We're building a super chaebol in Hong Kong

"Governor, you heard right. I am indeed prepared to invest heavily in the oil industry, not just dabble in it. I've prepared billions of Hong Kong dollars for the initial investment because I'm very optimistic about the future prospects of this industry. If I don't make moves early, it will be difficult to compete with others in the future. However, I'm currently only tentatively entering this industry," Su Cheng said with a smile.

He would definitely place his main investment points in Hong Kong rather than Singapore, as it was his base of operations.

Of course, investing in the oil industry is a long-term endeavor. In the short term, he planned to be an oil middleman, making a quick buck first.

The reason he was telling MacLehose all this was ultimately to secure more preferential policies, which would naturally benefit his development.

"As far as I know, Mr. Su has already spent a lot of money to buy Hutchison Whampoa, right? Do you still have that much capital to spare?" MacLehose asked, somewhat incredulously.

"I have 500 million pounds deposited in the UK, and this money is readily available," Su Cheng said, prepared, directly showing MacLehose the data from several deposit books.

At this point, MacLehose truly believed that Su Cheng wasn't exaggerating.

500 million pounds! If converted to Hong Kong dollars, that would be 4.5 billion!

With that amount of money, he could buy another Hutchison Whampoa.

"I thought I already knew Mr. Su's financial situation very well, but I didn't expect Mr. Su to surprise me once again," MacLehose said, not asking further about the source of Su Cheng's funds, as that was his personal secret.

"Therefore, my determination to invest in the oil industry is very firm. It's just that I'm still considering where to locate the main oil base," Su Cheng said with a smile.

Officials want achievements, and MacLehose was no exception.

His goal when he came to Hong Kong was to build it into a world-class international city. Now, after years of effort, the goal was getting closer and closer, and Hong Kong's reputation was growing.

However, it wasn't enough!

He had spoken with important officials in the British cabinet, and his term in Hong Kong had at most four years left. Therefore, in the remaining time, he hoped that Hong Kong could become more prosperous.

That way, when he returned to England, he would be valued.

MacLehose looked at the overly young super-rich man in front of him and couldn't help but ponder a strategy.

Clearly, if he didn't offer some preferential policies, the man might not place the main oil base in Hong Kong, after all, businessmen prioritize profits.

Even if Su Cheng didn't invest 10 billion, MacLehose was confident that even just investing these billions of Hong Kong dollars in Hong Kong would give it a great chance to surpass Singapore and become one of the top three oil refining centers in the world, even though Hong Kong's oil industry was still relatively small.

Singapore doesn't produce oil, but it has become the world's third-largest oil refining center because of its unique location and strong government support, which has made Singapore's oil status what it is today.

Hong Kong's location isn't bad either, it's just that its development has been slightly delayed. If it wants to catch up with Singapore, it must develop vigorously.

The Hong Kong government has already spent a lot of effort on the oil industry, hoping to develop it. Although it has indeed attracted some large oil companies, such as Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil, British Petroleum, Texaco, Phillips Petroleum, TotalFinaElf, etc., they only invest a little and set up warehouses in Hong Kong, which doesn't really help Hong Kong's oil industry.

Now, the opportunity was in front of MacLehose, and he really didn't want to miss it.

The preferential policies mentioned by MacLehose were indeed good, but for Su Cheng, it wasn't enough.

Seeing that Su Cheng didn't speak, MacLehose's heart stirred, and he thought of another thing.

"By the way, Mr. Su, there's another thing I don't know if you're interested in. I learned from His Excellency Zair Azhar Abidin, the Governor of Brunei, that Brunei has recently discovered an oil field with very high oil reserves, but due to a lack of funds, the Brunei government hopes to find a partner to jointly develop this oil field. If Mr. Su is willing to set up the oil base in Hong Kong, I am willing to act as a matchmaker for Mr. Su," MacLehose continued.

Oil field?

This was an unexpected gain.

He had heard of Brunei in his previous life, a place with very rich oil and natural gas resources. It seemed that it hadn't fully gained independence yet and was still a British colony, but it would be fully independent in 1984 in a few years.

In fact, the British-appointed Governor of Brunei at this time was just a nominal position without any power. The Sultan of Brunei, through a series of operations, re-signed an agreement with Britain in 1971, stipulating that Brunei would resume exercising all other internal autonomy except for foreign affairs and some defense affairs.

"I wonder what the chances of successful cooperation with the Brunei government are if you act as a matchmaker?" Su Cheng had to ask this question.

What if MacLehose was just drawing a pie in the sky for him?

"Almost 100%, because as far as I know, Brunei's previous economic lifeline was almost entirely in the hands of our British. In recent years, through negotiations, they have regained a lot of autonomy, but in terms of economy, they are naturally still relatively backward. Therefore, it is almost impossible for them to develop a large oil field alone, and they certainly don't want the British to intervene, so a businessman is the best partner," MacLehose said with certainty.

"Governor, what I lack now is the investment direction for the crude oil base. If you can help me get this cooperation agreement, I am willing to put the main crude oil refining base in Hong Kong, but in addition, I hope the tax exemption period can reach five years, because the initial investment is too large, and it takes a period of development to achieve profitability," Su Cheng said directly.

Crude oil imports were really too expensive, and if there was an oil field, there would be no need to go to West Asia to bring oil back after the refining base was developed.

To be honest, the oil field was unexpected news. If he could get it, it would naturally be the best. If he couldn't get it, he couldn't force it. He could look for other investment opportunities in the future and take them down.

"Okay, since Mr. Su said so, then the Brunei oil field matter will be left to me to contact. I will use my connections in the shortest possible time to pave the way for you. I can also agree to the condition of a five-year tax exemption!" In order to secure Su Cheng's investment, MacLehose decided to go all out.

An investment of billions or even tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars! If it can really be realized, this is definitely the largest investment in Hong Kong's history.

Even a large project like the Cross-Harbour Tunnel only cost 320 million Hong Kong dollars.

Therefore, it was very normal for this investment to move MacLehose.

In fact, if the oil field was in Brunei, it would be most appropriate to put the main oil base in Singapore, because the two places are very close.

However, Singapore's oil industry development is already very perfect. As an outsider, even if Su Cheng goes there with preferential treatment, it cannot compare with the preferential treatment given by the Hong Kong government. Moreover, this is his territory, so it would be better to put it here.

Developing the industry will also make Hong Kong's economy more prosperous, which will only bring more benefits to him.

After all, most of his industries are now in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong's prosperity is what he wants to see.

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