We're building a super chaebol in Hong Kong

After Twiggy Niven displayed his firm stance and yielded to the established decision, the process of him taking over Jardine Matheson Group and Hongkong Land Group became unimpeded and smooth.

Faced with this situation, the Keswick family, the original major shareholder of Jardine Matheson Group, although expressing strong opposition, seemed powerless and unable to shake the established changes.

Although the Keswick family had long held partial control of Jardine Matheson Group, their shareholding ratio only remained within the range of single digits to a little over ten percent, which seemed particularly weak at this crucial moment for determining the group's future direction.

Even if they tried to unite other small shareholders to speak out together, due to the lack of sufficient cohesion and influence, these efforts ultimately failed to produce substantial results.

More importantly, Twiggy Niven, the taipan of Jardine Matheson, "taking the lead in defecting" undoubtedly added a decisive stroke to this transformation process.

His shift not only weakened the Keswick family's influence within the group but also paved the way for the smooth takeover by the new management.

This transformation made the future development direction of Jardine Matheson Group and Hongkong Land Group clearer and marked the successful completion of a major power shift.

The next morning, an unusual atmosphere permeated the entire Hong Kong, and citizens generally felt that Hong Kong's business landscape had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Jardine Matheson Group and Hongkong Land Group, these two giants, were successively acquired by Su Cheng's enterprise, and this series of mergers and acquisitions was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up layers of waves.

As this series of transactions came to a conclusion, the sphere of influence of the British-funded consortium in Hong Kong shrank sharply, while the Chinese-funded consortium took advantage of this east wind to achieve a comprehensive surpassing of the British-funded consortium, becoming the new leading force in Hong Kong's business community.

This shift not only marked the redivision of Hong Kong's economic map but also heralded the upcoming new landscape of future commercial competition.

Originally, although Hutchison Whampoa, Wharf, and Hongkong Electric Holdings had successively fallen into the hands of Chinese tycoons such as Su Cheng and Yue-Kong Pao, the British-funded consortium still firmly controlled numerous industry giants such as Swire Group, Jardine Matheson, Hongkong Land, HSBC Group, and Wheelock and Company, which held pivotal positions in Hong Kong's business community.

Even though Su Cheng was recognized as the world's richest man, and his business empire spanned the globe, with business scopes far beyond Hong Kong, this did not immediately change the leading position of the British-funded consortium in Hong Kong's business community.

From the perspective of the British-funded consortium, the balance of Hong Kong's business community still leaned towards their side, and although the Chinese-funded consortium had a strong momentum, it had not yet achieved a comprehensive surpassing.

Now, with the successive change of ownership of Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land, the influence of the British-funded consortium in Hong Kong's business community has suffered a major blow.

The balance of power between the Chinese-funded consortium and the British-funded consortium has undergone a fundamental change, and the balance has completely tilted towards the Chinese-funded consortium.

This means that, from this day on, Hong Kong's business community has officially ushered in a new era—the Chinese-funded consortium has comprehensively surpassed the British-funded consortium, becoming the new leader.

This news was like a bolt from the blue, shocking all sectors of society, and people lamented the speed and impermanence of the changes in the business world.

People were discussing, and Su Cheng once again jumped to become the focus of public discussion after dinner. This incident undoubtedly added infinite glory to the local people of Hong Kong, making people feel proud.

In the early morning, major current affairs news newspapers were almost sold out, and citizens were eager to understand this historic commercial change.

In contrast, those once-popular entertainment gossip news newspapers suffered a sales Waterloo at this moment and were ignored.

At this critical moment, everyone's attention was attracted by Su Cheng's feat of acquiring Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land, and such a commercial drama was far more shocking than any gossip news.

Just as citizens were constantly discussing this matter, immersed in the pride of local enterprises, Jardine Matheson Group and Hongkong Land Group jointly held a press conference in the iconic Jardine House.

The news announced at the meeting was concise and far-reaching: Mr. Su Cheng was officially appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jardine Matheson Group, that is, the Taipan of Jardine Matheson, and also served as the Taipan of Hongkong Land Group.

In this personnel change, Mr. Twiggy Niven, the original Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jardine Matheson Group, showed great integrity and took the initiative to give way, retiring to the second line to serve as the Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the Board of Directors of Jardine Matheson Group, continuing to contribute his strength to the group.

As for Hongkong Land Group, Mr. P.A.L. Vine's position remained unchanged, as he already held the position of Executive Director and General Manager of Hongkong Land Group.

It is worth mentioning that the position of Taipan of Hongkong Land Group has always been held concurrently by the Taipan of Jardine Matheson. Therefore, as Su Cheng took over as the Taipan of Jardine Matheson, he naturally took over the important task of Taipan of Hongkong Land Group.

So far, the four pillars of the British business community—Hongkong Electric Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa Group, Hongkong Land Group, and Jardine Matheson Group—have all been brought under Su Cheng's command.

Wheelock and Company and HSBC Group, these two giants, under Su Cheng's careful layout, whether through explicit shareholding or secret shareholding, have already become the largest shareholders.

On the map of Kowloon Wharf, Su Cheng also occupies a pivotal position, becoming the second largest shareholder, second only to the Pao family.

In this way, in Hong Kong's British business empire, except for Swire Group, which can maintain a certain degree of independence, the remaining giants are, to varying degrees, subject to Su Cheng's direct or indirect influence.

It can be said that Su Cheng has quietly grasped half of Hong Kong's business community, and half of the top enterprises directly or indirectly belong to his business territory.

At this moment, Hong Kong can undoubtedly be crowned with the reputation of "Su Half City", highlighting Su Cheng's extraordinary achievements and far-reaching influence in the business field.

The major changes in Jardine Matheson Group and Hongkong Land Group were like a commercial storm sweeping through Hong Kong, and even aroused the close attention of Government House.

Faced with the weakening of the British-funded enterprise's power, there had been a fierce discussion within the Government House, considering whether to take some measures to maintain the position of British-funded enterprises in the local area.

However, after careful consideration and comprehensive evaluation, the Government House finally chose to remain silent and adopted a non-interventionist attitude towards this matter.

Behind this decision, there are deep-seated considerations: Su Cheng, as one of the most important foreign investors in the UK today, has the headquarters of his Su's Group and Hutchison Whampoa Group's European branches set up in the UK, contributing an indispensable force to the British economy.

If unfavorable actions were taken against Su Cheng at this time, it would not only directly offend this business tycoon but also likely lead to the UK losing an important economic partner, causing incalculable damage to the cooperation and interests of both parties.

Therefore, from the perspective of safeguarding the overall interests of the UK, the Government House finally decided to remain neutral and let market forces determine the future direction.

Unbeknownst to many, Su Cheng's influence had already climbed to an unprecedented height. So profound was his impact that even decision-makers at the highest levels of major nations had to consider their relationship with him and his companies when formulating foreign and economic policies.

This fully demonstrated Su Cheng's pivotal position in the global business landscape and his active role in promoting international economic cooperation and exchange.

After successfully integrating Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land, on the surface, these two industry giants seemed to maintain their original calm. In reality, however, undercurrents were surging, and profound, silent transformations were taking place internally.

Su Cheng cleverly placed more than a dozen executives within these two companies. These executives, like hidden chess pieces, not only infiltrated the management of Jardine Matheson but also occupied key positions in Hongkong Land.

This arrangement undoubtedly laid the groundwork for Su Cheng's future strategic adjustments and market competition.

Each of these newly appointed executives held real power. They were like carefully cultivated seeds planted in the fertile soil of Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land.

As for Simon Keswick and David Davies, given that their hearts were always with the British consortium and they could not wholeheartedly devote themselves to Su Cheng's strategic vision, Su Cheng had to regretfully decide to dismiss them from their current positions.

Although this move seemed ruthless, it was a necessary and decisive decision for the long-term development of the company.

Furthermore, Su Cheng also deeply understood that although Simon Keswick and David Davies were commendable in their management abilities, they were too aggressive in formulating corporate strategies.

Taking the loss in the Wharf Holdings battle as an example, not only did they fail to learn from it, but they also chose to purchase properties and land on a large scale at market highs and accelerated the pace of acquisitions of other companies.

This aggressive strategy, regardless of market risks, ultimately brought a heavy financial burden and huge losses to Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land when the market environment deteriorated and the stock market crashed.

Based on the detailed information provided by Xiao Ai, Su Cheng keenly realized that if he continued to allow the current leadership to dominate the two groups, it would inevitably hinder the long-term development of the companies.

Therefore, he had already made up his mind that once the opportunity arrived, he would decisively take action to pave a more stable path for the future of the companies.

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As for Simon Keswick and David Davies, they may not have realized that their time in these positions was running out.

Although Su Cheng's rise had had some impact on them, they may still have held a侥幸心理, thinking that this impact was not enough to shake their positions.

However, they were wrong.

Su Cheng had already quietly laid out the game, and their tenure was coming to an end.

In another parallel world, the tragic situation of Hongkong Land falling into a quagmire of losses occurred between 1982 and 1983, a financial crisis triggered by excessive investment.

However, in this world where Su Cheng was, fortunately, time was still in 1981.

At this time, Hongkong Land had not yet carried out large-scale aggressive investments, so although it also suffered losses, its extent was far less tragic than in that world.

It was based on this time difference and current situation judgment that Su Cheng decisively took control of Hongkong Land and Jardine Matheson.

This decision was undoubtedly accurate and timely. He made full use of the current favorable opportunity to avoid the greater risks that might arise in the future.

Now it seems that Su Cheng's choice was undoubtedly the wisest. The Hongkong Land he took over had losses that were not too serious.

Regarding the future plans for Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land, Su Cheng was not eager to demand that they move their headquarters to Tseung Kwan O.

He understood very well that now was not the best time and that he needed to wait for more mature conditions and opportunities.

Currently, although Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land have been nominally brought under Su Cheng's command, they are actually still in a state of semi-control.

Su Cheng knew that to truly achieve full control of these two behemoths, the key lay in completely eliminating internal unstable factors, namely David Davies and Simon Keswick, the two executives who still harbored different ambitions.

Therefore, Su Cheng was closely monitoring the development of the situation, gradually consolidating his influence, and looking for a suitable opportunity to remove David Davies and Simon Keswick from key positions.

Only then could he be considered to have truly brought these two companies with deep foundations and strength completely under his control, laying a solid foundation for future strategic deployments.

After the successful integration of Jardine Matheson and Hongkong Land, the heated discussion about this matter in Hong Kong society was like a surging tide, which gradually subsided after a full half month.

However, at the center of this media storm, Su Cheng himself maintained an unusual low profile and silence.

Many reporters moved upon hearing the news, hoping to exclusively interview this business magnate to obtain first-hand information.

They tried various methods and means, trying to approach Su Cheng, but all failed.

Because Su Cheng had already anticipated all of this, the villa he now lived in was a high-end villa area completely controlled by his own forces, where security was tight and outsiders could not easily enter.

Therefore, those enthusiastic reporters could only sigh and could not get in touch with Su Cheng himself as they wished, let alone conduct in-depth interviews.

As for Su Cheng, he continued his leisurely and comfortable life in this almost reclusive state.

Not only was the villa area where Su Cheng lived heavily guarded, but even the Tseung Kwan O headquarters base was equally impregnable.

Anyone trying to enter the area without permission would be subject to strict inspection and rejection.

The security work here was fully responsible by Tianhe Bodyguard Company, which ensured the internal security of the base with its professional qualities and rigorous attitude.

For those reporters or visitors who tried to approach the base, without special permission from the higher-ups, they could not cross this security defense line at all.

The security personnel of Tianhe Bodyguard Company would strictly follow the regulations and would never allow any unauthorized personnel to enter.

Therefore, whether for office or residence, the Tseung Kwan O headquarters base provided Su Cheng and his team with an extremely safe and stable environment.

This high degree of security not only ensured the normal operation of the company, but also allowed Su Cheng's companies to develop better.

(End of this chapter)