America: My Time

Chapter 615 Accelerating Investment Layout
Chapter 605 Accelerating Investment Layout
Once again appearing in China with full sincerity, he received a friendly welcome. As an emerging conglomerate in the United States, the Bayard Conglomerate's strength cannot yet be compared with other conglomerates in the United States, at least in terms of influence. However, it already possesses considerable financial power, especially after selling some of its assets in Japan. The Bayard Conglomerate's strength has also increased, and divesting this portion of its funds has allowed John to move freely.

The Mandarin Oriental Group's massive investment in China has shocked many. The sheer scale of this Hong Kong-based multinational corporation's spending, its ability to readily produce such a large sum of money, is hard for many to believe. After all, China is aware of the extent of the Mandarin Oriental Group's investment in the United States, and this further investment in China is astonishing. Just how many assets has this company sold in Japan to maintain such astonishing financial resources after its frenzied expansion?

With the rapid expansion of major conglomerates, especially their investments in the UK, the sheer scale of which has astonished everyone, Gulfstream Aerospace has transformed into a true multinational corporation in just a few years. Other conglomerates are also formidable; it can be said that the companies John now controls are all multinational corporations, each possessing considerable strength.

"Mr. John, thank you for your help with the hepatitis B vaccine, which allowed us to reach a cooperation agreement with Merck so quickly!" Merck's goodwill was recognized by China, and it also enabled John to further develop his cooperation with China, especially in the construction of the Perfect Factory and chip processing, which were progressing rapidly.

"You flatter me. There's only so much I can do. Actually, even without me, everything would have gone smoothly, just a little later! I need to thank everyone for their help this time, which made the wafer fab investment so quick and saved us a lot of time. This plan is very important for the group's development!" Because of the frenzied expansion of major groups, time is naturally needed for integration. This situation is not only in the pharmaceutical industry, but also in many other sectors such as steel, petrochemicals, and media, and the integration efforts are very significant.

The financial industry, however, did not experience any remarkable growth. After initial expansion, it entered a period of calm, without further development or expansion. This was precisely what relieved the Wall Street guys, making them willing to believe John's words. They acknowledged that John was an industrialist, not a financier, and that his core focus was on industry, not finance.

The wafer fab, along with chip processing and packaging—this integrated production chain—will be ASUS's focus in the semiconductor field going forward. Completing the factory's construction and commencing operations as soon as possible is crucial for ASUS, as it will become the core of the foundry industry. For ASUS, John isn't just about manufacturing for Nvidia; it's more about research and development, especially in semiconductor R&D, particularly in acquiring the technical personnel needed to compete with Japan, thus perfecting ASUS's position in the semiconductor field before the Koreans.

Although John's trip to China this time was primarily for the layout of the wafer fab, he also needed to understand other aspects of expansion, especially the cooperation between Fokker and China on the Fokker 100. This understanding was crucial for the further development of the Fokker 100 and the expansion of the market.

"Mr. John, I heard that you have invested in the shipbuilding industry in South Korea. I wonder if there was any possibility of us cooperating?"

"Shipbuilding? Cooperation is certainly possible, but I must clarify one point: I am just a novice in the shipbuilding industry. My technical skills are not particularly advanced; I have only just entered this field. Moreover, our focus is not on shipbuilding, but rather on the research and development and manufacturing of offshore oil platforms. You could say we are preparing for Western Energy!"

In South Korea's shipbuilding investment, the focus is more on the research and development and manufacturing of offshore oil platforms. After all, offshore exploration will be the focus of the oil industry in the future, and this is a necessary capability for Western Energy if it wants to accelerate its development!

Compared to the rapid development of Quantum Mining, Western Energy's development, while also commendable, lacks experience in offshore oil platforms. This will leave it vulnerable to external competition and prevent it from competing effectively in many situations. With so many large offshore oil fields, including several in the United States, it will be difficult to secure a favorable position without significant capabilities.

"I see. Doesn't Mr. John have any desire to further develop his career in the shipbuilding industry?"

“I want to, but I don’t have enough experience or the relevant technology. Shipbuilding is not an easy task, at least not right now. The shipyards in South Korea have limited capabilities! If possible, Gulfstream Aerospace is also willing to invest in building a factory in China!” John felt this was an opportunity. If he could invest in building a factory in China and have a shipyard, it would be very beneficial to his own development. After all, labor costs in South Korea would rise rapidly in the future, so investing in China was a good choice.

Of course, John also hoped to advance further in shipbuilding, but he knew this required opportunity—the collapse of the Soviet Union and the acquisition of more technology from them. Ukraine had plenty of valuable resources; given the chance, he could obtain everything he wanted, whether technology or personnel. Although he had acquired considerable technology from the Soviets through various transactions, it was mostly general technology, primarily in steel metallurgy. Shipbuilding, such crucial technology, was still out of the question, and even if he had the technology, he lacked skilled workers.

Compared to shipbuilding technology, John's shipbreaking yards in Southeast Asia are thriving, especially his collaboration with Minibus, which is progressing incredibly smoothly. Port construction, as well as the building and maintenance of docks, are all being accelerated and improved. The shipbreaking yards started operations early and are generating substantial profits, with labor costs directly contributing to the considerable profits.

After some discussions, John reached an agreement with China to invest in a shipyard. John would not give up any investment project as long as there was an opportunity. Especially in recent years, due to the continuous increase in profits, his investments have become more and more numerous. It can be said that John's investments in China have far exceeded his investments in Japan, and even his investments in Britain.

John's investments in automobiles, electronics, semiconductors, steel, petrochemicals, and other sectors have yielded considerable results. In the food sector, development has been particularly rapid. If it weren't for the agreement with China that all profits would remain in China for the next ten years, John's investments in China would have generated astonishing returns.

However, the more this is the case, the larger John's investment scale in China becomes. Moreover, this time John is making no attempt to hide it, making more investment arrangements to accelerate a new round of investment in China and improve the industrial chain in China.

When John was making investment arrangements in China, the Americans were having a headache because they were increasingly finding that John was out of their control. His assets overseas were growing larger and larger. Japan sold so many assets, but not many returned to the United States. Most of them went into China, and some remained in investment companies in Japan.

At this point, many people wondered whether John was optimistic about Japan's economic development or not. Moreover, the fact that the mining giants had joined forces to strangle Japan gave many people a glimmer of hope, especially the American steel giants. However, they did not expect that Japan would ultimately choose to compromise instead of resisting to the end.

"Jimmy, how much do you know about John's investments in China?"

"Not much. All we know is that his investments in China are astonishingly large, including petrochemicals, steel, and even mining, as well as automobiles. However, his development in the automotive sector has exceeded everyone's expectations. He's not primarily focused on producing or exporting cars, but rather on establishing a presence in the automotive parts industry. In comparison, many of Bentley Motors' automotive parts come from factories in China, and their parts sales are also very impressive, covering almost the entire United States and even the United Kingdom. Their cost advantage gives them an absolute edge in the supply of mid-to-low-end products."

"Can you give a rough estimate of how much John has in China?"

"It's difficult for us to estimate the size of John's investments in China. Many of these investments aren't based on existing companies; they're mostly made through offshore companies or even in his personal name, like ASUS, and there are also investments in Hong Kong. However, one thing is certain: those investments are now no smaller than his investments in Japan. After all, Quantum Mining and Western Energy's series of investments in China represent an astonishing amount of assets. If it weren't for the agreement, the value of those assets would likely be even greater. Initially, many people secretly mocked John, thinking that such investments would inevitably end in failure, but now many are extremely envious. It's just a pity that they don't have such an opportunity now, and it's difficult for them to get one, since they are not John. Many people are criticizing John's cooperation arrangements with Merck regarding the hepatitis B vaccine, but how could these guys know how astonishing John's investments in China are?"

"Yes, those guys are too short-sighted. They only want to reap the benefits without paying the price or taking any risks. There's no such thing as a free lunch. If there were, it wouldn't be their turn. John was able to get so many investment opportunities in China because of his efforts. As China develops, these investments will only get better and better. It's ridiculous that those guys are withdrawing their investments!"

(End of this chapter)