America: My Time

Chapter 838 An Unexpected Good Thing

Chapter 828 An Unexpected Good Thing
Just as John was reminding the three women of the importance of their personal safety, the phone rang. John picked up the phone, and the voice of the head of Jaguar Security Company came from the other end: "Boss, the ultimatum has been issued, demanding that Saddam withdraw by January 15th next year, or force will be used!"

"Okay, I understand. Have our people move in quickly. We must make sure the Middle Eastern tycoons feel our hospitality, protect them well, and at the same time, show our power and do our best to assist them. Highlight the power of our weapons and get more orders from them. We can't afford to make any mistakes this time."

"Okay, I understand. The Indians have also started their operation, maintaining a complete standstill until they return!"

"That's good. I trust your abilities and won't let me down. Also, strengthen security on Lanai Island!" After receiving this call, John finally felt relieved. Everything was under control, and he believed there would be results from Lanai Island soon. But this was just the beginning, so the security of Lanai Island was a major concern. Fortunately, due to the economic crisis in Japan, the number of tourists to Lanai Island had decreased significantly, which provided greater assurance for its safety!
As John hung up the phone, Xiao Qiang had already walked behind him and started massaging his head. To be honest, John had been on edge for the past few days, and Xiao Qiang had excellent eyesight. In contrast, Ye Qianwen and Wang Zuxian didn't have such keen observation skills and hadn't noticed John's change. It has to be said that when it comes to pleasing people, they are far less adept than Xiao Qiang!

What man wouldn't like a sensible and charming beauty? Xiao Qiang did a great job in this regard. Precisely because she knew how to please people, John naturally liked this kind of woman, who could help him relax!

The current economic climate in Taiwan is also far from ideal; to be more precise, it's not much different from Japan's. The Taiwanese stock market has completely collapsed, and the real estate market is on the verge of collapse, just like in Japan. This is because Taiwan's approach, like Japan's, is to tighten monetary policy, which has become the trigger for bursting the real estate bubble.

While Taiwan's economy does have some impact on John's investments here, it's not a major issue. After all, John doesn't own that much real estate here; he only has personal properties, which is insignificant in the eyes of a tycoon like John. However, it's a completely different story for Xiao Qiang and her group of beauties. Even with John's warnings, one of them still couldn't escape the stock market unscathed. The reason is simple: she was greedy and got trapped.

In contrast, Sonny and Zhang Yuyan did not have such problems. They had no intention of investing in the stock market or real estate, so they safely avoided the disaster. As for Wang Zuxian, Ye Qianwen and the others, they were all in Hong Kong and did not have many thoughts about Taiwan, nor did they have any problems.

Although the investment failed, Xiao Qiang's quality of life was not affected in any way; she was simply depleted of her savings. However, this didn't have a significant impact on her, as she didn't have much money of her own. Unlike Wang Zuxian and Ye Qianwen, who had connections in the industry and substantial wealth, she didn't have many other people in the business.

When John brought up the security issue again, the ladies all understood its importance. The journey to seize the wealth of the Indian Golden Temple had begun. The enormous fortune was being transported out by the Jaguar Security Company personnel. After years of planning, the harvest was finally complete. If they hadn't been notified beforehand, the Jaguar Security Company personnel wouldn't have known the purpose of their mission. When they saw the immense wealth, they were all shocked; no one had imagined that such astonishing riches could exist within an ancient Indian temple.

When the wealth had been completely smuggled out of India, John was quite surprised by the result. The wealth in the Golden Temple was not what was reported in later generations, but much more. It was obvious that those Indians had secretly embezzled a lot of wealth and had not actually reported all of it. That's human nature, I suppose.

For several days, John was immersed in joy. After all, this was a rare fortune, and if it were converted into cash, the amount would be astonishing. However, this fortune couldn't be made public; it needed to be transformed. Apart from the more valuable artworks, everything else needed to be recast, otherwise, there would be considerable trouble!

Fortunately, the price of gold wasn't as high as it would be in later years; otherwise, such a large fortune would have been too tempting and would have caused a lot of unnecessary trouble. However, to keep it a secret, John also gave a huge reward to make those guys forget about it forever. This amazing treasure would also become John's foundation.

Just as John was feeling pleased, something unexpected happened. John had assumed that the Taiwanese were all very sensible and wouldn't cause him trouble or disturb his vacation. Unfortunately, he was wrong this time; the Taiwanese came to his door and disrupted his vacation. Taiwan's economy is currently in a slump, just like Japan, and both are facing difficulties. Therefore, these guys have set their sights on John, wanting to invite him to increase his investment in Taiwan. It's well known that investment in Taiwan has been declining, with most businesses relocating. No one is willing to bear Taiwan's high labor costs. Compared to the low labor costs in Southeast Asia and China, Taiwan is simply too large, making capital outflow perfectly normal.

Although this unexpected event disrupted his plans, John was tempted by the benefits offered by Taiwan. The shares of Taiwan's China Steel Group were particularly appealing to him, and he could privatize them if he wanted to acquire them. The requirements were simple: investment in automobile manufacturing. The Taiwanese had also noticed that John's automobile investments in South Korea were developing rapidly and had already opened up the North American market, so they were also interested.

Bentley Motors is not comparable to car companies in Taiwan. It has its own technology and is not subject to others' control or working for them. Now that Taiwan's economy is declining, they are desperate, hence this idea.

"Are you sure this commitment won't change? This is no small matter. Once the acquisition begins, I don't want to see any changes, as that would be bad for everyone. Although I'm interested in Taiwan's China Steel Group, it's not essential for Quantum Mining. Moreover, if the acquisition of China Steel is completed, it means that Quantum Mining's strategy will also need to change, and Bentley Motors' strategy will also change. Taiwan will become our main production base in Southeast Asia. We might even make acquisitions in shipbuilding, since we need to integrate our heavy industry to protect our own interests. It can be said that once the acquisition begins, our presence in Taiwan will be on par with South Korea."

The reason John didn't choose to develop heavy industry in Taiwan back then was simple: high labor costs were one factor, and there were also issues with acquisitions. At that time, Taiwan, like Japan, was in a crazy bubble period, making such a large investment unsuitable. Now that the Taiwanese stock market has crashed, this is a good acquisition opportunity, especially considering the benefits they offered, which made John's heart flutter.

"In principle, we fully accept your investment. However, we will not interfere with the acquisition of private enterprises. As for other investments, we will give you the green light and will definitely not disappoint you. We welcome your investment!" These Taiwanese guys know how much money John has. It is precisely because they know this that they took the initiative to come to him.

"Sure, as long as you're prepared, Quantum Mining will send people over to negotiate. And once the acquisition of Taiwan's China Steel Group is completed, Taiwan will be much less pressured in terms of iron ore, ensuring the group's healthy development! As for automobiles, Bentley Motors will fully consider its presence in Taiwan. If you can open up the land needed for the resort hotels we require, Mandarin Oriental Group will also increase its investment here, and even promote tourism in Taiwan as we did with Japan, achieving a win-win situation!"

How much development potential does Taiwan have? John believes it's no less than South Korea's. The reason Taiwan's automotive industry hasn't developed is because they lack their own technology, and the Japanese are unwilling to license their technology, thus missing opportunities. If Bentley Motors were to enter the market, they could potentially control a large share of Taiwan's automotive market. After all, domestically produced cars are naturally cheaper than imported ones, and using Taiwan as a springboard could allow them to cover the entire Southeast Asia region, making it a crucial production base for the Bentley Group in Asia. It would be foolish to pass up such a good opportunity.

With the example of Japan before him, this guy from Taiwan was naturally well-prepared and wouldn't doubt John's credibility. After all, John's reputation is top-notch globally, and he has invested in Taiwan on a considerable scale, almost a leader in the semiconductor industry, and doing very well in aviation, retail, communications, and more. Faced with John's promise, it would be foolish for him to hesitate or refuse.

"We have no problem with that, we will fully cooperate with you. As long as the investment is in place, everything will be fine!"

Compared to South Korea, Taiwan also has a wealth of talent, so establishing an automotive industry is not difficult. What they lack is not workers, but technology, which Bentley Group does not lack. As one of the Four Asian Tigers, Taiwan still has value in this market, and capturing this market would benefit the development of Bentley Motors Group.

(End of this chapter)