The Industrial Giant Reborn

Hong Kong, HSBC Headquarters:

"Have you found out who is buying and remembering?" Saunders asked while drinking coffee with a vicissitudes of life. When it was found out that someone acquired Heji on a large scale before, the possibility that someone took the opportunity to buy the bottom could not be ruled out. However, as the acquisition is becoming more and more intense now, at the same time, some small shareholders of Heji have also been contacted to buy their shares. Stocks, this behavior is already obvious.

"I don't know." Shen Bi, who was sitting on the side, shook his head and said, "I've asked about several big British capitals in Hong Kong, and they all said they weren't me. Judging by their appearance, it doesn't seem like they are lying, and I haven't checked their capital flows. What's wrong?"

"Will it be through overseas banks or other banks in Hong Kong?" Saunders then asked.

"It's possible, but it's unlikely. The acquisition of Hutchison is not just a matter of investment. Hutchison owes so much foreign debt. Any buyer who wants to control Hutchison must contact us creditor banks. Otherwise, or Only if you have the financial resources to directly underwrite and record liabilities of at least a billion Hong Kong dollars." Shen Bi thought for a while and said.

"There should be no companies with such financial resources in Hong Kong. It is very likely that the overseas consortium will be interested in Hutchison. Could it be Japanese?" Saunders said with a frown.

"It's also possible that the Japanese consortia are strong, and most of them have internal banks with good relationships. They have the ability." Shen Bi nodded and said.

"Then we can only wait for the news." Saunders said: "The governor of MacLehose has also paid attention to this matter. He entrusted me to find out what's going on quickly, and hopes that we can control the situation. Don’t cause big economic problems.”

"I'm afraid we can't control it." Shen Bi said with a frown.

The Hong Kong government claims to have absolute economic freedom in Hong Kong. Therefore, it will not directly control what happens in the market. It will only amend the law when it finds that it is very unfair. But as a government, it is impossible to really not worry about its own large companies at all. The problem is that if one family goes bankrupt, the chain reaction will be unbearable to the Hong Kong government. Therefore, in many cases, the Hong Kong government entrusts HSBC to stabilize the situation.

However, both the Hong Kong government and HSBC are often not all-powerful in the economic field. The billions of Hong Kong dollars in bad debts cannot be borne by HSBC, nor can the Hong Kong government. In the recovery, as long as the land price rises, Hutchison can be rescued slowly, or in other words, if it is really impossible to save, it can be split and sold to repay debts and reduce financial risks when the land price is high.

But now someone is taking the opportunity to buy. If the other party is strong enough to bear Hutchison’s debts, that’s okay. But if the other party just wants to take advantage of the chaos or dismantle the acquisition and post-acquisition, it is very likely to have a negative impact on Hong Kong’s economy. It will cause a lot of damage, which is the last thing the Hong Kong government wants to see. However, the Hong Kong government has always advocated the observance of market freedom, and there is no way to directly intervene in normal economic activities. At this time, we can only count on HSBC. Fortunately, HSBC is also Hutchison's largest creditor, and it still has a certain legal influence at the legal level.

"Ding ding ding" the phone rang, Shen Bi looked at the phone number and said, "It's Chen Zhiwen from Xinghe."

"Chen Zhiwen?" Sanders frowned, as if he had heard the name before.

"The boss of Red Bull." Shen Bi reminded him, answered the phone, and said with a smile, "Chen Sheng, hello."

"Mr. Shen Bi, hello." Chen Zhiwen on the other end of the phone said with a smile: "There is one thing I would like to discuss with Mr. Shen Bi in person, if possible, can you make an appointment here, I can go to HSBC. "

"Yes, but we don't need to use HSBC. We can meet at a hotel. How about two o'clock tomorrow afternoon? The hotel will be decided by Chen Sheng." Shen Bi said with a smile. Hong Kong local rich people don't like to go to each other's territory when they meet, but I prefer to go to private places such as hotels, clubs, and coffee shops.

"No problem, how about meeting at the Hilton Hotel?" Chen Zhiwen said.

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Shen Bi agreed, and after chatting casually for a few words, he hung up the phone.

"What can Chen Zhiwen do with you?" Sanders asked.

"I heard that recently, Chen Zhiwen's subordinates are looking for suitable land on Hong Kong Island, and are also inquiring about some commercial office buildings. I guess they want to build their own headquarters, and they should be looking for me for this." Shen Bi thought for a while and said.

He still knows some things that happened in Hong Kong very well. Although most of them will not take it seriously, all kinds of information will still be passed on to his desk.

Some people want to buy large-scale land or even office buildings on Hong Kong Island. This kind of investment can cost tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. Not to mention Shen Bi, anyone who has a little relationship may know about it.

"It's okay, at least hundreds of millions of business." Sanders said with a smile.

The next afternoon, in the Presidential Suite of the Hilton Hotel, Chen Zhiwen met the heroic Shen Bi.

"Mr. Shen Bi, I heard that you will become the top class of HSBC next year. Congratulations." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile. It was not until Sanders, the incumbent executive of HSBC, confirmed his retirement next year, that the time when Shen Bi took over the top position of HSBC was officially confirmed. Just hanging.

"The higher the position, the greater the responsibility. Being a senior manager of HSBC is not like Chen Sheng. You only need to think about how to do business." Shen Bi said with a smile.

"But as long as the business is big enough, 99% of the problems will no longer be problems." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

"That's true." Shen Bi nodded and said, if HSBC was several times larger, it wouldn't care about Hutchison issues.

"I heard that Mr. Shen Bi likes all kinds of coffee very much. This is the Santos coffee that I asked Hilton Hotel to import from Brazil. You can try it." After the waiter brought the coffee, Chen Zhiwen said.

"It tastes very good." Shen Bi took a sip and said with a smile, "It seems that Chen Sheng has already controlled the entire Hilton Hotel?"

"It's not about control, it's just getting what I should get. This hotel is still managed by Hilton." Chen Zhiwen shrugged and said.

The current Hilton management has no longer dared to play tricks behind the scenes. After the recent recovery of the tourism industry, the Hilton Hotel’s monthly dividends have reached as high as one million Hong Kong dollars. Chen Zhiwen doesn’t care about anything else. After all, from a legal perspective In fact, the management of this central property is still in the hands of the Hilton Hotel in the United States. Although I really want to take this property back, it is obviously not possible in the short term.

"International hotel contracts are actually not without discussion, it just depends on whether you are willing to pay so much money." Shen Bi said.

"I know this, and I will not consider this matter in the short term." Chen Zhiwen said. Once the money is in place, even the Hilton Group can buy it, let alone buy out one of the contracts.

"Speaking of hotels, Chen Sheng has not yet found a suitable buyer for the hotel in Bali, Indonesia. May Chen Sheng consider continuing to operate it?" Shen Bi said suddenly.

"That's the only way to go." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, "Let's wait for the economy to improve in two years."

When Yonggao was acquired, in addition to the property of the Hilton Hotel, it also acquired a five-star hotel in Bali. Chen Zhiwen did not want to have a hotel outside Wanli, which was also managed by Hilton.

Originally, they wanted to sell the hotel property, but Yonggao had already used the pledge on this hotel before. After the company changed hands, it naturally took over the loan. If the hotel is to be sold, the loan must be repaid at the same time.

Although HSBC has found several different potential buyers, under the oil crisis and global inflation, the business is not very good, and they cannot sell at a high price. With their quotation, the loan is basically gone after the transaction. Might as well wait another two years and see.

"Then what does Chen Sheng want from me today?" Shen Bi continued to ask.

Chen Zhiwen said: "Mr. Shen Bi, I asked you to come out for two reasons. The first is that I am going to build a headquarters for my company, and I have taken a fancy to a piece of land in Admiralty from the Swire Group, but we have no cash in hand now. So I hope HSBC can help."

"Then if you buy the land, are you going to take out a loan to build the building?" Shen Bi said with a smile.

"Yes, if HSBC is willing, I can still take a loan from HSBC." Chen Zhiwen said.

"As expected of Chen Sheng, this risk is a bit too high. You need a loan for the land, and you still need a loan for the subsequent construction costs. You are just going to do nothing." Shen Bi shook his head and said.

"There is a little risk, but I also have collateral. This future building and the land below will be collateral." Chen Zhiwen said.

"How much money do you need?" Shen Bi asked.

"The land plus the follow-up construction funds will cost about 200 million yuan. I plan to build a building with more than 40 floors on this land." Chen Zhiwen said.

A 40-story building may not be considered a big deal in future generations, but it is considered a very tall building in Hong Kong today. Even if it is placed in Central, it is still at a medium to high level.

In fact, if the funds allow, he is more willing to build a taller building, but the investment cost will become much higher for each floor of the super building. Even if it is a loan, it is not in line with his current real estate strategy. Considering the land price Considering all factors, it is the best choice to build a building with 40-50 floors and another four or five floors underground.

"A building with more than 40 floors costs about 100 million yuan. Adding the land price, 200 million yuan is about the same. HSBC can do this business, but Mr. Chen, you have to provide a personal guarantee for this transaction in the contract." Shen Bute thought for a while and said.

"No problem." Chen Zhiwen nodded and agreed. In Hong Kong, personal guarantees for company loans are rare. No personal guarantees.

If there is a problem with the company's separate contract, other assets of the individual cannot be investigated. If the individual signs the contract, it will be affected. Therefore, even if it is a sole proprietorship company, many bosses behind it are unwilling to come forward to guarantee it themselves, but Chen Zhiwen knows the future development trend of real estate. Basically, no risk.

"Okay, I agree to this matter, you send the relevant materials to HSBC, and I will sign after the process is completed." Shen Bi said: "Then what is the second matter?"

"Mr. Shen Bi should know about He Ji." Chen Zhiwen drank his coffee and said calmly, "I did it."