Reborn Tycoon Rise

Historically, negotiations between the mainland government and Britain on the return of Hong Kong began in September 1982, after the Iron Lady almost fell on the stairs in front of Tiananmen Square.

In fact, whether in business or politics, the big guys may just casually talk about an issue for a while, but the teams behind the two sides may have invested hundreds or even thousands of people in detailed negotiations.

As early as 1979, MacLehose visited the capital and asked indirectly about the future of Hong Kong. The reply he received was very tough: the mainland government must take back Hong Kong!

After MacLehose returned to Hong Kong, he reported the whole story to the British government. From then on, the British Foreign Office began to formally prepare to deal with the Hong Kong matter.

Taking back Xiangjiang is very simple for the mainland government. However, due to reform and opening up, the closed mainland needs the help of Xiangjiang, the integration point of China and the West. To this end, the central government has specially established a united front department for Xiangjiang with the intention of smoothly taking back Xiangjiang.

Before the Iron Lady's visit to China, the British Foreign Office, the British Hong Kong Government, and the Mainland Ministry of Foreign Affairs had actually negotiated and communicated on this matter countless times. Although no agreement was reached, the other party's ideas and bottom line were basically clear.

Political negotiations have always been a decision-by-decision process. When it is impossible to use force, the two sides can only sit down and negotiate slowly. This is related to the dignity of the two big countries. Everything that can be brought together as a favorable factor is Among the objects pursued by both parties, Xiangjiang's business tycoons are the top priority.

In a capitalist society, capital is king, not just because capitalists are rich, but because they can provide a large number of jobs for the region, control the economic sources of countless people, and even own the film, television, and print media, which plays a vital role in the stability of society. Crucial role.

What the mainland government wants to take over is not just the land in Hong Kong, but a complete Hong Kong. If the economy of Hong Kong collapses after taking over, the mainland, which has begun to try to integrate into the global society, will inevitably be questioned by some hostile countries in the West.

At the same time, the British Hong Kong government has also been wooing the powerful businessmen on the island. Especially in the past ten years, Chinese capital has risen in Hong Kong, and British capital has begun to decline or gradually transfer assets away from Hong Kong. In terms of influence, HSBC, the pseudo-central bank, has been removed. , the influence of Chinese capital in Hong Kong is enough to compete with British capital.

…

On April 20, after nightfall, the lights inside the Government House on Leippie Road in Central were brightly lit. Countless luxury cars drove into the Government House one by one. After their owners got off the car, they left through the back door.

Political and business figures from all walks of life in Hong Kong have been invited by the Government House to attend the banquet hosted by Governor MacLehose. At this moment, the dominant groups in Hong Kong are concentrated here. In order to ensure safety, the Police Force Thousands of police officers were deployed around to ensure the smooth holding of the banquet.

When Xu Zhi arrived, there were already many acquaintances in the banquet hall. Li Jiacheng, Bao Yugang, Li Shauji, Bao Fuda, Niu Bijian and others had all arrived. According to their business scope and political leanings, these people had 30% to 50% The group gathered together and talked quietly.

When Siders from Standard Chartered Bank saw Xu Zhi, he raised his glass in salute. Xu Zhi also smiled, took a glass of white wine from the tray of a passing waiter, saluted back, and walked to Sides.

"The scene here today is very interesting. Although there are many people, it is not lively enough!" Sides said with a smile.

"It's all related to my own future, so I'm naturally more cautious." Xu Zhi nodded and smiled.

Both the mainland government and the British Hong Kong government hope that some businessmen in Hong Kong can stand clearly on their side. The number of influential tycoons in Hong Kong exceeds a hundred, but only a handful can actually do so.

The Jardine Matheson Group has made it clear that it supports the United Kingdom, while the Huo Yingdong family supports the mainland. Most of the others are betting on both sides, or even if they support one side, they are only expressed through business practices.

For example, the British-owned Swire Group, although it is a British capital, refused to take a position on this matter. On the one hand, it continued to participate in the meeting of British-owned foreign companies held by the Hong Kong government under the name of the four major British-owned foreign companies. On the other hand, It has cooperated with the mainland in various aspects. Its subsidiary Cathay Pacific Airways has opened new routes with several mainland cities. It has also built a canning factory in the mainland jointly with the mainland government to specialize in the production of Coca-Cola. This project has also earned the mainland a lot of money. A lot of foreign exchange funds.

Representatives of the Chinese, such as Li Jiacheng, Bao Yugang and others, donated money to build universities and five-star hotels in the mainland. In fact, they wanted to show their position, but they wanted them to show it publicly like Huo Yingdong. is unlikely.

This is actually the choice of a normal businessman. No one wants to get involved in the confrontation between two of the world's top regimes. After all, if you are not careful, you will lose everything. What's more, even if the side you support wins, it is not a good thing to offend the other side. .

Sides nodded and said with a smile: "Xu Sheng, I am very interested in the ATM machines recently built by the Bank of East Asia in various places in Hong Kong. Our Standard Chartered Bank is also preparing to install this kind of equipment in Hong Kong. I wonder if the Bank of East Asia can provide some technical support. s help?"

Since half a year ago, Bank of East Asia has introduced more than 500 ATM equipment from the United States, and invited American professional companies to connect with senior executives of Bank of East Asia, and will release ATM machines on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon and IBM servers in the Bank of East Asia headquarters building. The docking allows Bank of East Asia to have more than 500 "branches" in an instant. Although there is no manual service, it is very convenient for users to deposit and withdraw money.

Banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered are naturally aware of this change and want to follow suit. Standard Chartered Bank is rich and can naturally contact professional American companies. But in the financial field, time is money, and American companies can provide technology. Support, but how to maximize the benefits and effects during operation? Standard Chartered Bank also knows nothing about this new type of ATM equipment. If it gets help from Bank of East Asia, which has been operating for half a year, Standard Chartered will be able to take the lead before HSBC.

"No problem. Bank of East Asia and Standard Chartered Bank are long-term partners. We are honored to develop together." Xu Zhi nodded in agreement.

Even after several expansions, Bank of East Asia is still far behind banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered. Currently, Bank of East Asia and Standard Chartered are not competitors, and they cooperate on many projects, so helping Standard Chartered is naturally not a problem.

Not to mention that equipment like ATMs will be popularized by major banks sooner or later. It is useless to hide them now.

Xu Zhi took out a card from his breast pocket and continued: "Mr. Sides, Bank of East Asia intends to launch a card called Octopus. This card can be used in any of my companies in the service industry, such as Kowloon You can get certain discounts on buses, PARKnSHOP supermarkets, and Juson's pharmacies, and you can also make deposits and withdrawals at Bank of East Asia's ATMs. I hope Standard Chartered Bank can help me recommend this card to bank customers so that more people can make deposits and withdrawals. people enjoy this convenience.”

"Isn't this equivalent to an ordinary bank card?" Sides took the card and looked at it and said.

"It's still a little different. This Octopus won't involve large-value transactions, and it doesn't have functions or passwords for transfers and remittances. The function I define for this kind of card is convenience." Xu Zhi explained with a smile.

Sides was a smart man. After thinking about it carefully for a while, he understood and said, "Xu Sheng, are you planning to push this kind of card to the whole of Xiangjiang?"

"Yes, so I hope Mr. Sides can also join this camp." Xu Zhi said with a smile. Standard Chartered Bank has customers all over Hong Kong. With the help of Standard Chartered, this will be more conducive to the promotion of Octopus.

"Okay, I will make a plan later to add promotional billboards in all branch halls." Sides nodded and said with a smile.