

"That's natural, and we won't back down on that. Once the deal is done, everything targeting you will end. Pacific Investment will back down, and the US and Japan will also back down. However, we can only guarantee that we won't intervene ourselves. Even the others are beyond our control. After all, you've dragged this out for too long, and the exchange rate in Hong Kong has attracted more attention, which is beyond our control!"

Although it was only a day, it brought about tremendous changes in the entire financial market. More international speculative capital set its sights on the Hong Kong exchange rate, because the changes in Hong Kong this time were too great, and the exchange rate fell too quickly, attracting a group of greedy people.

“Mr. Yuan, if there are no problems on your side, our transaction can begin. Hongkong Land, Wheelock and Jardine Matheson are all prepared!” These three Hong Kong property companies did not want to delay any longer. They were worried that the property market would continue to decline, and even a day could be a significant challenge and a huge loss for them.

"If HSBC and Standard Chartered have no problems, then we have no problems either. I have full authorization from my boss for this acquisition!"

“Mr. Yuan, Standard Chartered has no problem, but we have a small request and hope you can cooperate!”

"Oh, what request? As long as it doesn't put me in a difficult position, I'm happy to help!"

"I hope Pacific Investment can announce the acquisition in a positive light and officially announce that you will convert your US dollars into Hong Kong dollars." As soon as the Standard Chartered tycoon finished speaking, Sir Michael Sandberg's eyes lit up. If Pacific Investment stepped forward at this moment, it would definitely alleviate their own predicament, reduce the pressure on the bank, and at the same time leave the other party with no chance to back out!
"Okay, I agree to this condition, but I can't guarantee whether it will be effective!"

With the acquisition agreement between Pacific Investment and the British consortium reached, Yuan Tianfan told his boss in front of everyone about the situation in Hong Kong: "Boss, the acquisition is complete, but the other party hopes that we can step in to stabilize the situation!"

“Okay, now that the acquisition of Hong Kong is complete, Japan will also withdraw, and the United States will also withdraw. The real estate will be taken over by Oriental Mandarin, and Cathay Pacific’s Gulfstream in the United States will soon send people to take over. You should reassure people that there will be no major changes to Cathay Pacific, and everything will remain the same.”

Although everything was going according to plan, the acquisition of Cathay Pacific was just a spur-of-the-moment idea for John, and he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly, or for HSBC and Swire to cooperate so readily. Upon hearing John's reply, the British consortium in Hong Kong breathed a sigh of relief. Although they all deeply resented John's opportunistic behavior, they had no choice but to compromise. They were currently in a weaker position, facing a well-funded enemy; only compromise offered them a chance of survival.

The next day, when Pacific Investment, together with HSBC and Standard Chartered, reached a settlement on the previous matter and Pacific Investment converted its holdings of US dollars into Hong Kong dollars, the entire Hong Kong market was shaken. The share prices of Standard Chartered and HSBC, which had been affected, stabilized instantly.

However, at this point, they suddenly discovered that Hongkong Land, Wheelock and Jardine Matheson's real estate in Hong Kong were beginning to be transferred to Oriental Culture Group. Only then did they understand why Pacific Investment had chosen to support HSBC and Standard Chartered, because they had truly reached a settlement and the previous acquisitions had been completed.

The most shocking event was the change of ownership of Cathay Pacific. Pacific Investment actually took over Cathay Pacific, which shocked a group of Chinese tycoons in Hong Kong and was also shocked by Pacific Investment's actions. In just a few days, the British consortium was forced to compromise, which shows how powerful the other party's financial resources are. It also made them realize that Pacific Investment was behind the changes in the Hong Kong stock market.

After Pacific Investment and Oriental Mandarin Group took over all the assets, the British consortium's stock price stabilized and was no longer affected by speculative capital. At this point, everyone understood that it was all Pacific Investment's calculation. This American-funded company defeated the British capital on its own and took everything they wanted.

"What impressive methods, what brilliant strategies! Perhaps they had already laid a trap, waiting for the British conglomerate to walk right into their trap. In just a short time, they seized British assets in Hong Kong and even made a fortune from the exchange rate. Amazing! They are truly a powerful force crossing the river!"

"Yes, even HSBC and Standard Chartered had to compromise and admit defeat. Their methods are beyond our imagination. We don't know what kind of impact this powerful dragon from across the river will have on Hong Kong!"

"This is something we cannot stop. Even British capital had to compromise, and we have no power to stop this guy. At least we cannot show hostility before he shows hostility. It's just that the ideas of those who want to fight British capitalism are going to fall through. Even HSBC had to compromise. It's impossible to get more assets with the help of HSBC. These assets have all fallen into the hands of this powerful dragon crossing the river."

"I wonder if the Mandarin Oriental Group will get involved in real estate. If they do, it won't be good for us real estate developers, since their investments in Japanese real estate are expanding like crazy!"

"No, he doesn't have that much energy. Japan's real estate market is far more powerful than Hong Kong's. He wouldn't abandon his core business for something else. Besides, he doesn't have such a foundation in Hong Kong. At most, he's just taking over those properties from British capital."

However, not everyone sees it that way. John's rapid expansion in Hong Kong has naturally caused unease among some Hong Kong tycoons, especially the real estate moguls. They are all extremely nervous, especially now that Hong Kong is not in such a predicament. They are even more worried that John, this powerful dragon crossing the river, might have something to do with their assets.

It can only be said that these people are overthinking things. John doesn't have such thoughts or that much energy. All he wants is the British assets in Hong Kong, not the entire Hong Kong real estate market. He's not that crazy, nor does he dare to have such crazy ideas. Although he won this battle against the British, he also paid a heavy price.

Continuing to expand at this point would not be a good thing. This acquisition alone would take the Cultural Oriental Group a long time to digest, and it was time for this battle to end. After speaking with Yuan Tianfan, John understood that the layout in Hong Kong was complete. Although there were still some finishing touches, these would be handled by professionals, and John did not need to get involved.

Not only has the matter in Hong Kong come to an end, but John's many affairs in Japan have also come to a close. What remains are professional matters and there is no need for me to handle them myself. Although I still have many ideas, it is not appropriate to continue now. Before seeing any benefits, any plans need to be put on hold for the time being.

Although John had confidence in Japanese real estate, as did Sanwa, Mitsui Fudosan, and Sony, they wouldn't continue to expand their investments until they saw profits. Even though the real estate storm had already formed in Japan, Sanwa, Mitsui Fudosan, and Sony would restrain themselves. At this point, John naturally didn't need to waste any more time and energy. It was time for him to leave Asia and deal with matters in Europe.

(End of this chapter)