Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1337 Director Xin

Chen Hui found out that the South Korean investment was still under negotiation and there was no progress.

I finally understood why I had arranged to meet with Xiaowei and his group through the China Merchants Group. The Koreans promised that as long as the China Merchants Group persuaded Fuyingmen Company to agree to the acquisition, they would increase their investment and build a corresponding factory in Fengtian.

The investment promotion bureau has compiled a list of information on various departments under the Commerce Bureau for the Korean candidates, and the plan has already been submitted to the city government.

The China Merchants Group of the 90s is not the same as the China Merchants Group of later generations.

In the 90s, China was in a state of disarray, with everything in disarray and lacking any clear logic. Everyone was feeling their way forward, and there was a complete absence of relevant laws, regulations, and policies. Attracting investment was the top priority for local governments, a matter of political achievement.

Therefore, the investment promotion bureau held a very high position at this time, and in many places, the top two officials in the city also served as the bureau chief. The investment promotion bureau had considerable say in all aspects of investment promotion policy formulation and implementation, as well as investment negotiations.

Xiao Wei asked about it once and then stopped paying attention; it wasn't really his problem.

But it's not surprising that Xiaowei knew about this.

There are far more bizarre things than this done for the sake of so-called political achievements. Whether a company is strong or not, its marketing, profits, taxes, brand influence, etc., are all meaningless to them, utterly irrelevant, and have absolutely no bearing on them.

However, as long as it is sold to foreigners, the joint venture label is removed, and a successful example of attracting foreign investment is confirmed.

Whether the sale was worthwhile, whether there was a loss, or whether there was potential for growth—what does that have to do with him? He's not going to stay here forever.

And frankly, there's an old saying: "Learn by example." Aren't there plenty of cases of people exchanging gold for bricks? Using pearls as glass marbles is nothing new.

Our adults are only good at being adults; they know nothing about anything except political infighting. How tragic.

What they consider the bigger picture is simply whether he can get promoted. That's all.

Especially in the 1980s and 1990s, in almost every aspect, laymen instructed experts, talking nonsense and giving wildly instructive advice. Everyone was scrambling to climb the ladder by any means necessary, but in the end, they knew nothing and made a mess of things before leaving.

It's hard to say.

……

The Koreans arrived in Kyoto on the 29th.

The people who came were from each of the parent companies of Nongshim Group in South Korea. The people from Holmpul were not together, so it seems to be a solo action by Nongshim.

South Koreans and Japanese have a strength we can learn from: no matter how much they fight and struggle at home, they can cooperate closely once they go abroad, and even support their opponents and provide intelligence.

We're the complete opposite. We smile to your face but are cunning behind your back. We don't care if it's domestic or international; we just want to take the lion's share. We even go so far as to collude with local tribes. For example, we ruined the once-thriving Southeast Asian motorcycle market, making it unprofitable in the end. How wonderful!

Foreign competition is limited to the market, and the bottom line is to ensure that everyone is profitable. Often, once the bottom is reached, the competition will end or someone will withdraw.

We don't care about that. If we're unsure, I'd rather lose money than let you have a good outcome.

So what we're doing is more like killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of our own; in the end, the market disappears, there are no winners, or the market is flooded with counterfeit and shoddy goods, and consumers suffer.

The most crucial point is that nobody cares. It's normal for a hammer to be harder than a nail, and pliers to be weaker than wire; they're cheap, so they squeeze out the better options. Everyone uses these, which is fine, right? Anyway, the officials don't use them.

What products on the market today are safe to eat and trustworthy? How many are worth the price and can be used and worn with peace of mind?

All we see are how many millionaires there are in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, how much GDP has increased, and how successful and satisfied the local governments are. The ordinary people? Ha!

Just like how houses are getting more and more expensive, who doesn't know that the root cause is the high land prices leading to double taxation? What can be done about it?

……

The Koreans seemed a bit impatient. They arrived in the morning and requested a meeting that afternoon.

Let's meet then; we can't let people say we're impolite.

Xiaowei and Chen Hui drove to Liangmaqiao.

The directors of Nongshim Group live at the Sheraton Great Wall Hotel, probably because it's close to their embassy and makes them feel safe.

Compared to the Japanese, Koreans are more rigid, arrogant, and cautious.

In a private room at the hotel's upscale restaurant, Xiaowei and Chen Hui met Director Xin. He wore an ordinary mask, but his eyes were particularly bright.

Koreans share many similarities with the Japanese in etiquette and manners, both originating from the Tang and Song dynasties of China, with some changes after being influenced by the Ming dynasty. However, unlike the Japanese, who largely retained our traditions, the self-important Koreans have made many "improvements."

Therefore, eating with Koreans is not a pleasant experience; in fact, it can be quite troublesome. On the contrary, eating with Japanese people is very comfortable.

For example, you can't hold a bowl, you can't use chopsticks casually, you have to swallow and spit out bones behind others' backs, you have to fold up and put away your napkin after use, you can't pour your own wine, and you have to fill other people's glasses immediately when you see them empty. There are strict requirements for pouring wine and toasting.

Chopsticks are not used much at Korean dining tables; spoons are the primary tool. When eating, one should first drink soup, then sip rice followed by soup, then sip soup followed by rice, and only then can one pick up food. If elders are present, one can only start eating after the elders have started eating, and one can only put down food after the elders have finished eating.

Spoons and chopsticks cannot be placed on the rice bowl; they must be returned to their original positions after eating. There are even rules about how to put chopsticks away after use.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you." Director Xin bowed. "I've prepared a small feast as a token of my appreciation. Please have a seat."

Chen Hui glanced around and saw two other Chinese people in the room besides Nongshim Group, though he didn't know what they did. This Director Xin spoke Mandarin even better than Chen Hui and Xiao Wei, so a translator probably wasn't needed.

"Hello, we're from the Foreign Affairs Office, here to assist you with this meeting." One of the Chinese men proactively shook hands with Xiaowei and Chen Hui, introducing himself. It was unclear which level of the Foreign Affairs Office they were from.

Xiao Wei frowned: "This restaurant has a conference room, right? Let's find a smaller conference room to sit in for a while. We can skip the meal."

Director Xin, seemingly unable to understand Chinese, gestured for him to sit down: "Please take a seat."

The person from the Foreign Affairs Office said, "Chairman Zhang, please take a seat. Everything has been prepared; wouldn't it be impolite to refuse like this?"

Xiao Wei turned to him and asked, "You prepared this?"

The man pointed his five fingers at Director Xin: "Director Xin attaches great importance to this meeting and arranged it all personally."

Xiao Wei turned around and waved to the waiter in the private room: "Do you have a small meeting room here?"

The waiter glanced at the two people from the foreign affairs office and nodded: "Yes, we do."

(End of this chapter)