America: My Time

Chapter 402 New Cooperation
Chapter 402 New Cooperation
The United States has numerous oil fields, which are of great importance to John. Western Energy's plans have never excluded US oil fields. Oil fields are different from mines; the US has many oil fields that John covets. Now that he has secured a foothold, his development in this area will not be restricted. At least for a long time, Rockefeller and his ilk won't target John in the oil sector—that's the best outcome!

Of course, John knew that the price of crude oil was unlikely to rise, but that wasn't a big deal. He could afford to wait; short-term losses were acceptable for this long-term investment. If he couldn't seize the opportunity to complete his strategic plan, he would inevitably have to confront giants like Rockefeller in the future.

As long as he expands vigorously in the oil industry, he will inevitably encounter resistance from these guys. Now, with the White House stepping in and these old guys having their own problems, this is the best opportunity to expand. Even with a huge debt, John will insist on completing the expansion in the United States and becoming one of the giants in the oil industry.

John wasn't in a hurry regarding the refineries, at least not now. He currently owned three refineries, which was more than enough to meet his current needs. He could make arrangements later. What he needed to do now was quickly get involved in oil field exploration. He needed to launch a new round of acquisitions in the United States, acquiring some smaller companies.

"What? You mean that after John the fox acquired the oil fields in the Permian Basin, he also acquired several small exploration companies, but they are all deepwater companies. It seems that he wants to enter the deepwater oil field development. Also, he intends to integrate all the oil fields in the Permian Basin and integrate all the technical personnel to carry out shale oil technology research and development."

"Insane, absolutely insane! At current crude oil prices, there's no future in sight. Is he gambling or is he confident? Does he believe shale oil is the future, and deepwater oil fields are the future direction?"

"I don't know. Western Energy is currently accelerating its integration efforts. Although some people think it's crazy, John, that little fox, insists, and his think tank staff are somewhat worried. However, what's surprising is that the Japanese don't think there's anything wrong with it. They believe it's the right direction and continue to provide John with financial support. Moreover, Western Energy is acquiring British oil and gas exploration companies to accelerate its oil field layout."

"Such a change has occurred in just a few days. Do you think this was a decision made on a whim, or was it premeditated? It seems that those old guys like Rockefeller will have an even bigger headache. John, that little fox, is more troublesome and more terrifying than they imagined. He has really set his sights on the oil industry."

"Actually, this is normal. Everything about Quantum Mining is enough to show that John will make a move on mineral resources. When he used Pan Am to acquire two oil refineries, he had more ideas. These plans should have been planned by John for a long time, otherwise they wouldn't have come so suddenly and so quickly."

"It's really dangerous to be an enemy of such a monstrous guy. Rockefeller and his team will be under even more pressure this time. As long as John the Fox's oil refinery starts up, the losses from oil and gas exploration and extraction will be nothing. Now I finally understand why this little fox plans to build ten integrated oil refineries in Asia. It's all for the next oil and gas exploration and extraction. This guy also has plans in Britain. It seems he's planning a comprehensive strategy. I'm afraid this little fox has also set his sights on the North Sea oil fields. I just don't know if Britain will give him that opportunity!"

"Boss, is John's crazy expansion in the oil industry worth it? Such a huge investment and such a huge debt are making my scalp tingle. But John, that little fox, shows no sign of stopping and continues to invest. The banks in Japan are also desperately providing financial support to John. I don't understand it anymore."

"There's no question of whether it's worth it or not. This is a crazy yet visionary long-term investment. John isn't looking for short-term gains, but long-term returns. Do you think Quantum Mining has any future? Its debt is staggering, but how many people dare to ignore its existence? Even if Quantum Mining doesn't have much output right now, it still can't change the fact that it's a mining giant. Western Energy is now developing in this direction like crazy, but John, this little fox, is aiming for Asia. He wants to seize market share and gain his own advantage before all the oil giants expand heavily in the petrochemical industry."

"Western Energy's investment in South Korea has failed; his plan has a flaw!"

"South Korea is nothing to worry about. Aren't they paying a heavy price now? Their auto industry is being strangled by a combined force of Japan, the US, and Germany. This is John's response. And do you think South Korea has the ability to fight against this little fox, John, forever? They're not as shrewd as those guys in Japan. Japan chose to cooperate, but these guys chose to fight. Trying to get more benefits from John is just wishful thinking. They overestimated their importance. Without South Korea, John's plans won't be affected at all. Doesn't Japan still have plans for a second refinery? That's John's backup plan. It won't be long before the South Koreans bow down. They can't afford to lose the North American market."

At this point, Morgan sighed deeply, shocked by John's frenzied expansion. The debt was too great. How long could such expansion last? Would John, this little fox, really not have a problem with his cash flow, or was he intentionally giving up his controlling stake in the game world?
Before the Koreans could even back down, China approached John, showing great interest in cooperating with Western Energy. This astonishingly large investment shocked many. While some worried about John's cash flow, China had no such concerns. Western Energy was already establishing gas station networks in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and venturing into the retail market, clearly aiming to control both the upstream and downstream supply chains. "Mr. John, thank you for your recommendation of China's investment environment at the White House dinner. It has given us many cooperation opportunities recently!" Following the spread of John's remarks at the White House dinner, many American companies began paying attention to China. The low labor costs were a major draw, leading to the remarks from the Consul General in San Francisco.

"What I said is all true. The reason they were able to get cooperation opportunities is simply because the Chinese market is attractive to them. It has little to do with me. It would be their loss if they didn't invest. Capital is profit-driven. If China didn't offer any incentives, why would they make such a choice? It can only be said that the advantage of China's labor costs is what attracted them. However, being attracted is one thing, but it doesn't necessarily mean they will actually make these investments. You still need to be prepared."

“We understand that in our cooperation with Mr. John, we have gradually come to understand their concerns, and we are trying to find solutions. However, Mr. John, do you have any plans to continue our cooperation? Western Energy wants to build ten refineries in Asia. I wonder if there is any possibility of cooperation between us?”

"Consul General, you should know about the situation of Western Energy. Our plan this time is also under considerable pressure. There are opportunities for cooperation, but we find it difficult to accept a joint venture because we cannot afford the consequences of failure. This is why we refused when South Korea made a cooperation request. Moreover, we need to consider more aspects now. Quantum Mining needs steel mills, and shipping companies need ports. It is a comprehensive plan, and I'm afraid you will find it difficult to accept."

"Mr. John, do you really need to control the entire port?"

"No, we didn't have that idea. Perhaps you were influenced by our previous investment. In fact, such an investment cost is too high, and it would be difficult for the shipping company to continue. Our initial idea was to cooperate, just to control part of the port. We would have our own crude oil terminal, container terminal, and iron ore terminal, as long as it meets our own needs. We don't necessarily need complete control of the port. The situation with Malaysia and Miniba was just an accident. It was the conditions they offered that we couldn't refuse, that's all."

"Mr. John, in this way we can cooperate!"

"What did you say? We can cooperate? Consul General, this is no joke. We need steel mills, we need oil refineries, and we need to have our own docks. Do you think China can accept that?"

"No problem, we can accept that. And if you're willing, we can sell our existing steel mills, but only small to medium-sized ones. We can also accept your investment in the port."

"This is really unbelievable. I can accept it, but Western Energy needs to have the right to import oil, otherwise we will not have enough crude oil supply. If possible, I need to arrange for personnel to go and investigate on-site."

"No problem, we welcome Mr. John's investment visit. We are confident that you will not be disappointed, and we will offer our utmost sincerity!" A faint smile appeared on the Consul General's face upon hearing John's reply. He wasn't afraid of John sending personnel to investigate; his only concern was that John wouldn't invest. As long as John was willing to invest, everything was negotiable. Moreover, if Western Energy invested in China this time, it would attract even more investors. This was a win-win situation, because this wasn't an ordinary investment, but a multi-faceted investment in energy, mining, and shipping. The resulting benefits wouldn't be as simple as one plus one equals two; they would be magnified countless times. Such an investment project naturally deserved our utmost effort.

(End of this chapter)