America: My Time

Chapter 423 Threatening HSBC
Chapter 423 Threatening HSBC

The full impact of the Plaza Accord is not yet apparent, but over time, Japanese companies will inevitably be affected, and all export-related businesses will suffer a severe blow. The appreciation of the yen means their own prices are rising, naturally impacting them. And this is just the beginning. If changes are not made quickly, Japan's manufacturing industry will soon face difficulties and even greater disasters. Expanding overseas is the best option.

However, none of this has much to do with John. John has not been frantically developing manufacturing in Japan. If there is any industrial investment, it is only in oil refineries. As for oil refineries, John can get the crude oil he wants from the Russians, and he can also get enough crude oil from the Middle East.

Of course, Western Energy has also made gains in crude oil itself. It now has its own oil fields in the Middle East. Although it cannot yet be self-sufficient, it has its own source, which is a good start. Especially after John separated the entire Permian from Western Energy, Western Energy's development has become even faster, and it is also expanding rapidly in the United States.

Although many people think John's development in the oil industry is somewhat unreliable, focusing mainly on deep-sea and shale oil, these guys cannot deny that Western Energy has made amazing progress, not only in the oil industry, but also in electricity and gas.

Unfortunately, not everyone knows how fast Western Energy has developed, because its growth has been astonishing. Everyone has seen the situation in Xiaoba, where it has achieved remarkable results. The emergence of the Zamzama gas field surprised many with Western Energy's good fortune, and this gas field has given Western Energy even greater opportunities for development in Xiaoba.

In terms of energy alone, Hughes has also made remarkable achievements in the global satellite positioning system. Not only have the previous communication satellites completed their networking work, but the second phase is also progressing smoothly, with two satellites already successfully launched. Although the time has been short, Hughes now has amazing capabilities and its own means of satellite launch.

It was precisely because of the completion of the communications satellite network that Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media accelerated their development, frantically completing their global layout and global satellite television network, which made many people envious. Today, the value of Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Media is skyrocketing, and the completion of the communications satellite network has greatly increased the strength of the two groups.

With the merger of Pacific Investment and Standard Chartered Bank, John, the boss, could no longer hide in Tokyo. He also had to make a trip to Hong Kong, meet with the bigwigs there, and express his friendly attitude.

When John arrived in Hong Kong, he had not yet learned much about the development of the company there when he received an invitation to a dinner from the Governor. The transfer of Standard Chartered to a new owner had a significant impact on the British and caused them considerable concern, hence the dinner invitation.

When John arrived at the banquet with two beautiful women, all the bigwigs in Hong Kong were present. However, to John's surprise, for some unknown reason, this banquet was not hosted by the Governor's Mansion. It was just using the Governor's name. The real organizer was HSBC. After his initial surprise, John understood.

Throughout the banquet, John kept greeting people, showing that HSBC had put in a lot of effort, as all the attendees were bigwigs. It could be said that the banquet gathered almost all of Hong Kong's tycoons and celebrities. While some might not have paid much attention to John, this outsider, even after his battles with HSBC and Standard Chartered, many in Hong Kong didn't seem to care much. They felt they had little connection with a foreigner like John. But now things were different. This foreigner had completed the acquisition of Standard Chartered and was in the process of delisting, which had a huge impact on many.

Now, all the bigwigs in Hong Kong want to know what John, this foreigner, is thinking, and whether he will have any impact on them. After all, this young man is too shrewd; he swallowed up a giant like Standard Chartered Bank without any ability to resist. If he targets them, no one thinks they have the ability to resist.

Soon, John met Shen Daban again. This time, everyone tacitly made room for the two of them. The big shots who knew about the banquet naturally did not want to get involved in such a confrontation. As for the celebrities who knew nothing, they also tacitly made room for the big shots when they saw their behavior.

“Shen Daban, I don’t know why you invited me here. I don’t think we have anything to talk about. We’ve never been friends!” John asked directly to Shen Bi, without caring about the reactions of the others at the dinner or what the Governor thought.

Now that he has gained the approval of the American financial group, John's status has changed. As a member of the American financial group, John naturally doesn't need to care about HSBC's tycoon, Sir Michael Sandberg, nor does he care what the British think of him.

"Mr. John, I want to know how you'll stop!"

"I don't have any demands, and this is just normal business dealings. I don't think there's anything to back down from. It was HSBC's greed that led to their current predicament, and it has nothing to do with me. If you want to reduce your losses, that's fine too. Australian shipping needs its own port in Hong Kong, and that requires HSBC's help." Exorbitant demands? No, in Shen Daban's eyes, it wasn't like that. This was just a transaction, and it wasn't aimed at HSBC, but at the Governor of Hong Kong, and at Britain.

“I can help Australia’s shipping, but I can’t guarantee the outcome, since it’s not something I can control.”

"I believe that Shen Daban will not let me down. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for HSBC. I no longer have the ability to take action against HSBC, but that doesn't mean others don't have the ability."

Is this a threat? That depends on what Shen Daban thinks. If someone were to target HSBC at this time, they might reap considerable rewards, as this is HSBC's weakest point. Most importantly, Shen Daban doesn't dare underestimate John, this monstrous talent. He's a legend in the financial industry, and although he took over Standard Chartered, who can guarantee that he hasn't secretly targeted HSBC? Now HSBC is also under attack, and its stock price is plummeting.

"Alright, I'll do my best!" When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Right now, Shen Daban doesn't have the strength to continue fighting John. If this drags on any longer, it will be a disaster for the entire HSBC. He doesn't know if HSBC is the target of the other party. If it suffers a full-scale attack, the entire HSBC will also suffer heavy losses.

"Once the Australian shipping reaches the Hong Kong port, everything will be over. That's my guarantee to you, and I believe no one will doubt my credibility! However, time is limited, and I don't have much patience to wait."

Although it was just a brief exchange, it shocked the bigwigs who were paying attention to the situation. They believed that HSBC had no choice but to accept the deal. Those who originally wanted to acquire the new port had to give up because with HSBC involved, it was obvious that it would fall into the hands of Australian shipping.

Many people cursed John in their hearts, condemning HSBC's weakness. They couldn't even control a junior member, so what kind of British tycoon were they? But cursing was useless. As long as HSBC chose to compromise, they would have no chance at all. This was the difference in strength. Moreover, the British wouldn't care about their thoughts, since Hong Kong was still in their hands.

"Excellent tactics, brilliant strategy! By leveraging HSBC's power and the British's influence, you've gained control of the Australian shipping terminals. Old Bao, it seems you've met a formidable foe. This kid's methods are too impressive; the shipping industry is about to change!"

"Sigh, shipping is going downhill right now, otherwise I wouldn't have thought about abandoning ship and going ashore. However, the other side is different from us. They have absolute strength. What you see is not the real power of this little guy. The other side controls the trade with the Russians, bartering, and has obtained hard currency from the Russians. Not just anyone can do this. Moreover, the other side also controls mining giants like Quantum Mining. So the pressure on the other side is not at all. They have a strong self-owned market, so they don't care about the downturn in shipping at all. On the contrary, it makes people feel like they are buying at the bottom."

Buying at the bottom? John did have that idea, because the lowest point in shipping was coming soon, and this was the best opportunity to get involved in shipping. Otherwise, why would John have placed such a large order with Japan?

"No way, he's an American, why would he make a deal with a Russian!"

"That's their power. You have no idea how much this kid earns in his dealings with the Russians. What you see is just Hong Kong, but this kid is already a real conglomerate, controlling incredible resources. He has what the Russians need and can also exchange those resources for money. He can buy up Russian timber and crude oil, which we can't do. That's the difference. And even if you have resources, you probably won't get the Russians' approval, or you might not even be able to get them there!"

This statement is very true. Not everyone can do business with the Russians. On the one hand, you may not be able to get resources from them that you can use, and you might even lose money on the trip. After all, shipping is risky, and even the slightest mistake can cause you a lot of losses. John initially started doing business with East Germany and gradually built up relations with the Russians. In such a transaction, it would be impossible to succeed without an acquaintance's introduction.

(End of this chapter)