Rebirth: I am in Jin-Cha-Ji

Wei Hongjun reviewed every list of students submitted by various central ministries, provinces, cities, and enterprises, meticulously studying their information and the review comments from the Organization Department and the Party School.

This list of district and county-level officials includes many names familiar to Wei Hongjun. Among them, the one with the highest starting position and the best prospects is Zhu Rongji, currently serving as deputy director of the office of the Secretary of the Central Financial and Economic Work Commission, also known as Chen Yun's office.

Zhu Rongji, now only 29 years old, was highly regarded by Ma Hong while in Northeast China. Ma Hong was later transferred to the central government as Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council, primarily managing heavy industry under Li Fuchun. Zhu Rongji then began working in the Ministry of Heavy Industry and the Ministry of Machinery Industry.

Zhu Rongji's outstanding coordination and management skills attracted the attention of many central leaders. Consequently, at the young age of 25, he was appointed Director of the Production Planning Office of the Ministry of Heavy Industry and Deputy Director of the Office of Vice Premier Li Fuchun. After the Ninth National Congress, he was appointed Deputy Director of the Secretary's Office of the Financial and Economic Work Committee, becoming a highly regarded young cadre by Chen Yun.

This time, the Central Party School held a training program for young and middle-aged cadres, and the young cadre recommended by the Finance and Economics Working Committee was Zhu Rongji. Comrade Chen Yun suggested that, given the new cadre appointment regulations adopted at the Second Session of the Ninth Central Committee, an outstanding cadre like Zhu Rongji should be trained in the localities. Zhu Rongji had been working for eight years, first in the Ministry of Industry of the Northeast People's Government and later in central government ministries, and was now a full-fledged county-level official. Failure to train in the localities would affect his future.

Of course, besides Zhu Rongji, there was also 386, who returned from studying in the Soviet Union and worked at Second Automobile Works in Hunan. Historically, he was working at FAW at this time, but because Second Automobile Works was established at this time, he was transferred to Second Automobile Works and participated in its establishment.

Many local county party secretaries and county governors in their thirties were also on the list. Many of these cadres were well-educated and had joined the revolution in their teens, because their youth allowed them to be open to new things.

The courses that senior cadres take at the Central Party School are different from the courses that district and county-level cadres take for training at the Central Party School.

In addition to reviewing the list of these young and middle-aged cadres, Wei Hongjun also has to consider their course arrangements.

When Wei Hongjun was working at the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the Central Party School, the oil conference held in Egypt was very fruitful.

With Soviet support, many oil-producing countries, especially the major oil producers in the Middle East, began to grow bolder. They were now openly discussing things they had previously never dared to consider. They no longer wanted to be controlled by the oil conglomerates, as they had lost too much of their profits to them by cooperating with them.

Khrushchev knew how to disgust people. He privately negotiated with some major oil-producing countries in the Middle East, arguing that Soviet oil companies were willing to cooperate with Middle Eastern countries in oil production. This cooperation was not the kind of cooperation model seen in Western oil consortiums, but rather the establishment of a joint-stock company, with everyone sharing the profits.

The Soviet Union didn't actually need Middle Eastern oil as much as one might imagine. However, Khrushchev's goal was to strike down European and American oil conglomerates. After the successful Moscow Conference, which temporarily stabilized the socialist camp, Khrushchev began to grow bolder. In particular, the Soviet Union's first satellite launch convinced Khrushchev that the socialist Soviet Union could overwhelm the United States. Therefore, as long as it could strike down European and American capitalist countries, Khrushchev was willing to do so.

Compared to the socialist camp, Western countries, especially Europe, needed foreign oil more. Khrushchev wanted to unite with Middle Eastern countries to put pressure on Europe. If Europe negotiated alone with the Soviet Union and the Middle East for oil, wouldn't that split the imperialist camp?

With the Soviet Union's commitment, Saudi Arabia was the first to jump in. While Saudi Arabia may not seem like a major power, it possesses considerable influence in the Middle East and is known for its decisiveness in diplomacy. At this oil conference, Saudi Arabia was the first to reach a cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union. The two sides decided to establish the Saudi Aramco, with the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia each holding a 50-50 stake. Saudi Arabia would provide the oil fields, and the Soviet Union would provide the technology to help Saudi Arabia build the oil company.

The Saudis' idea was to first cooperate with the Soviet Union to create a model of cooperation, and then use this to negotiate with other European and American oil companies to force them to make concessions on the issue of oil company shares.

After Saudi Arabia took the lead, Kuwait followed suit. Kuwait's oil production had previously been limited, but recently, astonishing reserves were discovered. Now, European and American oil conglomerates are eyeing Kuwaiti oil. Kuwait, of course, was unwilling to hand over the majority of profits to those conglomerates, only to reap the benefits. Therefore, seeing Saudi Arabia's cooperation with the Soviet Union, Kuwait also sought cooperation with the Soviet Union.

Upon hearing this news in Moscow, Khrushchev immediately persuaded Mikoyan to agree. He didn't even care whether the Soviet Union would profit from this cooperation or whether it could process the vast amount of oil. His primary concern was controlling oil, the most important energy source since the Second Industrial Revolution, so he didn't hesitate to negotiate the terms of the cooperation.

Compared to the active Soviet Union, the Chinese representatives were much calmer. This was because China was too weak in oil extraction, transportation, and refining. Currently, all important equipment for Chinese oil fields was imported, including oil pipelines, which were all Soviet and European equipment.

However, while the Chinese delegation may appear inactive, it doesn't mean they're inactive. On the contrary, Middle Eastern nations still hold China in high regard. After all, China is the nation that defeated the United States a few years ago. Having a major nation like China at the oil conference is a significant addition. Therefore, China and Middle Eastern nations are leveraging this opportunity to deepen diplomatic ties.

This oil conference lasted for two months.

Finally, the oil conference, led by the Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, decided to establish the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), with its headquarters in neutral Geneva, Switzerland. The first nine countries to join OPEC were the Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela, Egypt, China, and Indonesia.

Not only did they decide to establish OPEC, but they also issued a joint declaration in Cairo, Egypt. While the declaration contained no overly harsh language and made no accusations against any particular organization or country, it nonetheless sent shockwaves through the global oil market.

Because the declaration clearly states that OPEC countries will hold an annual meeting to discuss oil production issues, with the goal of stabilizing world oil prices.

European countries and Japan reacted most strongly, as they needed large quantities of oil to develop their industries and economies.

If oil prices fluctuate, especially if oil prices rise, it will directly affect the industrial and economic development of these countries.

But the Middle Eastern countries were determined. This was mainly because the oil profits were so huge, with even a slight adjustment bringing in hundreds of millions, or even billions, of dollars a year. Faced with such a lure, the Middle Eastern countries simply couldn't resist.

On May 1958, 5, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries was officially established.

While Egypt was holding its oil conference, France was voting on Charles de Gaulle's new constitution. At the time, Charles de Gaulle held a high profile in France, perhaps even after years of turmoil, the French people were hoping he could put France back on track. Consequently, they expressed strong support for the new constitution, with votes reaching nearly 80%. The vote on the new constitution garnered strong support not only within France but also in France's colonies.

After the new constitution was passed, Charles de Gaulle began to seek the position of French president because the new constitution greatly weakened the power of the original parliament and prime minister.

Previously, the French president was a figurehead, with limited power. However, after the new constitution was adopted, the French president's power increased significantly, becoming the true head of state. Not only did he hold significant power, but he could also preside over cabinet meetings and appoint the prime minister without the approval of parliament. Parliament was also stripped of its power to elect the president, expanding the power to participate in presidential elections. Furthermore, the president was granted the special power to decide national affairs through referendums without the approval of parliament.

Charles de Gaulle went to great lengths to introduce a new constitution, not to facilitate others' progress. He was reserving a position for himself. He had initially worried that current French President Coty would be unwilling to relinquish his position. After all, the French president previously held little power, but now he holds the true sway.

But Coty was clearly sensible and perceptive. He knew that all of France, including the colonies, supported Charles de Gaulle's return to lead France out of its difficulties. If he refused to leave at this time, he would eventually be driven away.

So he readily expressed his willingness to leave the presidency and expressed his support for Charles de Gaulle to become the new president of France.

After Coty's statement, de Gaulle's becoming the president of France was unstoppable and no one could stop him.

On July 1958, 7, Charles de Gaulle was elected President of the French Republic and the French African territory of Madagascar.

On July 1958, 7, Charles de Gaulle was officially sworn in.

On the day of Charles de Gaulle's inauguration, China sent a congratulatory message in the name of the President.

On August 1958, 8, 18 days after Charles de Gaulle took office as French President, the Chinese and French governments suddenly issued a joint communiqué establishing diplomatic relations. The communiqué declared: "The Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the French Republic have unanimously decided to establish diplomatic relations. To this end, the two governments have agreed to appoint ambassadors within three months."

The establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France was a global sensation. The United States was furious because Charles de Gaulle had previously stated that his visit to China had not resulted in any political agreements, but rather in the promotion of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

The representatives sent by Charles de Gaulle to negotiate with the United States had all assured the United States that Charles de Gaulle supported the United States and NATO led by the United States.

But the result?

Turn around and establish diplomatic relations with China.

By the time Charles de Gaulle visited China, he had already reached some tacit political understanding with the central government in Beijing. Although the two sides hadn't issued a joint statement, that was simply because the timing wasn't right and some details hadn't been worked out. These included the French colonial issues and the Taiwan issue. Consequently, Charles de Gaulle's representatives and Chinese counterparts had been negotiating secretly in Switzerland.

China and Switzerland established diplomatic ties as early as 1950, and Switzerland is now considered a neutral country. Therefore, China and France held secret negotiations in Switzerland to discuss some details.

After several months, China and France had reached agreement on many details. Charles de Gaulle didn't insist on many points, primarily because his trip to China had given him a deeper understanding of the country. In particular, after witnessing the developments taking place across China, he understood that China was a rising power in the East, a rising power that no one could ignore. Consequently, the negotiations between China and France proceeded smoothly, waiting for Charles de Gaulle to emerge and take control of the French situation.

So after de Gaulle was officially elected president, he quickly established diplomatic relations with China.

After China and France announced the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries quickly announced a series of cooperation plans. Charles de Gaulle had two things to deal with after he came out of retirement.

One is the colonial issue, and the other is the domestic economic issue.

The colonial issue needed to be gradually resolved by Charles de Gaulle. The first issue Charles de Gaulle had to address was the domestic economic issue.

Specific economic measures will be announced later, but the announcement of a series of economic cooperation between China and France has given a shot in the arm to the sluggish French economy.

Of course, the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France was a huge breakthrough for Chinese diplomacy. Many European countries, in particular, began to make moves.

1040 Southbound Research

1958 was truly a year of great change.

The Soviet Union spearheaded the creation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), hoping to control oil production and create a rift within the imperialist bloc. While the United States was currently self-sufficient in oil, Europe and Japan were experiencing increasing demand. Controlling oil production would compel Europe to engage with major oil-producing nations like the Soviet Union and the Middle East to secure the oil it needed for economic development. This would allow the Soviet Union to leverage oil to strengthen its ties with Europe, preventing the continent from completely heeding US dictates.

The Soviet Union didn't expect Europe to split from the US and ally with the USSR. It simply wanted Europe and the US to become less close. To achieve this, Khrushchev was willing to sacrifice some economic interests.

The Cairo oil conference had just given Western countries a major shock, and before they had fully recovered from the incident, China and France announced the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Western countries have been hostile to the People's Republic of China since its founding. This was because the People's Republic of China immediately abolished unequal treaties and refused to recognize loans from the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. Furthermore, while the People's Republic of China did not forcibly confiscate foreign companies, it excluded them from the socialist economic system, forcing many foreign companies to withdraw from China. All of this caused significant losses to Western countries.

Western financial institutions and businessmen were deeply dissatisfied with Red China. Many Western trading companies had previously made easy money in China. But after the founding of the People's Republic of China, they could no longer make such profits. How could they be happy? So they united to oppose the new China.

In addition, China was severely beaten in the Korean War, so Western countries followed the United States in imposing some embargoes and blockades on China.

But now that France, a major Western power, has announced the establishment of diplomatic ties with China, the impact on Western nations has been immense. It's truly a groundbreaking diplomatic event. As a result, China's diplomatic department has been extremely busy, as more and more countries are engaging in private contact with China.

Western countries are not fools. Who could truly ignore a power of China's size? After all, no matter how poor China is, it is still a great nation with a population of 500 to 600 million, and a nation that defeated the United States in Korea. It's just that they were previously wary and suspicious of Red China, and they didn't dare to offend the United States, so they didn't engage with China. But now that France has stepped up, what else do they have to worry about?

The fact that Red China had established diplomatic relations with France showed that it was not opposed to interacting with capitalist countries. This alone had dispelled many of their concerns.

And as the saying goes, "the law does not punish the masses." Given its extensive engagement with China, even if the United States is angry and wants to find someone to settle accounts with, it will go after France, the first country to step forward. While the United States is powerful, it can't impose its own wrath on all its allies.

The UK, in particular, saw the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France and the numerous cooperation agreements reached, and immediately began to reconsider Sino-British relations. The UK was the first Western country to fully engage with China, and even to establish extensive economic ties. While the two countries don't currently have diplomatic relations, they do have a semi-diplomatic relationship. It can be said that the UK has always had the best relationship with China among Western countries, and economic exchanges between the two countries have been very frequent in recent years. However, who could have imagined that France would be the last to surpass China and establish diplomatic relations with China? This made the UK uneasy.

Previously, economic cooperation between China and European countries was always mediated by the UK. In the past few years, China imported a large number of machinery and equipment from Europe, and the UK reaped a huge profit from the intermediary fees alone. Besides these fees, the UK itself also sold a large amount of machinery and equipment to China, and British financial institutions also provided large loans to China. Even political cooperation between China and Europe often flowed through the UK. Now that China and France have established diplomatic relations, China no longer needs to cooperate with the UK on many matters, which means that France is trying to seize British interests.

This was unacceptable to the UK, so discussions immediately began within the UK about the possibility of establishing diplomatic ties with China.

Besides Britain, other European countries, including Japan, began sending people to contact China. Why was Yugoslavia called a traitor to the socialist camp and France a traitor to the imperialist camp? It was because France's establishment of diplomatic relations with China completely disrupted the US plan.

China has directly torn apart the US-led imperialist bloc diplomatically. With France taking the lead, the US can no longer control these Western countries' engagement with China, or even their establishment of diplomatic ties with China. Of course, the US is even more concerned that if China seizes this opportunity to establish diplomatic ties with European countries on a large scale, then China's return to the United Nations will be difficult for the US to prevent.

So, US Secretary of State Dulles immediately flew to Europe. He first went to France, hoping that Charles de Gaulle would give the US an explanation. However, Charles de Gaulle bluntly told Dulles that France had independent diplomatic status and did not need to explain itself to the US.

After being turned down by Charles de Gaulle, Dulles traveled to several European countries, both to appease and to warn them, telling them not to follow France's example and become close to China.

Dulles's warnings had some effect, and people were engaging with China, but they were still very cautious, watching what others would do.

Dulles was actually most worried about Britain because Britain had the best relationship with China. If Britain also established diplomatic relations with China, the United States would really lose control of the situation.

While Dulles was courting European powers, the Chinese Premier personally traveled to the Soviet Union to meet with Khrushchev and explain the situation to the Soviet leader. The Premier informed the Soviet Union of the details of the Sino-French negotiations, and the Chairman personally wrote a letter to Khrushchev. China's message was simple: while diplomatic relations had been established between China and France, they were merely normal relations, with absolutely no secret diplomatic agreements or agreements. China was not Yugoslavia; it would not leave the socialist camp simply by establishing diplomatic relations with France.

China's attitude was sincere. Khrushchev was indeed shocked at first, but the Premier personally came to explain and reassure Khrushchev, which calmed him down. In fact, the Soviet Union had no objection to the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, as the Soviet Union and France had already established diplomatic relations.

However, China still needed to rely heavily on the Soviet Union for its Second Five-Year Plan, and the socialist camp also needed the Soviet Union as its big brother. That is why China's attitude was so "sincere".

"The work of trade unions in Sino-foreign joint-stock companies should also be differentiated."

The trade union work handled in Beijing mainly involves trade unions in state-owned enterprises.

However, when it comes to Sino-foreign joint-stock companies, including Chinese and Chinese-owned joint-stock companies, trade union work is even more sensitive. Even if there are some deviations in the work of trade unions in state-owned enterprises, since these enterprises are owned by the whole people or collectively, they can be adjusted at any time.

Joint ventures, however, require more consideration. While the Ninth National Congress of the Communist Party of China clarified that these joint ventures are part of the socialist economy as long as they adhere to socialist laws and regulations, the socialist distribution system, and adhere to socialist economic development, more detailed work still requires time.

So Wei Hongjun went south to Hunan, Guangdong, and Fujian to conduct research and talk with local trade unions and factory union officials.

"Secretary Wei, Guangdong's trade union work is currently facing two serious problems."

Liang Guang, Chairman of the Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions, spoke.

During the Chinese Civil War, Liang Guang served as the commander and political commissar of the Guangdong-Guangxi Border Column of the People's Liberation Army. After liberation, he served as deputy secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Party Committee, deputy mayor of Guangzhou, and deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial United Front Work Department. Later, he became chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Federation of Trade Unions.

Guangdong Province is at the forefront of reform, with many new initiatives emerging. Consequently, Guangdong boasts a strong cadre base. The Guangdong Federation of Trade Unions also has the most challenging work.

"What two questions?"

"One is the issue of union funding. Speaking of union funding, state-owned factories have stable sources of union funding. The government, the higher-level trade union federation, and the state-owned factory all contribute, as well as worker contributions. Therefore, state-owned factory unions don't have serious funding issues. However, joint venture factories face many challenges with union funding."

"Joint-venture unions have encountered numerous issues with government and trade union funding. Chinese and foreign businesspeople are already concerned that our socialist state is hostile to capitalists and might confiscate their property, making them very sensitive to policy changes. Many of them are extremely concerned when our government or the trade unions provide funding to factory unions, and have repeatedly approached the government to sound them out. They believe my country intends to use unions to control factories and expel capitalists like them. Therefore, they do not welcome the existence of unions, especially those in socialist countries. Because of their overwhelming reaction, the Guangdong government and the trade unions have stopped funding joint-venture unions."

"As for workers paying fees to support union operations, that's even more unrealistic at the moment. Most of the workers in our joint venture factories are farmers who have transitioned to factory work. They don't know much about unions because they haven't experienced the workers' movement of the old society, so they don't understand their role. And even if some of them support union work, asking them to contribute financially is out of the question. Even though they've become workers, their mindsets are different."

"So now it's very difficult for the unions in joint venture factories to carry out their work. The main reason is that there is no funding."

Wei Hongjun nodded.

We're all human beings, and we need money. The same goes for union work; without money, we can't really get our work done. Compared to state-owned enterprises, the first problem unions in these joint ventures face is money.

Wei Hongjun turned around and asked, "Comrade Tao Zhu, Comrade Chen Tao, you two are familiar with joint ventures. What do you think of this issue?"

Adjustments to union work directly impact the performance of individual enterprises. The varying roles of unions directly influence the work of factory administration. Therefore, during Wei Hongjun's southern research trip, he invited not only officials from the local federation of trade unions but also local government officials.

Tao Zhudao said, "Regarding trade unions, it's understandable that foreign and Chinese businessmen are resistant. After all, our Party originated as a labor movement, and after the founding of New China, we carried out socialist transformation of industry and commerce. They worry that after the development of joint ventures, trade unions will follow the path of our Party's labor movement."

"But we can't let them lead us by the nose. Since joint ventures are also part of my country's socialist economic system, they must accept the constraints of the socialist economic system. Establishing a factory union is an inevitable step in a socialist economy. Therefore, joint ventures must not become independent kingdoms and reject the establishment of unions."

"However, since foreign and Chinese businessmen have concerns about the establishment and work of trade unions, we must allay their concerns. We must acknowledge that there are differences in the operation and management of state-owned enterprises and joint ventures. Only by recognizing this can trade unions in joint ventures develop. If the working methods of state-owned enterprise trade unions are directly transplanted to joint ventures, it will inevitably lead to problems in the development of joint ventures."

Wei Hongjun interrupted, "Comrade Tao Zhu, what do you think is the biggest difference between state-owned enterprises and joint ventures? What is the biggest difference in trade union work?"

"State-owned enterprises and joint ventures are both businesses, and both operate independently. But the biggest difference between the two is that state-owned enterprises aren't just about making money; they're more attuned to the overall national economic development. Therefore, state-owned enterprises must align national interests with those of the factory, and trade unions should work towards this goal. They must align the interests of workers and the factory. Only by aligning these interests can we achieve a state-owned enterprise where workers are the masters of the industry."

"But joint ventures are different. Although they are also part of the socialist economic system, for Chinese and foreign businessmen, making money is the top priority. To achieve profits, they can reduce costs and lower workers' benefits. Therefore, the role of the joint venture union is to supervise the company in this regard, participate in profit distribution, and protect the interests of workers."