Li Zekai nodded and continued, "First, the mainland market economy is developing rapidly, and people's living standards have improved significantly. In addition, the mainland has just undergone real estate reform, which means that the collective housing allocation system will be completely transformed into a market-based system, which is absolutely beneficial to us."
"Secondly, the mainland market is still an untapped territory, especially for foreign investment, where there are many preferential policies. From what I understand, the 'three-year tax exemption and two-year tax reduction' policy can save the group a lot of tax."
"Third, as we all know, besides materials and labor, the biggest expense in the construction industry is land. Many local governments are actively attracting investment. I had a meeting with several inland officials, and their attitude towards me was that as long as they were willing to invest, land was as cheap as cabbage. This is what attracted me the most."
"Fourth, as several financial experts have just mentioned, international hedge funds will launch a new round of currency attacks against Southeast Asian countries and regions. Even if we do not launch an attack on Hong Kong's monetary system, we will still be affected to a considerable extent."
"fifth......"
In a short period of time, Li Zekai mentioned seven or eight benefits of shifting strategic focus to the mainland. Almost every point resonated with the public, especially the last one: in established developed regions, especially developed countries like the United States, many resources and markets are occupied by other companies. Even if the strategic focus is shifted there, it will mean facing competition from these established companies.
In comparison, the benefits of shifting strategic objectives to the inland areas are numerous.
Li Ka-shing was clearly somewhat interested, but he didn't rush to express his opinion. Instead, he announced, "Today's meeting will end here for now. I will find a few more experts to conduct research, and we will discuss it again after the data is fully evaluated."
"Zekai, wait a moment, everyone else go ahead and get busy."
Meeting adjourned!
In no time, only the Li father and son remained in the meeting room.
It was only at this point that Li Ka-shing asked, "Ze Kai, are you really so optimistic about the mainland market? You should know that '97 is not far away, and it's hard to say how the policies will change then. In addition, I have heard that some highly respected senior figures in Hong Kong are planning to transfer all their assets out of the country in the next two years and immigrate to the United States and Australia with their whole families."
Li Zekai nodded very seriously and said, "Dad, I didn't actually tell you the real reason just now. Do you remember Chen Dong?"
"I remember." How could Li Jiacheng not remember Chen Dong?
This incredibly young man managed to cause him trouble twice. Li Ka-shing is considered one of the richest men in Asia. For Chen Dong to manage to outmaneuver Li Ka-shing twice, he must be no ordinary person.
Aside from some business competition, Li Ka-shing quite admires Chen Dong. Whether in his work or in his personal life, Chen Dong possesses a charisma that is not typical of veterans.
"Dad, think about it, why does Chen Dong keep most of his assets in mainland China, instead of Hong Kong?"
Li Ka-shing naturally knew what assets his son was referring to: the Longteng Group, a rapidly rising conglomerate in mainland China in recent years, encompassing real estate, hotels, supermarkets, electronics factories, automobiles, and many other sectors. It was a behemoth, but this behemoth was still quite young, possessing only the outward appearance of a behemoth, and far from being a true behemoth.
Chen Dong was privately regarded as a prodigy by these top billionaires, and naturally, he had his prodigious talents. For example, in the financial field, he had benefited greatly from various financial sectors such as oil and stocks.
If Li Ka-shing hadn't been so greedy and rashly entered the oil futures market, he and Chen Dong wouldn't have become acquainted. Instead, after Chen Dong accurately predicted the stock market trends, they formed a friendship that transcended age.
However, all of that is in the past. A year ago, Li Ka-shing and Chen Dong reached a private agreement that, at least on the surface, the two could not be called friends, but they could not be called enemies either.
After the VCD incident, besides studying financial knowledge, Li Ka-shing learned the most about Chen Dong's rise to power. The more he learned, the more alarmed he became.
Among the scions of Hong Kong's wealthy families, the Li brothers, Richard Li and Richard Li, are definitely among the best. Unlike other spoiled brats who indulge in all sorts of vices, this is partly due to the Li family's strict upbringing, and partly due to the kidnapping incident a year ago.
People grow up, and Li Zekai is no exception.
“Dad, think about it, Chen Dong is such a shrewd man. Since he is confident that he can establish a large number of industries in the mainland, it means that he is not afraid of major policy changes at all.”
Li Ka-shing remained silent, while Li Ze-kai inquired, "Dad, are you worried that Chen Dong will obstruct our investment in the mainland?"
Li Ka-shing nodded upon hearing this, then shook his head and pondered, "As for sniping, with so many cities in the mainland, I don't believe he can cover everything up. Besides, there are also mainland officials; they wouldn't allow this to happen either."
"So what are you worried about?"
“Zekai, there are some things you don’t understand yet. In my position, whatever decision I make will attract a lot of attention. If we choose the wrong direction, it will be very detrimental to us.”
What Li Ka-shing really wants to tell his son is that he is now Asia's richest man, and his every word and action will be the focus of public opinion. Take his investment in mainland China, for example. If Li Ka-shing really invests money in mainland China, it will inevitably leave the impression on all Hong Kong people that he has the backing of mainland China and close ties with certain tycoons there. Even if no real dirt is found on him, as long as this impression is left, it will be detrimental to him. On the contrary, the kind of person who holds a lot of money, stands in the middle and wavers, and can benefit from both sides, is what Li Ka-shing really wants.
Pengcheng.
High-tech industrial park.
Longteng Technology Laboratory.
To be precise, after returning from Yanjing, Chen Dong spent a week in the laboratory, and now, the most crucial moment in the development of MP3 players has arrived.
In another timeline, the first MP3 player was created in 1997 by Samsung Group of South Korea.
There's a little story behind the invention of MP3 players. Apparently, a department manager at Samsung Group was on a flight back to Seoul from a business trip to the United States when he was looking at a report sent to him on his laptop.
This was a presentation that combined images, text, and MP3 music. When the manager finished reading the report, he took off his headphones and noticed that the passenger sitting next to him was listening to the music. Inspired by this, he decided to turn the idea into reality.
That is to create a music player that can play music independently, which is an upgraded version of the Walkman.
Now, the engineers in the Longteng Group's laboratory have received the idea from Chen Dong and have been developing an MP3 player for half a year. They have now reached the final stage. As long as the data from the instrument tests is normal and the parts are assembled, the world's first MP3 player will be born.
......
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