The Industrial Giant Reborn

The next day, three black Volkswagen cars drove to the gate of the Governor's Mansion in a low-key manner. After some inquiries from the guard, one of them drove in, and the other two parked in a parking space not far away.

When you come to the Hong Kong government, you naturally have to keep a low profile. After the establishment of the ICAC, many government officials were attacked. People here can no longer evacuate freely. Although outsiders are not forced, there is no need for everyone to be too high-profile.

The car was parked in the underground garage, and there were already people waiting here. A blond woman came up and said, "Hello, Chen Sheng, Governor MacLehose has arranged for me to borrow money from you here. He is already waiting for you in the office." .”

"Thank you." Chen Zhiwen said politely.

The underground garage has an independent elevator leading directly to the office of the Governor's Mansion. Obviously, Chen Zhiwen's arrival this time is considered a secret inside the Governor's Mansion, at least the ordinary staff do not know about it.

The governor's office is located on the ninth floor, and the entire building should be full of high-ranking officials. Along the way, they only met 2 people, whom Chen Zhiwen didn't know, but they took a second look at Chen Zhiwen.

Boom boom boom.

The blonde knocks on the door of the governor's office, and there is a "come in" from inside

Opening the door, Chen Zhiwen saw at a glance the black-haired, black-eyed Englishman MacLehose. As the first governor in the history of the Hong Kong government to carry out a large-scale anti-corruption storm, he felt like a very ordinary literati. To the ruthlessness that sent hundreds of people to jail.

"Chen Sheng, you are very welcome." MacLehose walked over with a smile and said with a handshake.

"Mr. Governor, I am very glad to meet you." Chen Zhiwen also said with a smile.

Although there are certain political reasons behind MacLehose’s clean government reform in Hong Kong, not everyone can undertake this mission. When MacLehose first took over Hong Kong, Hong Kong happened to encounter an unprecedented real estate crisis, and housing prices fell off a cliff. The Hang Seng Index fell to the ankles, many banks suffered a run, and Hutchison, a giant at the level of the four major foreign banks, is facing bankruptcy crisis.

Coupled with the outbreak of the global oil crisis, Hong Kong's industries that have little to do with real estate have been hit unprecedentedly. The streets of Hong Kong are full of unemployed young people wandering around, causing the entire society to be in turmoil. However, the Fubai accumulated in Hong Kong for decades is destroying the extremely difficult business order itself.

As a result, MacLehose used his abilities to set off a storm of clean government in Hong Kong.

The storm of clean government for two consecutive years has made the Hong Kong government, especially the police system, a lot cleaner. Next, the main task of the Hong Kong Governor's Office is to revive the economy. After all, any country or city can only have a developed economy. During the period of rapid growth , Only then can we get real peace, otherwise, a large number of unemployed groups will inevitably cause a lot of troubles, no matter how clean the government is, it will be useless.

This is also Chen Zhiwen's reliance. Since World War II, economic development has become the mainstream. Together with the presidents of various countries to visit other countries, they used to lead generals, but now they lead big company bosses and business magnates. soar.

"Chen Sheng, please sit down." MacLehose took Chen Zhiwen to the interior of the office, beside a set of European-style sofas, and said, "I have heard that Chen Sheng likes to drink tea, and we in Britain also have the habit of drinking tea. That’s how we agree.”

"Drinking tea is very good for our body." Chen Zhiwen said with a smile.

"Yeah, it's just that when we understand this truth, we are basically 40 years old, and Chen Sheng is only in his 20s, which is really rare." MacLehose said with a smile.

The blond assistant once again brought the tea that he had prepared earlier, and Chen Zhiwen took it and said, "Thank you."

The same is true for MacLehose, saying: "This is a special Yundai tea produced in Brazil. It is only produced at peaks of more than 2,000 meters, and it is very rare."

"It tastes good." Chen Zhiwen praised after taking a sip, he still has to give some face, although he just thinks the taste is mediocre, he can only say that it is not bad to drink. Drinking tea is just an excuse anyway.

"Actually, there are many high-quality teas in Europe or other regions. Chen Sheng can try more." MacLehose said with a smile: "I heard that Chen Sheng has just returned from the United States. Haven't you tried American tea?"

"That's not true. Mr. Governor should also know that Americans still like coffee. I was there mainly for business exchanges, but I didn't pay attention to tea." Chen Zhiwen said, it didn't take long to go to Europe and the United States, so many things , who cares about tea?

"Indeed, Chen Sheng's business is getting bigger and bigger. I have stayed in many countries, but I have never seen a business genius like Chen Sheng who can sell two products in such a short period of time. Europe and the United States can still become the pillar of Hong Kong's export industry." MacLehose said with a smile, easily bringing the topic to the right track.

"This is what I should do. I also hope to strengthen Hong Kong's manufacturing industry so that our products can be exported to Europe and the United States." Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, European culture generally does not like to be too modest, Chen Zhiwen naturally wants to express ambitious.

MacLehose asked again: "What does Chen Sheng think of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry?"

"Very dangerous." Chen Zhiwen said lightly.

"How do you say that?" MacLehose asked. After only staying in Hong Kong for about three years, the governor already speaks Cantonese very fluently.

"The main problem is the land price, which is too high," Chen Zhiwen said.

"The real estate market in Hong Kong has not been good in the past few years. In terms of industrial land prices, although they have risen a little recently, they are only half the price compared to three years ago? Isn't this price okay?" MacLehose asked with a frown.

"Industrial land prices are not compared to before, but to countries nearby or even thousands of miles away. For my industrial park project, Wanwan and South Korea have proposed free land policies, and even a city in the United States has come to find it. Give the land for free, Mr. Governor, from my point of view, how should I choose?" Chen Zhiwen said.

There is indeed a city government office in the United States that sent a fax to Hong Kong Red Bull. The general content is to invite Red Bull to build a factory in the United States. It can be covered, but the trade unions over there can be annoying. Chen Zhiwen will not go to the United States to build a factory unless he has to.

After thinking for a while, MacLehose said, "Then according to Chen Sheng, Hong Kong's industries have no advantages?"

"Twenty years from now, Hong Kong's industry has great advantages, but from now on, although exports will not decline, the development trend will become worse and worse." Chen Zhiwen said.

"Why?" MacLehose asked, "Is it just because of land prices?"

Chen Zhiwen said: "Land price is indeed one of the main reasons, but it is not the only one. In the past two decades, Hong Kong has been able to develop well. There are two important factors. The first is the deep-water port, which is naturally suitable for terminal shipments. Changed to the container model, although the shipments by sea have increased significantly, the requirements for the port are not so high. This point, Mr. Governor should understand better than me.

The second point is that because of the mainland more than 20 years ago, a large number of talents and entrepreneurs flowed into Hong Kong. Ten years have passed, and the new generation has also grown up locally. Even relying on the wealth and knowledge of their parents, they will only be slightly stronger than normal people. Looking at our neighborhood, Wanwan and South Korea have much larger land areas, larger populations, and relatively more talents. These will not have any effect in a short period of time, but as long as we pay attention to education, we will be fully educated within a generation. It's different. Under the ebb and flow, it is normal for Hong Kong's industries to compete with each other.

The third point is land prices. Land prices are too expensive, which is the natural enemy of industry. It costs a lot of money to build a factory. Although land has a price, overseas countries basically have various preferential policies for attracting investment, especially It is a non-polluting and high-yielding enterprise, and free land is a normal operation. "

Another point is naturally that the mainland has been reformed. Preferential policies and cheap labor costs have quickly absorbed Hong Kong's industry. Of course, this cannot be said, but even if there is no such thing, Hong Kong's industry will not last long. Then Such high housing prices can only maintain high-tech industries, but with such a small population in Hong Kong, there is no foundation for high-tech industries. Even Chen Zhiwen will find it difficult to leave any suitable industries for Hong Kong in the future.

The future of Hong Kong seems to really only be real estate.

"Overseas countries have large land areas, and Hong Kong does not have this advantage." MacLehose said.

"Singapore is not big in size. We have also communicated with them. Although they won't be free, the land price they want is only one-fifth of that in Hong Kong, and there are many preferential tax policies." Chen Zhiwen continued.

MacLehose shook his head and said, "Singapore's area is indeed about the same as that of Hong Kong, but their land is dominated by plains, and Hong Kong's is the opposite. You are also very clear about this."

Chen Zhiwen nodded and said, "Indeed, but the company's investment will not be able to accept the high land price in Hong Kong just because there are many mountains in Hong Kong."

MacLehose asked: "According to Chen Sheng, isn't Hong Kong's industry a dead end in the future?"

Chen Zhiwen replied: "You can't say that, there are still first-line opportunities.

The textile industry and clothing industry in the past will have no money in the future. Even now, these industries actually have no profit. Even in Thailand, they can exempt land prices and build industrial office buildings. In this regard, Hong Kong’s industrial competition has no advantage, and labor costs are low. It is much higher, so in low-end personnel-intensive industries, Hong Kong is completely inferior to other surrounding regions.

The only opportunity is to transform and produce products with high added value, such as the electronics industry and the food industry, or to develop our own brand, so that whether it is the clothing industry or the toy industry, we can grow bigger for a long time. "

In fact, Hong Kong's industry can still last for a while. It's not that Chen Zhiwen is fooling around, but that in the next ten years, the industrial chains in Europe and the United States will begin to shift. For Asian countries, it will be a wave of super dividends. Some Southeast Asian countries, as well as Hong Kong, are in an incremental market environment with rapid industrial development. Therefore, even if the proportion is reduced, the total output value of Hong Kong's industries is still rising, even in the textile industry.

It was not until the mainland reopened, and after the 1990s, everything was siphoned off. The industries of Hong Kong and even nearby countries were seriously affected.

"Then people don't talk dark words. What kind of conditions does Chen Sheng need to put this beautiful industrial park in Hong Kong?" MacLehose lit the window.

"My requirements are not high, and the land price offered by Singapore will do," said Chen Zhiwen.

MacLehose was silent for a moment, and said: "Chen Sheng is really good at bargaining. It is really rare to directly cut the price into one-fifth. It is not impossible to agree to this request, but I also have one condition."

"Please speak." Chen Zhiwen was a little surprised. It was the lion who opened his mouth, but unexpectedly he agreed immediately.

"Your industrial park needs to be placed in a place designated by the Hong Kong government. You can choose a piece of land in Yuen Long," MacLehose said.

"Yuen Long?" Chen Zhiwen quickly understood. As far as he knew, since MacLehose came to power, he believed that Hong Kong's population was too concentrated. Most of the 4 million people were concentrated on Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula on the other side. And Hung Hom, etc. Therefore, a new town plan was proposed. This town is naturally Yuen Long.

In fact, Chen Zhiwen has also considered this point. Putting his own property in a new town of the Hong Kong government will definitely attract a large number of people to the town. However, before he said it, MacLehose mentioned it first. It should have been in his mind long ago.

You know, without enough industries, it is very difficult to really relocate hundreds of thousands of people there only by the policy support of the Hong Kong government. Even if it is possible, it will take at least ten years and a lot of energy.

Because this town building plan has been heard in the market for a long time, but even many real estate developers have no great interest in it now. One can imagine the difficulty, but an industrial park that can provide tens of thousands of jobs can help at least 1/3 busy.

"Is there a problem?" MacLehose asked with a smile.

"In Yuen Long, there is no industrial foundation, the roads are not very developed, and the personnel support is not perfect. In such a place, Mr. Governor, even if you give it to me for free, I am not willing to invest." Now that I know Hong Kong If the government wants to use its own industrial chain to complete the new town plan, it will naturally have to go the other way.

Besides, there is no supporting facilities there, although it can be built with some cost, but now we have to get some more benefits!