After the new century, with the strong rise of China, China has become a veritable "world factory".

The world's largest shipbuilding tonnage, largest cement production, largest chemical fiber production, largest automobile production, largest steel production, and largest mobile phone production...

Although many world firsts are promoting China's strong rise, they are also consuming huge resources.

Who could have imagined that China, which exported oil to earn foreign exchange in the 1980s and 1990s, would become the world's largest oil consumer and importer after the new century?

In the 1980s, the iron ore that was said to be able to supply China for hundreds of years began to be in short supply in the new century. As a result, as China's steel production began to far surpass other countries and even accounted for half of the world's crude steel production, the iron ore that was originally said to be able to supply China "for hundreds of years" became China's Achilles heel.

Oil is easy to deal with. After all, in the Middle East, China can import crude oil from countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, and can also import large quantities of oil from Angola in Africa. South America, Russia, and the five Central Asian countries have all become regions for China to import oil.

No matter how powerful the United States is, it cannot monopolize the world's oil.

But iron ore is really a choke point for China.

It cannot be said that China has little iron ore. The key is that China's iron ore is not good enough, with low grade and many impurities. If it is used for small-scale steelmaking, it does not matter. However, once it is used for large-scale steelmaking, the cost of steel made from such iron ore is so high that it can make people collapse.

In desperation, China can only import large quantities of high-grade iron ore from abroad.

But there are only so many places in the world that produce high-grade iron ore, and they are all controlled by the three major iron ore giants. So these iron ore giants have caused a lot of trouble to China over the years, but China has no other choice but to watch helplessly.

Who let them hold your neck?

Japan is also a major importer of iron ore. Although not as much as China, the amount is also considerable.

However, when the price of iron ore rises, the Japanese not only do not lose money, but on the contrary they can make a lot of money. Why? It's very simple, because the four major conglomerates in Japan control many high-quality super iron ore mines, and even the three major iron ore giants, the four major conglomerates in Japan can deeply influence them!

Because no matter whether it is the three iron ore giants or other second-tier iron ore producers, the four major conglomerates hold a large number of shares in them!

Among them, Mitsui & Co. has the most far-reaching layout.

As we all know, the production of high-quality iron ore in the world is currently concentrated in the Iron Quadrangle region of Western Australia and Brazil.

In Western Australia, Japanese companies can be seen almost everywhere. Among the 24 major iron ore mines in Australia, Japanese companies have invested in 8 and hold shares in 16. Even giants such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have been deeply infiltrated by the Japanese.

In Brazil, Vale is undoubtedly the largest iron ore giant, but even in such a giant iron ore producer, Mitsui & Co. also controls 18.4% of the shares.

In Chile, India, and South Africa, wherever high-quality iron ore can be produced, the Japanese, especially Mitsui & Co., are present.

Therefore, even if the price of iron ore rises around the world, Japanese steel companies will see reduced profits due to the increase in iron ore prices. However, chaebols like Mitsui & Co., which hold a large number of shares in iron ore producers, can make a fortune by taking advantage of the increase in iron ore prices, and then they will subsidize steel companies with the profits they earn in Japan!

No matter from which perspective, Japanese steel companies will not lose money.

If the price of iron ore does not increase, Japan's steel companies will benefit. If the price of iron ore increases, Japan's four major financial groups will benefit, which in turn will feed back to Japan's domestic steel companies, and the Japanese will also benefit.

Therefore, no matter whether the price of iron ore rises or not, the Japanese will be the beneficiaries!

Only China suffers.

Yang Jing traveled through time from the future, so he certainly knew how uncomfortable it was for China to be strangled by those major iron ore giants. In serious cases, it could even affect China's economic fundamentals.

In the past, he didn't have this ability, and could only watch the country suffer huge losses. Now that he has this ability, Yang Jing will certainly not let this situation continue to happen.

Although Yang Jing couldn't do anything before taking over the Dragon Fund, this couldn't stop him from starting to lay out his plans now. Once the plans were completed, when he took over the Dragon Fund in the future, combined with the strength of China, the situation of China being slaughtered by foreign iron ore giants would be completely changed!

Japan's four major financial groups began to develop iron ore industry around the world a long time ago, among which Mitsui & Co. has the deepest and broadest layout.

As early as the early 1970s, Mitsui & Co. began to expand into Brazil, when it invested in CMM and held a 40% stake.

Just a few years later, in 2001, Vale was preparing to acquire CMM. Mitsui & Co. had already received the news, so they bought 60% of CMM's voting shares from the Frering brothers, grandsons of CMM's founder. Together with the 40% of shares they already owned, Mitsui & Co. completely acquired CMM.

After Mitsui & Co. completely acquired CMM, it sold half of CMM's shares to Vale, helping the latter successfully control CMM.

On the surface, Mitsui & Co.'s actions seem to be helping Vale for free, but in fact, Mitsui & Co.'s layout goes far beyond that.

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