Stepping out of the embassy, Lu Feng found himself in the sweltering heat of Cape Town during the height of summer. He took a deep breath and felt much better.
Ambassador Xu looked at Lu Feng and said, "There's not much room for maneuver in this matter, but we will try our best. I'm afraid there won't be a solution in the short term. According to their past methods, if they keep stalling, it will drag on for a long time."
"They just want to wear me down!" Lu Feng sneered, disdainfully saying, "These three tricks are really effective."
"Faced with such a problem, no matter which country or how big the company is, there is no way to solve it. There is no evidence. Take Toshiba, for example. It is now under global sanctions and even the top management of the company has been completely replaced." Ambassador Xu said helplessly, "This is the real world. We must try our best to protect our rights to the greatest extent possible."
His words were forceful, but they were full of helplessness. Lu Feng nodded, said goodbye to Ambassador Xu, exchanged phone numbers, and then went straight back to his hotel.
Outside the window, the setting sun painted the earth gold, and the table was laden with local delicacies, but Lu Feng and his group had no appetite at all.
In the afternoon, Han Guoping contacted all the connections he could. How many connections could a company that had just started out have?
Let alone the interpersonal and interest relationships that companies build during their operations, even big shots who are willing to give face to Lu Feng can only helplessly become fish on a chopping board when faced with this kind of situation.
There were seven or eight people at the table, looking at each other, but no one touched their chopsticks. The atmosphere at the table was almost frozen. Lu Feng lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Let's eat. I'll make a few phone calls later."
Few people spoke during the meal. Many members of the team privately said that there was no other choice in this matter. This was definitely not a business matter, nor could it be gotten by by taking a few detours or using some tricks. In the face of a global hegemon, any individual or company appears extremely vulnerable.
After dinner, Lu Feng stood up and silently returned to his room. The only person he could contact now was Kelly, but what was Kelly's identity? She was definitely a wolf who would devour people without spitting out the bones.
As for the Schroders Group, not to mention, if they had any guts, they wouldn't have resorted to financial confrontation.
...
Japan's industrial system has always developed in a "goose formation" pattern. In the 1990s, companies such as Toshiba, Sony, and Sharp led the way, with other companies providing industrial support. Essentially, each link was connected to the next, and internal competition was not particularly fierce, with more cooperation than competition.
This is also why many small businesses can operate for decades: the market is generally less competitive, social competition is less intense, and employee turnover is relatively low.
The Toshiba incident is like a blow to a flock of geese in a V-formation formation; the pain is undeniable. Product sales have decreased, and the supporting companies that follow Toshiba will also be affected. This is why Toshiba immediately came out and knelt down to apologize.
Inside a tatami room, several women in kimonos were kneeling and refilling drinks. There were about a dozen people sitting in the room, mostly around fifty or sixty years old. In the main seat sat a man in his sixties, looking thoughtful, as if considering something.
Watanabe Shi sat at the very end, head down, without saying a word.
"We were wrong about Toshiba's situation, but we have admitted it and will try our best to minimize the impact. We will provide assistance to Toshiba in this matter. The overall message is that we were wrong, but not entirely wrong. The US's methods went too far," the man said in a deep voice.
"Thank you, Minister!" Toshiba's president bowed deeply in gratitude.
"The purpose of such a heavy blow and global sanctions is ultimately to cripple the domestic semiconductor industry. In recent years, Silicon Valley has been investing more and more in the semiconductor industry, and the competition for international orders has become increasingly fierce," the president of Motorola Group analyzed.
"I heard that the company that reported us also got caught in a trap?" the man sitting in the main seat asked.
"That's right. This company is also developing towards high-tech and cutting-edge technologies, focusing on semiconductors. It invests 170% of its profits in R&D every year and is still growing rapidly. It has also received investment from the Schroder Group, which holds a 35% stake. If we don't sanction them, who should we sanction?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
The room erupted in laughter, filled with schadenfreude, which eased the tense atmosphere. The president of Matsushita picked up his glass, took a sip of sake, and said, "We opposed the sale of the ROHM Group's Ruixin Laboratory from the beginning. Now it seems that the sale of this core asset poses a great threat to us."
"It's just a small company with no core technology. Even if it invests in R&D, it won't be very competitive. This crackdown seems more like a show for other countries."
The crowd discussed the driving forces behind the incident, and the minister sitting in the main seat spoke up: "In order to get Toshiba out of the sanctions as soon as possible, I suggest that Motorola take the lead in contacting this Chinese company. We can buy a portion of the shares first and then transfer them to the United States. As long as it can give us a little breathing room, this money is worth spending."
As soon as the suggestion was made, Toshiba was the first to support it, repeatedly saying that it was willing to pay money as long as the crisis could be overcome.
The Motorola president was somewhat reluctant; they wanted Toshiba to step up, but certainly not so quickly, and remained silent for a moment.
Watanabe Shi couldn't speak in this situation, so he knelt silently on the edge. Besides, he didn't have much affection for Japan; he longed for Wall Street.
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