America: My Time

Chapter 358 The Ambition of the Koreans

Chapter 358 The Koreans' Ambition
"Mr. John, I wonder if you have any ideas about cooperating with China in the mining industry? Quantum Mining's technology has amazed us!"

"Should we establish a joint venture, or just cooperate on mining development? Or perhaps some other form of cooperation?" In fact, John had already begun to think about this issue when he discussed it with the Consul General in San Francisco, considering whether he could cooperate with China and how. John was not opposed to cooperation.

"Mr. John, which type of cooperation do you find acceptable?"

"Actually, I can accept either of them. There are advantages to establishing a joint venture, and there are advantages to mining development. It's just that they are different. However, there is one thing I need to clarify: Quantum Mining will not participate in the cooperation. Quantum Mining itself does not have the time or energy to continue to expand. Quantum Mining's layout will be difficult to continue to expand for a long time. It is difficult to support both the funding and manpower issues."

Upon hearing John's words, everyone was taken aback. They hadn't expected this outcome. Could their plans even be realized without cooperating with Quantum Mining? After all, Quantum Mining's exploration technology was exceptionally advanced, a fact widely acknowledged in the mining industry. With Freeport's operations, they had confirmed the existence of the Tolgoi copper-gold mine and the Tolgoi coal mine, and were discussing mining operations. This situation shocked the entire mining industry.

These are world-class mines. Such astonishing news has made many envious of the information Freeport holds. They believe these two mines alone are enough to bring them enormous profits, and some have even set their sights on obtaining the information. However, all of this has nothing to do with John, nor with Quantum Mining. Quantum Mining will no longer allow them the possibility of 'stealing' trade secrets.

The reason why those old guys like Rockefeller were so cautious about John was largely due to Quantum Mining. Its insane mineral exploration capabilities were terrifying and unsettling. If it weren't for the Freeport incident, they wouldn't have had much concern about John. Now they did. Quantum Mining's development potential worried and frightened them because these mining companies were all located overseas, making it difficult for them to influence the development of these mines.

"Mr. John, if we form a joint venture, can we get help from big data analytics?"

Upon hearing this, John couldn't help but smile wryly, shook his head, and said, "So-called big data analysis is not entirely accurate; there are still errors in it. Quantum Mining is not guaranteed to be profitable either; it just has a relatively greater chance of success. If we establish a joint venture, we can provide assistance in this regard, but it's hard to say how high the success rate will be, because we don't have satellite resource analysis in this area. In Asia, our focus is not on China, for reasons you all understand."

This was only the first contact, and neither side discussed many other aspects. As long as it was confirmed that the other party had the intention to cooperate, that was enough. Moreover, as John said, Quantum Mining did not have the energy to engage in further expansion, at least in the short term. Quantum Mining needed to invest more energy in the development of the mines that had already been explored, rather than continuing to expand wildly, which would put Quantum Mining's cash flow in danger.

Today, Quantum Mining is a completely independent mining group. It can no longer rely on John to keep pouring money into it. Quantum Mining needs to operate on its own and truly generate its own revenue. Therefore, for a long time now, Quantum Mining's expansion has only focused on mining and improving its supporting facilities.

After finalizing the initial assessment of cooperation, John began to deal with new matters. The construction of oil refineries in Asia was put on the agenda, and the operation of ports also became a focus of John's attention. Mining transportation, as well as the transportation of oil and natural gas, all needed to be planned in advance.

"Any results from Japan? Any results from Taiwan? And what about South Korea? We don't have much time to waste. We must complete the layout of the refinery as quickly as possible! As for crude oil, that's not a problem. We have sufficient capacity to obtain high-quality crude oil, which gives us a greater advantage than other companies. Asia will be a crucial base for our petrochemical industry in the future, and we cannot afford any mishaps!"

Given John's relationship with Middle Eastern tycoons, obtaining high-quality crude oil wouldn't be difficult. Moreover, with the rapid construction of Dream World and Global Online, the Middle Eastern tycoons' network system was completed, and the results were very satisfactory. Under these circumstances, John's desire to enter the oil refining industry would naturally face no obstacles!
"Boss, there are no problems with Japan, and Taiwan has agreed to our request. It's just that South Korea is unwilling to accept our demands; they want to cooperate with us to build a factory together!" "These guys are really arrogant. Do they even have the capability to cooperate with us? Since they're unwilling to cooperate, let's give up and look elsewhere. Our requirements are simple: we must have our own crude oil port. There's no room for negotiation on this. We can't let them hold us back. South Korea doesn't have the ability to negotiate with us yet. Asia isn't just about South Korea; we have plenty of options. However, South Korea's unexpected situation has also given us a warning. We not only need crude oil ports, but also need to prepare for future expansion in the steel industry! Quantum Mining can't just export iron ore; it also needs its own steel mills. Asia is a good choice."

With the continuous expansion of the mining industry and the exploitation of two major iron ore mines, it's not a good thing to simply pin our hopes on Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Quantum Mining needs its own steel mill and the ability to process iron ore. Perhaps now is a good opportunity to establish a steel mill in Asia.

Where would the technology come from? The United States? No, John didn't want to work with those guys in the US. Those bastards wouldn't give him everything he wanted. East Germany was the best choice. Acquiring a steel plant from East Germany wouldn't be difficult, and Europe's smelting technology was top-notch.

The idea is good and feasible, but it requires time and effort to perfect. Quantum Mining does not have that kind of energy right now, at least not in the short term. It's not too late to talk about this issue when mining operations are on the right track and Quantum Mining has the ability to generate its own revenue.

With the confrontation with those old fogies like Rockefeller emerging, John dared not take any further risks with his finances. While Japanese banks could provide loans, John couldn't fully trust them; if these scoundrels partnered with Rockefeller, he would be in crisis. Although the chances were slim, John had to be cautious. This is why he diversified his loans across more Japanese banks, and why he had always harbored the ambition to acquire Standard Chartered.

"We can't delay any longer. Once the Plaza Accord arrives, we must take over Standard Chartered Bank. Otherwise, funding will be the biggest hidden danger for us. Neither Sinolink nor East West Bank can change this. They are not capable of helping with overseas expansion, at least not for a long time. Their target is the United States itself."

“Ava, how far has the acquisition of the Australian National Shipping Company progressed? How much longer until it's successful? Those guys have been dragging their feet for so long, haven't they made any progress yet? If there's still no result, we should give up. We can't keep wasting time and energy on these endless negotiations. Tell the negotiators that if they can't make a decision within a week, then we're giving up!”

At this point, John didn't want to waste any more time and energy, nor did he want to engage in endless negotiations with those guys. Although he needed a shipping company, it didn't mean he had to use Australia's national shipping company; he had many other options. Time was of the essence for him; dragging things out would only allow more changes to occur and bring him more problems.

If the conditions are accepted, then the acquisition can proceed; if not, then abandon the deal. With the two major Australian ports, Brisbane and Walcott, already secured, there's no need to get bogged down in further negotiations regarding shipping companies.

"Ava, inform Western Energy that we need ten refineries in Asia, including integrated refining and chemical plants, and two in Europe. The Asian plan needs to be completed by the end of 85; this is a prerequisite. Construction in Japan and Taiwan should begin immediately without any delays! For Europe, we will choose direct acquisition in the British Isles, completing the acquisition in the shortest possible time. For funding, we will obtain a loan from the Japanese bank."

Time was of the essence, and John didn't want to waste any more time and energy. Although South Korea did have good refining conditions, their appetite was too great; they were dreaming of sharing the profits with John. It was simply wishful thinking on their part, and giving up wasn't out of the question. In contrast, things were much easier for Taiwan and Japan. Perhaps this was related to John's investments there. Both Japan and Taiwan had benefited greatly, so in their eyes, John investing in refining projects was no problem. They were naturally willing to accept it, as such investments could bring more jobs and tax revenue to their local areas.

Given John's relationship with Middle Eastern tycoons, no one doubted that John would be affected by crude oil prices and would be unable to obtain the crude oil needed by the refinery. The Koreans saw this and that's why they had unrealistic ambitions to share profits from John. Unfortunately for them, they miscalculated. John didn't necessarily want to build a factory in Korea!
(End of this chapter)