Resource Tycoon Reborn

The Kra Canal plan was actually proposed by the then King of Thailand as early as the beginning of the last century. The King of Thailand had a relatively good understanding of Western society and was also aware of the huge role that the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal had in promoting the international shipping industry and the local economy.

Therefore, the idea of ​​building the Kra Canal and making it a convenient shipping channel between the Pacific and Indian Oceans while promoting Thailand's local economic development came naturally.

However, Thailand’s national strength at the time was simply unable to support this huge project, and bringing in the power of European and American countries was not the result that the Thai royal family wanted to see. In addition, after World War I, World War II, the Cold War, Vietnam invaded Cambodia, and China-Vietnam

War, India-Pakistan conflict and a series of wars have made Thailand's surrounding environment unstable, so this plan can only be shelved.

However, in recent years, with the rapid development of the East Asian economy, mainly the Chinese economy, as a narrow waterway connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the passage of a large number of ships has made the Malacca Strait one of the busiest waterways in the world. This gives the Malacca Strait

Countries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, especially Singapore, have brought huge benefits. In addition, there have been frequent pirate and ship hijacking incidents in the Malacca Strait. The issue of digging the Kra Canal has been brought up again, and solid research and demonstration has really begun.

Naturally, the Singapore government holds strong objections to this. The opening of the Kra Canal will seriously affect Singapore's status as a maritime hub port. It is estimated that after the Kra Canal is completed, it will be able to navigate nearly 300 ships every day. At present, the Strait of Malacca

Only more than 80,000 ships pass through the Strait of Malacca every year. It can be said that by then, except for those very large ships and ships bound for countries around the Strait of Malacca, the vast majority of ships will no longer pass through the Strait of Malacca, but through the Kra Canal.

Entering the South China Sea! This will cause Singapore's position in the international shipping industry to decline significantly!

For a small country like Singapore, the decline in economic status means a decline in the country's international status. It has a lower voice among ASEAN countries and a lower level of national income. As for Thailand, according to incomplete estimates, investment

The total investment in the excavation of the Kra Canal is likely to exceed 20 billion US dollars, bringing more than 30,000 jobs to Thailand. After the Kra Canal is put into operation, the annual shipping costs will also bring very generous benefits to Thailand. Thus increasing the

It has increased Thailand's economic and strategic position in Southeast Asia and even Asia. And this rise and fall is the difference between heaven and hell for Singapore and Thailand!

Therefore, Singapore has been trying its best to dispel this idea of ​​​​Thailand, including China and Japan. Because the excavation of the Kra Canal is very costly, the Thai government will definitely not be able to bear it alone. Otherwise, its country will not be able to bear it.

There will always be thunder and rain, and with the end of the Cold War, the overall international situation has eased. The Thai government has been seeking international cooperation. The East Asian countries that are most likely to respond to Thailand are China, Japan and South Korea. Among them, China is the most likely to respond.

and Japan are more interested in the Crane Canal project.

After the outbreak of the U.S. war on terrorism, anti-terrorism departments in Asia, Europe and the United States have raised some concerns. The Malacca Strait is a choke waterway for international maritime traffic lines in Asia. Piracy activities are currently rampant. Moreover, the waterway is congested and the traffic order is chaotic. Such a Malacca Strait

, once those terrorists imitate pirates and launch frequent attacks on ships passing here, it will have extremely serious consequences for the economic development of Asia.

The Singaporean government had to strengthen its naval power, and at the same time win over ASEAN countries to jointly strengthen maritime patrols in the Malacca Strait. It even provided its ports to the US Navy to strengthen the deterrent against pirates. However, this behavior

, which undoubtedly makes China quite dissatisfied. The Chinese government naturally does not want this choke waterway to be under the control of the Americans. In this case, once there is a conflict with the United States and its allies, it will inevitably cause major damage to China's maritime energy transportation lines.

Threats. The voice of the Kra Canal project as an alternative transportation channel has also become more powerful in China.

Prior to this, although China had always called for cooperation with Thailand on the Kra Canal project, senior leaders did not show too much enthusiasm for this project. According to Singaporean analysis, on the one hand, this is because

The project costs an astonishing amount of money, at least 20 billion U.S. dollars, which is also an astonishing amount for China. Although the Thai government has promised investors to participate in the management of the canal in the form of equity participation, the Thais themselves are not familiar with this project.

The support for the project is not strong, and there are endless shocking corruption cases within Thai government agencies. Some people are worried that if the Kra Isthmus Canal project is launched, its construction period may be extended indefinitely and it will become a financial black hole.

On the other hand, because Singapore has always had a good relationship with China, the Chinese government is also considering the negative impact that the start of the Kra Canal project will have on Singapore.

In recent years, due to some inappropriate remarks by Singaporean government personnel and some practices that the Chinese government deliberately sided with the United States to contain China, the relationship between the two countries has cooled significantly. This time Lee Hsien Loong went to Treasure Island.

The remarks made even more aroused dissatisfaction in China.

Under such a general situation, the Singaporean government naturally hopes to repair the relationship between the two countries and suppress the Thais' imminent moves. Li Xianlong's trip to Fengyuan is of course intended to strengthen the relationship between the Singapore Port Group and Kuok Shipping Group.

The cooperation is also responsible for the purpose of releasing goodwill to Su Huandong through Fang Mingyuan. It would be better if Fang Mingyuan can be persuaded to publicly express goodwill to Singapore.

Seeing Fang Mingyuan being so hospitable, Li Xianlong's originally uneasy mood calmed down a lot.

"No need, I brought some casual clothes in the car." Li Xianlong asked his entourage to bring his clothes and went to Fang Mingyuan's room to change into them. He felt much more comfortable.

In Fang Mingyuan's living room, the two of them sat down as guests and hosts. Li Xianlong couldn't help but sigh: "Young Master Fang, you really enjoyed yourself." In the city, there is such an antique modern courtyard, but it is even more popular than those villas.

Eye-catching.

"Haha, don't tell me that there are no such ancient houses in Singapore." Fang Mingyuan said casually, "Tea? Or coffee?"

"Coffee bar." Li Xianlong said with a smile, "Yes, there are some, but basically they are already famous and married, so I am not lucky enough to enjoy them."

Before the coffee was served, the two of them chatted casually. Li Xianlong congratulated Fang Mingyuan on the amazing results of the two works of Hong Kong Kumho Film Group, and Kuok Shipping Group's rapid growth in shipping capacity in the first half of the year.

The growth also amazed him. Kuok Shipping Group Co., Ltd. has cooperated closely with the Singapore Port Authority in the past two years. Singapore Port has become an important port of call for Kuok Shipping Group's ships in Southeast Asia.

"Master Fang, actually I came to Fengyuan this time because I was very curious about the current development of Fengyuan and Tongyi, and wanted to see the economic development of the two places." Li Xianlong stood up and took Zheng Jiayi's hand.

Fang Mingyuan took the other cup of coffee and signaled to Zheng Jiayi that he did not need to sit here to listen to the recording and go about his own business.

"Then how do you feel about Feng Yuan now?" Fang Mingyuan said with a smile, "If you are anxious to see Tong Yi, I can make arrangements for you in the afternoon."

"The changes have been so great. I can't believe that the modern city in front of me is the old and lifeless city that the elders said." Li Xianlong said with emotion, "Moreover, compared with the cities in the coastal areas of your country,

It's not inferior. I have to say that Qinxi Province is indeed the most economically active province in the inland areas of your country. To be honest, I am looking forward to Tongyi, the first special zone in the northwest." Fang Mingyuan

Smiling, this is not the first time he has heard similar words. Every foreigner who comes to Qinxi Province will basically be "scared" by its changes, especially those who came in the early days of reform and opening up.

This is especially true for people. He picked up the phone and told Li Xintong to ask her to help arrange things for Li Xianlong to visit Tongyi after lunch.

"The other is entrusted by the board of directors of the Port of Singapore to discuss with Mr. Fang how to continue to expand cooperation between the two parties." Li Xianlong said.

Fang Mingyuan took a sip of iced coffee and said with a smile: "There is already a lot of cooperation between Singapore Port Group and Kuok Shipping Group. I wonder in which aspect do you want to strengthen cooperation?"

"Young Master Fang is no stranger to the Great British Steamship Company, also known as the Iron and Steel Shipping Company, right?" Li Xianlong said, "We at the Singapore Port Group heard some news that the owner of the Iron and Steel Shipping Company intends to sell the Iron and Steel Shipping Company!"

Fang Mingyuan raised his eyebrows. It turned out that this was the case. He had also heard about it. The Railway Shipping Company is an old British-owned shipping company. It has been established for almost 170 years and it was once glorious.

, but later transferred its cruise business and container shipping business to other companies, and now only port operations and some irrelevant businesses are left. The Singapore Port Group must have taken a fancy to the ones it holds, mainly in Europe.

Port equity.

"Our company plans to join forces with Guo's Shipping Group Company to jointly bid for Railway Shipping Company. I wonder if Mr. Fang is interested in this?" Li Xianlong said seriously. (To be continued...)