At this moment, Huo Zhenting no longer had any joy in gloating. His father's actions completely crushed the opportunity he thought he had just seized.
At the Governor's Office, Shen Bi put down the latest telephone briefing and looked at Governor Murray MacLehose with a playful smile on his face. "This result... is quite interesting! Your Excellency, what do you think? This Xiao Linsheng's knife is really sharp! But doesn't he want to have good relations with the mainland? Does he want to be our insider? Why would he do this deliberately? Isn't he afraid that relations with the mainland will be completely strained?"
Governor Murray MacLehose waved his hand and said, "This is where Xiao Linsheng's brilliance lies. The mainland doesn't want just a simple and obedient Hong Kong businessman, but a powerful figure who has the skills to influence the situation in Hong Kong and win the favor of the majority of Hong Kong residents and businessmen!"
The upstairs conference room of Xinhua News Agency’s Hong Kong branch returned to silence.
At the negotiation table, another fierce argument seemed to be just an insignificant background noise.
The price finally agreed upon by both parties compromised the initial tension, with the price of building materials reduced by 15% from the original basis, instead of the 25% that Lin Huowang had initially requested.
In the conference room where the smoke had not yet dissipated, the atmosphere was filled with an indescribable sense of "perfection".
Although the mainland manufacturers' representatives still had expressions of pain and helplessness on their faces, there was a quiet sense of relief deep in their eyes.
Liang Weilin held Xiaolin Tianwang's hand, with a smile on his face as if he had survived a disaster after the deal was done: "Xiaolinsheng, next time when you negotiate the price, don't be so aggressive. My heart is not good, and I can't stand such stimulation a few times..."
Lin Huowang said with a slightly arrogant smile of victory, "President Liang, the business world is like a battlefield. Negotiating prices is like fighting a war. You can't command an army with kindness!
For the benefit of ordinary citizens of Hong Kong Island, I had no choice. Fortunately... we finally found a solution that both sides could accept."
Both parties signed their names on the final cooperation agreement.
However, in addition to the 15% price reduction, there was an additional crucial note in the payment terms: the Hong Kong Land Group promised to assist a number of large state-owned factories participating in the supply in the mainland to purchase designated advanced engineering machinery, key components of building materials production lines and some chemical technical data through the best market channels and costs.
Liang Weilin looked at the line of words, and his mind was filled with turbulent thoughts, but his face showed no sign of it.
How could this be considered price suppression? This was clearly a secret path to breaking through the Western technological blockade!
Lin Huowang apparently cut the payment by 15%, but the equipment and technology procurement costs saved for the mainland and the risk of sanctions avoided are definitely far more than that little bit of concession!
This Lin Huowang really is... too calculating, and he sees through the Western blockade too clearly!
In reality, if mainland China had purchased these machinery and chemical technology and equipment, the prices would have been at least 50% higher than if Lin Huowang had purchased them under the name of the Hong Kong Land Group. In some cases, the prices would have been several times higher. This was the reality of mainland China being hunted and harassed by Western capital at the time.
The Hong Kong Land Group is a British-owned enterprise and is located in a free trade port like Hong Kong Island. It can offer the lowest prices in terms of purchase price, taxes, etc.
At the same time, the Swire Group not only lowered the purchase price of building materials by 15%, but also made at least 30% more profit by helping the mainland import these equipment and technologies. After such a plan, not only did Kobayashi Tenmo's reputation in Hong Kong Island increase again, but even the cost of these building materials was no different from giving them away for free.
The mainland also gained more tangible benefits. The building materials were sold in exchange for more machinery and equipment.
This sly move... brilliant! It's truly too brilliant!
Downstairs, the reporters finally heard the news of the adjournment of the meeting and rushed up again, but this time neither side revealed too many details. All the reporters got was the standard answer of a friendly handshake and mutual congratulations on the successful cooperation.
Soon, the evening news of both TV stations urgently updated the footage.
"...After several hours of heated discussion, Hong Kong Land Group's price-cutting demands were finally partially compromised. Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the final price reduction for mainland building materials was approximately 15%, falling short of Mr. Kobayashi's anticipated 25%..."
"...The key points of the cooperation agreement signed by the two parties have been revealed. In addition to the supply of building materials, Hong Kong Land will also cooperate with Concord Continent in other areas..."
"… Hongkong Land Group issued a statement: The cost of building materials required for the Home Ownership Scheme has been significantly reduced, which will help the subsequent projects to proceed smoothly…"
Central, which had been bustling all day, gradually fell into darkness.
But about Kobayashi Tenmo's tough "performance", the ashtray he dropped on the negotiating table, and the 15% compromise that was finally reached.
Through radio waves and paper, it is quietly defining a new pattern and balance of power in the minds of everyone paying attention to this matter, becoming a textbook negotiation case.
…
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