America: My Time

Chapter 400 Panic
Chapter 400 Panic
The oil field deal takes time, but the cooperation with the Malaysian side cannot stop. Shipping companies, Quantum Mining, and Western Energy all took action and began preparing for construction. Shipping companies were responsible for port construction, Quantum Mining began preparations for the construction of a steel plant, and Western Energy was also preparing for the construction of an oil refinery. Soon the three major companies took action, which shocked the entire Southeast Asia, especially Singapore. The two sides are so close, and if the Malaysian port is completed, it will definitely affect their development.

“We need to add another shipyard. Since we want Tanjung Pelepas Port to be one of the core areas of Southeast Asia, we need a shipyard so that our ships can be repaired and maintained in a timely manner.”

John nodded in agreement with the shipping company's decision and said, "If you think it's necessary, then build it. I only have one requirement for the shipping company: it must have its own ports, ports all over the world, to meet its own needs, and ideally, its own shipping routes! Everything should develop in this direction, becoming a leader in commodity trading. Ideally, it should establish its own commodity trading network, taking control of the market. Let's start with Asia, building an Asian shipping network. I will handle the communication regarding ports in Japan, and Taiwan isn't a big problem either, nor is Hong Kong."

Given John's current investments in these three locations, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to get some assistance with the ports, especially from Japan, who are now in need of John's help and wouldn't put up any obstacles in this regard.

Of course, the Middle Eastern tycoons are not a problem at all. John will naturally communicate with them regarding shipping ports. Before Quantum Mining and Western Energy have grown strong, the shipping company still needs the support of the Middle Eastern tycoons to get enough orders from them, since the tycoons have that kind of power.

John had considered shipyards, but he didn't have the capital for it right now. The investment was too large, and he lacked the technology. So, John wasn't planning to develop in that area for the time being. Technical issues weren't easy to master, not to mention the issue of workers.

One must eat one bite at a time, do one thing at a time, and walk one step at a time. One cannot take too big a leap. What I need to do now is to improve the companies that are easiest to acquire and control, rather than jumping into the highly specialized shipbuilding industry.

"You need to speed things up and establish a base in Asia. This is no small matter. We don't have much time, especially for the refinery. We can't delay too long. Western Energy is under the greatest pressure. Only when the refinery is up and running can we reduce this pressure and achieve self-sufficiency."

That's true, but doing all this is not an easy task. Moreover, it takes time to survey the entire Southeast Asia region. Although we have received many invitations, it is difficult to distinguish which ones are suitable and which ones are not in a short period of time. Now, the three major companies have already taken action quickly, but manpower and time are still insufficient.

John understood the urgency of the situation, but he had no choice. The Plaza Accord was fast approaching, and he needed to expedite securing sufficient loans from the Japanese banks to complete the layout of Asian ports, oil refineries, and steel mills while the dollar remained strong.

When Pakistan approached Western Energy again regarding Gwadar Port, their offer was quite tempting. The biggest problem was Pakistan's weak economy, making it difficult to support the development of such a port. Quantum Mining was very interested because Pakistan was willing to grant exploration and mining rights. Western Energy was also somewhat tempted, obtaining the same rights, including oil import rights. However, Pakistan's poor economy and the uncertainty surrounding oil field development raised concerns about the return on investment. Furthermore, the exploration results might lead them to accept the offer, ultimately resulting in a worthless resource with no immediate value for exploitation.

For Western Energy, these conditions were a gamble, but not for Quantum Mining. Quantum Mining could reap huge profits, while the shipping aspect was a mixed bag. Ultimately, the decision rested with John, the big boss, as only he could unite the three companies in a cooperative effort.

Although there might be some issues with energy in the west, Quantum Mining could reap good profits from the cooperation, and shipping companies would also need such ports for their services. Although the costs were somewhat high, it was still worthwhile overall, and 99 years was enough to tempt John.

Soon after, John, representing the shipping company, Western Energy, Quantum Mining, and representatives from Little Bus, signed a cooperation agreement in San Francisco. There were no other demands, except for specific security requirements to ensure the safety of the investment project. Given Little Bus's current precarious situation, John's demands were quite reasonable. When news of this cooperation spread, some thought John had gone mad, making such an irrational decision to increase overseas investment. While Little Bus's terms seemed attractive, the development would face significant risks, whereas the situation at Tanjung Pelepas Port was far better in comparison.

Many people believe that Pakistan's resources are untapped, but John sees it differently. He believes there are no untapped resources, only a lack of imagination. A shipbreaking yard is a good option; Pakistan will one day become one of the world's three major shipbreaking nations, and John is determined to bring this shipbreaking business forward to ease his own burden.

With the cooperation with South Korea, the pressure on South Korea increased even more. They finally realized how wrong they had been. John's investment would not be affected even without South Korea. Trying to negotiate with John using their ridiculous port advantages was wishful thinking. The absence of South Korea would not have a significant impact on John's plans.

Four out of ten have been lost. Now, Western Energy's presence in Asia has been reduced to four out of ten. This has forced many people to re-examine Western Energy's plans. They originally thought it was just a plan on paper that would take a long time to perfect, but now they realize they were wrong.

Although the investment amounts were staggering, no one thought John would fail, because the Japanese bank behind him was still providing maximum support. Western Energy's refinery chose Japanese technology and could naturally obtain loans from Japan. Quantum Mining had a lot of mines in hand and could also receive strong support from the Japanese bank. Only the shipping company did not have much capital and had to rely on John to bear the burden alone. This pressure was not too great for John's current financial situation.

At this point, some people couldn't help but worry that John might abandon the acquisition of the Permian Basin oil fields. This gave the old guys a headache, because although they verbally promised John a discount, they didn't actually do so. They thought John was just new to the oil industry and didn't know much, so they all quoted a premium. Another reason they dared to do this was that they only quoted a premium for their own oil fields, while desperately driving down the acquisition prices for other oil fields and land, in order to reduce John's acquisition costs.

"Do you think it's possible that John, that little fox, has already figured something out, which is why he continues to invest in Asia. He understands our calculations regarding the oil fields and doesn't want to directly refuse, so he chose this method?"

“I’ve said it before, we shouldn’t use these kinds of tactics, they’re completely useless, but you just wouldn’t listen. It’s not like we haven’t suffered losses like this before, but you always thought John was young and easily fooled. Now that this situation has arisen, don’t you find it ridiculous? You treat others like fools, when in fact you are the fools yourselves. I know some people think that with the White House involved and Morgan and his people mediating, the danger is over and we don’t need to worry so much, but is that really the case?”

"Indeed, we cannot afford to make another mistake regarding integrity, otherwise we will only gradually tarnish our reputation and make people think we are not worth cooperating with. Look at Morgan, and then look at us. Morgan built a reputation for integrity through its cooperation with John, and its business has been growing steadily. But I believe everyone knows our situation. We should stop using such underhanded tactics. Doing so will not only fail to bring sufficient benefits but will also cause us to lose even more. I know some people think that John's acquisition must be problematic, that there are things we haven't seen, or even that there are huge profits involved. But have you considered the consequences of failure? Not everyone has John's vision and can see further. We must be cautious in dealing with this little fox. We still have time; it's time for everyone to make their statements!"

"I think that makes sense. We can't continue like this, we can't waste any more time and energy. Since this is just a burden for us, let's give up. Even if it's just a little sweetness for that little fox John, it's worth it. After all, our long-term plan with the White House means that the value of crude oil won't rebound, it will only continue to decrease. Otherwise, we wouldn't be in such a hurry to target Japan. Selling it off is where the profit is; keeping it will only increase our burden. We can't keep dragging this out. By the time those guys in Japan hand over the report to John, it will be too late. At that point, that little fox John will have a legitimate reason to refuse to settle with us. The reason is simple: we've been too calculating, not that John is dishonest!"

(End of this chapter)