A Tale of Two Cities Supporting Xinjiang

In the conference room of the Civil Aviation Administration, seven or eight leaders and experts responsible for route approval were seated.

Standing in front of the projector, Han Jidong said, "Distinguished leaders and experts, what I am presenting today is not an ordinary route expansion plan, but a comprehensive solution for frontier development."

He spoke in the manner he had rehearsed countless times the night before, starting with the actual needs of Xinjiang, then moving on to the tripartite linkage model, the innovation of passenger and freight integration, and finally focusing on Zhai Yang's precise data model.

A middle-aged expert interrupted him: "Mr. Han, what's the basis for your model's prediction of a 68% combined passenger and freight utilization rate?"

"The data is based on statistics on the transportation of Xinjiang specialty products over the past five years, the seasonal distribution of tourist arrivals, and a research report on business travel in border areas."

Han Jidong opened the model's backend data. "All data sources are on pages 37 to 52 of the appendix, which can be verified."

Another leader asked, "How do you ensure fairness in the profit distribution mechanism of this tripartite collaboration?"

What if someone has to drop out midway through the trip at an airport?

"We have a detailed cooperation agreement and exit mechanism."

Han Jidong switched to the relevant clauses, stating that "profits are distributed according to actual contributions, and costs are shared according to the agreed proportions."

If a partner withdraws, they must give six months' notice and bear the corresponding liability for breach of contract.

The questions came one after another, sharp and specific.

Han Jidong answered each question one by one, while Lao Wang occasionally added details about the finances.

The presentation lasted a full two hours.

Finally, the deputy director in the main seat closed his notebook: "President Han, your plan is indeed innovative."

However, innovation also means risk, and the Civil Aviation Administration needs to be able to manage these risks.

Han Jidong's heart jumped.

The deputy director said, "How about this, you choose one route as a pilot project and operate it according to your joint operation model for six months."

If the data meets the standards and the social response is positive, it can be gradually extended to other routes.

This is a special approval channel; the process can be simplified, but the supervision will be stricter. Are you comfortable with that?

Han Jidong and Lao Wang exchanged a glance.

"Yes!" Han Jidong answered without hesitation. "Thank you for giving us this opportunity!"

As he walked out of the Civil Aviation Administration building, Old Wang breathed a sigh of relief: "Even just one route is good; at least we've opened a door."

The pilot route was approved, but before Han Jidong could even be happy, Lao Wang poured cold water on his hopes.

"Mr. Han, although the Civil Aviation Administration has given the green light, it has only approved one route for pilot testing."

Old Wang spread the financial budget sheet on the table, "Even if it's just one route, the initial investment will be more than eight million."

The company can only scrape together a maximum of three million right now, leaving a five million shortfall. You'd better figure something out.

Han Jidong stared at the glaring number on the budget sheet, took a deep breath, and said, "Give me three days."

"Three days?" Old Wang smiled wryly. "You can conjure up five million in three days?"

How will you know if you don't try?

Back in his office, the first thing Han Jidong did was call Mr. Li, the person in charge of cooperation at Dalian Airport.

"Mr. Li, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Our pilot route has been approved, but we are short of start-up funding.

Doesn't Dalian have special funds for aiding Xinjiang? Could you help us secure some support?

Mr. Li on the other end of the phone pondered for a moment: "Mr. Han, there are indeed funds for aiding Xinjiang, but they are all allocated in a specific direction, and there needs to be a specific purpose for applying."

"We have the necessary categories!"

Han Jidong immediately perked up, "Isn't our Liaoning-Xinjiang air route linkage platform the best project to promote exchanges and cooperation between Liaoning and Xinjiang?"

With the air route now open, businesses in Dalian can invest in Xinjiang, and Xinjiang's specialty products can be transported to Dalian. This perfectly aligns with the intended use of aid funds for Xinjiang.

Mr. Li was still somewhat hesitant. "That's true... but the funding approval process is very long, and it's not a quick fix."

Han Jidong had anticipated that he would say this: "President Li, please help with the application first, and approve as many as you can."

"Furthermore, I have another idea. Could we collaborate with local logistics companies and agricultural product distributors in Dalian to get them involved as well?"

"Mr. Li clearly became interested. "Let private capital participate? How will they participate?"

"Revenue sharing model".

Han Jidong quickly said, "They invest in the operation of the freight line, and we share the profits proportionally."

Furthermore, we promise to prioritize the transportation of local agricultural products, which greatly reduces their investment risk.

Mr. Li laughed on the other end of the phone: "Mr. Han, you're quick-witted."

Okay, I'll talk to a few bosses I know first and see what they think.

However, you need to quickly prepare a detailed cooperation plan and send it over.

"No problem, I'll send it to you tomorrow!"

For three days, Han Jidong barely slept.

He visited three logistics companies and met with five agricultural product distributors, practically wearing his lips out from talking so much.

Some business owners are very decisive; as soon as they hear about priority shipping rights, they immediately express their interest.

Some people also had many concerns, worrying that their investment would be wasted.

The most troublesome person is Mr. Liu, the general manager of Fengda Logistics. He is over fifty years old, started his business in logistics, and is very shrewd.

"Mr. Han, it's not that I don't think this project is promising."

Mr. Liu sipped his tea slowly and deliberately. "But you have to admit, border routes are risky."

Bad weather means canceled flights, and unstable cargo supply means losses.

"If you want me to invest money, you have to give me some kind of guarantee, right?"

Han Jidong pushed over the investment return prediction model that Zhai Yang had rushed out overnight: "President Liu, take a look at this."

We don't open routes blindly; they are planned based on precise data.

The transportation of Xinjiang specialty products is highly seasonal. We will increase the frequency of flights during the peak season and focus on passenger transportation during the off-season.

This ensures that the utilization rate is maintained throughout the year.

Mr. Liu looked through the model without saying a word.

Han Jidong pressed on, "Moreover, we promise to prioritize the transportation of our partners' goods."

Once your goods arrive at the airport, we guarantee to arrange for them to be loaded onto a plane as soon as possible.

Isn't this more cost-effective than renting a warehouse and finding scattered delivery services yourself?

"Should priority protection be written into the contract?" General Manager Liu asked, looking up.

"It should be written in black and white, in the contract!"

Mr. Liu finally nodded: "Okay, I'll invest 800,000 to give it a try."

However, Mr. Han, let me be clear from the start: if the results are unsatisfactory, I'll have to withdraw my investment.

"Rest assured, the results will only be better than predicted."

After leaving Fengda Logistics, Han Jidong checked the time on his phone; it was already 4 PM on the third day.

He compiled a list of potential investments from all parties, totaling 3.2 million.

Adding the three million the company can provide, we're still short one million eight hundred thousand.

There's still no news from Dalian.