The lunch ended in a subtle and warm atmosphere.
The stunning performance of the golden-feathered chicken not only conquered the guests' taste buds, but also made the American delegation, especially those savvy business consultants and political brokers, smell the huge commercial value.
Before leaving, the President specially expressed his gratitude to Su Wenchen and praised his description of "the unique flavor of each chicken".
After seeing off the main guests and heading to the temporary lounge arranged by the club, the real wrestling began.
On the second floor of the reception hall, there is a large conference room.
Solemnity and wit are silently intertwined.
The long conference table divides the space into two camps.
The Chinese side was centered around the Deputy Foreign Minister, with Su Wenchen and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Trade sitting on both sides. Several minutes translators sat behind them, with documents and pens spread out in front of them, as if they were facing a chess game.
On the other side of the long conference table, the comprehensive negotiation team with Kissinger as the core included accompanying officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Commerce, several agricultural and business consultants, and several large corporate consultants.
Ronald also attended the meeting as press secretary.
The atmosphere in the conference room was far from as relaxed as a luncheon. The air was filled with invisible pressure and calculation.
The curtains were drawn tightly to ensure the privacy of the conversation, and only the incandescent light overhead illuminated the different expressions of both parties.
The main tone of both sides has been set by the top leaders, but when it comes to specific implementation, every detail requires heated debate between the two sides.
Because the leaders above will only set the tone and direction, and the specific negotiation details are generally left to the lower levels to discuss.
This way, even if both sides quarrel, they can still save face.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture official first came straight to the point.
"Director Su, your saline-alkali land treatment technology is impressive."
"In our country, millions of hectares of land in California's Central Valley, Nevada, Utah and other states are suffering from salinization, the severity of which is no different from what you have demonstrated."
"We hope to be able to develop in-depth technical cooperation with you."
Seeing that the other party was ready to discuss issues related to alkali treatment technology first, the Chinese negotiating team also conducted detailed communication in advance.
Su Wenchen is responsible for responding to questions related to technology exports.
The introduction of the project is mainly negotiated by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
Finally, any disputes involving territorial sovereignty will be negotiated by the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The division of labor is very clear.
So after hearing what the other party said.
Su Wenchen spoke first with a calm expression. He did not go directly into the substantive terms, but reiterated his position first.
"As mentioned before, it is our common aspiration to control saline-alkali land and make every inch of land useful to mankind."
"However, we only welcome technical exchanges and cooperation based on equality and mutual benefit."
Su Wenchen's meaning is very clear. It is impossible for us to unilaterally open up technology exports. There is no need to talk unless you can show us your core technology.
Hearing Su Wenchen's words, the agricultural consultant of the negotiation team nearby interrupted eagerly.
"No, I think that opening up your technology will do more good than harm to your country."
"Our College of Agriculture at Cornell University has a long history and top-notch comprehensive strength, and has made remarkable achievements in the field of soil science."
"I believe we should break down the technological barriers between countries. With our participation, I believe we can more quickly develop alkali-control fertilizers that are more environmentally friendly, more sustainable, and can increase grain yields."
“Isn’t this a good thing for your country?”
Su Wenchen smiled and shook his head.
"I still say that if we want to break down technical barriers, we must do so comprehensively. It's impossible for us to unilaterally open up technology!"
"Right now, we are only looking at a stable export of finished fertilizer, and we will ensure that the treatment is consistent with what you have seen so far."
"Each of our technologies embodies the wisdom and hard work of countless scientific researchers, so unfortunately, there is currently no room for negotiation on technology exports."
After hearing Su Wenchen's words, the US side was obviously dissatisfied.
After all, the best way to maximize their interests is to get the technology, otherwise they will definitely feel uncomfortable being always controlled by others.
So the leader of the US Department of Commerce closed the notebook and looked in the direction of the cadres of the Ministry of Foreign Trade.
"If all of you have these conditions, I think we may not be able to reach an agreement on the introduction of subsequent projects."
"You have absolutely no respect for us!"
Obviously, the other party knew that they could not make a breakthrough from Su Wenchen, so they prepared to find other breakthroughs, hoping that officials from other departments would put pressure on Su Wenchen, a young hard-line official.
They have used this kind of thing many times in negotiations with countries that are lagging behind them.
The effect can be said to be very good every time.
But this time, after hearing what the other party said, the cadre from the Ministry of Foreign Trade acted as if the other party was not talking to him.
There is absolutely no intention to respond.
He just looked like he hadn't heard anything.
Obviously, the leader of the Ministry of Foreign Trade also knew that the other party was putting pressure on him, but the introduction of the project was an important follow-up matter for them.
He couldn't just say whether he wanted to sell it or not, nor could he put pressure on his comrades, so he just kept silent.
Seeing this, Su Wenchen immediately came to the rescue.
"Excuse me, sir, can I take your words just now as an attempt to threaten us with the export of our technology?"
The other party shrugged.
"Think what you will, for what I say is the truth."
Su Wenchen shook his head and closed the notebook.
"That's a shame. If that's the case, we might not be able to continue the negotiations."
"We respect you very much, but I'm sorry, I don't see any equality in you."
"They were completely condescending, as if exporting the equipment to us was a great favor!"
"Sir, there is more than one America in the world."
"What you export to us is neither the technology for manufacturing equipment nor high-precision CNC machine tools."
"Is it just your outdated production equipment that you want to replace, or is it equipment that we have to pay real money to buy?"
"You are using this pile of backward junk as a bargaining chip. With all due respect, this is not a smart choice for a country."
As soon as Su Wenchen finished speaking, the other party suddenly became angry.
"Since it's rubbish, there's no need for us to talk about it later!"
He was obviously very dissatisfied with the shabby words just now.
In his opinion, even if their things are a little backward, they are still advanced things from other countries.
Of course, this is indeed the case at the moment.
But this time, Su Wenchen and his men did not have any bargaining chips at all.
Since he also has something that others need, Su Wenchen can naturally be a little tougher.
Seeing that the negotiation atmosphere had reached a deadlock, Kissinger, the US negotiator, glanced at the Deputy Foreign Minister who had remained silent across from him.
I also know that this pressure has basically been in vain.
After seeing the other party's general attitude, he spoke directly to ease the atmosphere.
"Rienko, don't say such angry words!"
"The president and the other leader share the same view. Both sides must negotiate on the basis of equality and mutual benefit."
After saying that, he looked at the Deputy Foreign Minister Su Wenchen.
"Joe! What's your opinion?"
Seeing the other party come out to ease the atmosphere, Foreign Minister Qiao naturally smiled and agreed.
"Mr. Kissinger is right. Equality and mutual benefit are the cornerstones of our bilateral negotiations and the consensus between our two sides."
"Xiao Su is still young, so it's inevitable that his words are a bit direct. Please forgive me for that."
Obviously, the strategies of both sides are similar, one comes out to play the bad guy first, and the other comes out to play the good guy later.
After all, it's a negotiation!
It's all about testing each other little by little to reach a balance acceptable to both sides!
Any words spoken at the negotiation table may be a means of exerting pressure on the other party.
After seeing that the first strategy didn't work.
The US side discussed it in a low voice for a while and then decisively changed its approach.
A business consultant spoke directly.
"Director Su, we have no problem importing your alkali-control fertilizer, but the American market is huge. Can you guarantee a timely supply of your product?"
"And relying solely on exporting finished products, the transportation and distribution costs would significantly dilute profits."
"I think we can adopt a cooperative farm-building model, where you can directly build a farm for alkali rabbits in our country."
"We can even give you a free, interest-free loan to help you build your farm!"
“Key management personnel can also use your personnel.”
"This way, we can achieve efficient localized production, and you can also earn profits at the lowest cost."
"With the money you earn, you can even purchase all the equipment you need in our country tax-free."
"What do you think?"
As soon as these words were spoken, many people on Su Wenchen's side heard them and immediately started talking about it.
Even the officials in charge of negotiations from the Ministry of Foreign Trade nodded slightly.
Obviously, he felt that the other party was more sincere with this method.
The money earned is used directly to purchase various equipment, and the equipment is purchased directly at tax-free costs.
However, Su Wenchen knew the hidden trap in this matter.
Maybe the other country's reputation is good now, but it's hard to say what it will be like in the future. It's like talking nonsense, changing every day. He's not the first one to hear about it.
Even the other party's president can change at any time. For Su Wenchen, how long this promise can be effective is really an unknown.
Moreover, his original intention of building the breeding farm was to drive the development of the special zone.
If the farm is built abroad, not to mention the problem of seed sources, it will be a complete loss even from the perspective of economic promotion.
For Su Wenchen, even if he can give up some profits, he has to keep the business local.
After all, industry is the cornerstone of all development. With real industry, the people of the Special Administrative Region will gradually have more jobs. As wages and incomes increase, various related service industries will be derived.
Then gradually boost the economy of the entire Special Administrative Region.
So he completely ignored this suggestion.
However, we certainly cannot openly say that the other country is untrustworthy, as that would be like talking nonsense.
After a pause, Su Wenchen spoke in a gentle but unquestionable tone.
"Your proposal isn't very realistic. First of all, not to mention the various complexities of building a site in a different location, your country's labor costs alone are a major obstacle."
"If we really build a factory in your country, I think the production costs will increase instead of decrease, or even increase significantly."
"Compared to that, our labor is much cheaper."
"Of course, if your workers can accept a monthly salary of $15, then we can consider it."
Su Wenchen did not lie. At that time, the monthly salary of most employees in their special zone farm was basically around 30 yuan.
According to the current international exchange rate, it is more than two yuan to one US dollar.
Their basic monthly salary in the Special Administrative Region is indeed around US$15.
After hearing what Su Wenchen said, almost everyone on the other side shook their heads.
"Oh! God! This is impossible!"
"If workers receive this monthly salary, they will not be able to survive at all. They will definitely protest!"
"In our country, $15 can only sustain you for five days at most. It's not even enough to guarantee basic survival!"
Su Wenchen shrugged.
"That's why I said your proposal just now is not very feasible!"
Hearing this, the corporate consultant who initially said this frowned.
His original intention was actually to get the other party's seed source to his homeland first, and then he would naturally find a way to get it when he arrived in their territory.
As for salary, he had never considered it at all. After all, it was impossible for the other party to stay with him for long.
How can they make money in the long run?
But after hearing what the other party said, he suddenly realized a problem that he had not considered before.
That is, even if the technology is really obtained.
It seems that building a venue in their local area is still a high-cost business!
After all, their average monthly salary is $600, while the other party's average monthly salary is $15.
Even if there is not yet a wave of industrial migration.
However, many people in the United States have indeed realized that costs in their own country are too high, which leads to the problem of insufficient product competitiveness.
So in response to Su Wenchen's words, the other party asked directly.
"So the price will be very low if we import from you?"
"What's your export price?"
Su Wenchen simply stretched out a finger and said.
"Here, one ton of alkali-control fertilizer only costs $500."
"According to our current data, one ton of anti-alkali fertilizer can basically improve four to five hectares of normal saline-alkali land."
"That means your annual improvement cost per hectare is only about $100."
"As far as I know, the current cost of improving land in your country is around US$500 to US$800 per hectare."
“Also, the transformation process takes a long time, and we can’t produce anything during that time.”
"Ours is different. We disperse it three months in advance, so it won't delay a year's output at all."
Hearing Su Wenchen's words, someone on the other side frowned.
“Does it have to be used every year?”
"If that's the case, won't it increase our land use costs?"
Su Wenchen said with a smile.
"You can stop using it the following year, but the bacterial activity will gradually decrease. If you continue to plant on this land, it will probably become severely salinized again within two years."
"After all, everyone understands that salinization is essentially a nutritional imbalance in the soil, resulting in an excessive accumulation of a single soil element."
"If you continue to use our alkali-control fertilizer, you can actually reduce the amount used when adding fertilizer later."
"Gentlemen, land has a lifespan, especially now that chemical fertilizers are prevalent in your country."
"It's essentially taking the life of the land out in advance, so you can weigh the relative importance of this cost versus the output."
After finishing speaking, Su Wenchen directly added fuel to the fire, preparing to teach the other party the Hinayana winning method which he had not yet mastered.
"Everyone, as far as I know, you will also announce the results of your visit to the public after you return."
"What better publicity than this!"
"I even thought of the title for you."
"Great victory! Under the leadership of the President, our five million hectares of land will be revived!"
"Five million hectares of saline-alkali land in the United States will be completely treated, and this move will create at least hundreds of thousands of related jobs. This is a great victory."
“We should thank Mr. President!”
Following Su Wenchen's boilerplate words, the entire audience was stunned for a moment.
Even his own people looked at Su Wenchen with strange expressions.
The American negotiators on the other side were completely stunned when they heard this.
Especially some accompanying officials.
After thinking about it carefully, I found that this seems to be an excellent publicity plan!
Because it involves people's livelihood, it will definitely attract a lot of attention. The second is to slightly reduce domestic prices.
The third one is to increase jobs. It can be said that each one of them is of real benefit to ordinary people.
Then the support rate for this team will definitely increase.
That's what I meant.
It was a great victory, and he came up to thank the president!
Doesn’t it sound a bit like flattery?
But it seems like it would be easier for me to improve this way! (End of this chapter)
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