Chapter 502 Gene Awakening: Joining the WTO
Wang Xiao's Chinese genes have awakened.
Don't get me wrong, she doesn't want to work in the fields; she just doesn't have that kind of industrious DNA.
She simply thought the solar-powered ranch was incredibly interesting.
Just imagine, the sky is vast, the fields are boundless, the wind blows the grass low to reveal cattle and sheep, oh no, I mean ducks and sheep, how interesting!
She excitedly called Ivan and boasted to others: "Let me tell you, a unique microclimate will be created under the solar panels. Shade-loving grasses may grow better, while the growth of sun-loving weeds will be inhibited, naturally optimizing the composition of the pasture."
She has already thought it through; she will adopt a rotational grazing system.
First, let the sheep graze in one area. After they have eaten most of the tall grass, move the sheep to the next area and then let the ducks in.
Ducks are omnivorous creatures that like to eat insects and tender grass. The leftover grass clippings and insects can serve as their food. Ducks can also clean up undigested grains and insect eggs in scattered sheep droppings.
In this way, the pastures can ensure their own foraging efficiency, maximize the ecological complementarity effect, and reduce mutual interference.
Once the ducks and sheep are raised, all the mutton, wool, duck meat, and duck eggs will be green and organic products.
The ecological ducks and sheep under the photovoltaic panels are a green and high-end brand. If you tell a good story, you can sell them for a high price in the new millennium.
"I'm pretty sure that the last time we broadcast the evening news, it will be a huge hit."
Wang Xiao started to get anxious. "I need to raise more, otherwise there won't be enough to sell."
Ivanov was overjoyed: "Then it will be just like the hairy crabs. If you soak the crabs from Gucheng Lake in Yangcheng Lake, they will become hairy crabs from Yangcheng Lake."
"They're both shrewd businessmen, no doubt about it," the two immediately burst into laughter.
Wang Xiao also made empty promises to Ivan: "When you come, I'll take you to see the sheep and ducks we raise."
It's as if the grass has already grown and sheep and ducks are running all over the place.
But the people you get along with usually have the same condition as you.
Ivan was already very interested: "So what breeds of sheep and ducks will we raise?"
Their farm has a lot of poultry and livestock, so he can stand tall and say something.
"They said that Hu sheep and small-tailed Han sheep are good because they can eat roughage and are adapted to the local climate. You can't raise Peking ducks because they need a lot of water. You have to raise Muscovy ducks and Shaoxing ducks because they are drought-resistant."
If she can't raise them well, she'll go to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and criticize the experts.
Ivan was experienced, so he actively fought for a better living environment for the ducks: "There still needs to be water, the ducklings need to swim."
Wang Xiao thought it made sense. Even if a duckling is drought-resistant, shouldn't we be able to deprive it of its right to bathe? We shouldn't mistreat small animals.
"Then let's dig an artificial lake."
Hmm, that should be possible. Aren't there water sources in the desert?
But Ivan worried, "With such a strong sun, won't the water dry up?"
Possibly.
However, Wang Xiao had a solution: "We can put a lid on the artificial lake."
She was very enthusiastic, saying, "Growing vegetables on the water reduces evaporation."
Ivan knew that they grew vegetables in the lakes on their farms in Russia and South Africa.
Among them, water celery is the most commonly grown in Russia. It thrives in cool conditions, and when grown in water, it is particularly juicy and has a very tender texture. They all enjoy eating cold water celery salad.
When they grow a lot of celery, the farm workers will even use it to feed the chickens.
Do ducks eat celery? What about sheep?
He really hadn't paid attention to it.
"If they don't eat celery, we'll plant water spinach and rice for them."
Wang Xiao's imagination ran wild. "Then I'll raise fish in the water, specifically salmon."
Why salmon? Because before she traveled through time, desert-farmed salmon had already gone viral.
Although she didn't know how to raise them and had never seen them in person, it didn't stop her from adding salmon directly to her menu.
Ivanov questioned, "Salmon seem to live in the sea, right? Seawater is salty, how can you grow vegetables there?"
Uh, this seems like a big problem.
Wang Xiao leaned against the cushion, scratched his head, and reluctantly said, "Then let's not keep salmon for now, let's keep other fish instead, we can definitely keep fish anyway."
Ivanov was also full of confidence: "That's right, we can definitely raise them. Then we can roast whole lamb, grill fish, and have hot pot."
The two of them were laughing heartily as they talked.
Comrade Nikolai, the bodyguard, listened expressionlessly without reacting at all.
Hehe, how should he react?
Whether it's Miss Wang or Mr. Ivanov, their understanding of the desert is probably limited to sightseeing in the deserts of South Africa.
So they had no idea that groundwater in desert areas has extremely high mineral content.
Moreover, even if there are floating beds on the water, there are still gaps, and the water will still evaporate rapidly when the wind and sun are strong.
As water continues to evaporate, the concentration of salt and minerals in the water will continue to rise, which is an irreversible accumulation process.
Over time, the lake naturally disappeared.
The most suitable water sources in the desert are wells and rainwater harvesting facilities, such as hardened rainwater harvesting fields, diversion channels, and small cisterns, to collect and store the scarce rainfall.
Well, he didn't intend to be a spoilsport.
The boss is having a great time, let them go have fun on their own.
Anyway, if they mess things up, they'll quietly clean up the mess and pretend they never caused any trouble.
Nikolai glanced leisurely out the window, keeping his achievements and fame hidden.
What else can we do? The boss has to find something to do for fun.
When he looked away, there were already people standing at the office door.
Sure enough, the knocking started a second later.
Ivan nodded to Nikolai, who then went to open the door.
Oh, and sure enough, Mr. Nemtsov stood at the door with a smile on his face, holding documents in his hand.
Ivanov instantly showed a look of disgust. Good heavens! How old are you? Why is it always you?
On the other end of the phone, Wang Xiao was already excitedly preparing to log off to plan her symbiotic system.
Ivanov hung up the phone and looked at Nemtsov, who was grinning with amusement, with an annoyed expression: "What are you doing here again?"
Nemtsov chuckled: "Sign, sign, I came here in person to get your signature, my Deputy Prime Minister."
Ivanov took the document, glanced at it hastily, and wanted to throw it back at him: "Does this really require you to make this trip yourself, sir? It seems your job is really too easy."
He could tell this guy was doing it on purpose, knowing full well that he only had half an hour to relax each day when he talked to Wang on the phone, and that he spent the other 15 hours working like crazy.
Nemtsov raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "Oh, my sir, I just felt that coming in person could convey the urgency of our Ministry of Industry."
Ivanov was no longer interested in talking to him: "Get to the point. Is the factory operating normally?"
He pointed out the window, "Look, the trees in Moscow are almost green. When are you finally going to release the new products?"
"This week, this week I guarantee the goods will arrive." Nemtsov pleaded, defending himself, "The trees are sprouting because spring came early to Moscow this year."
Ivanov signed the document, threw it back, and didn't intend to pay any more attention to him: "Okay, I've signed it, you can go now."
“No, no, no.” Nemtsov showed no intention of leaving. “Just let me stay here for a while. Oh, God, what are you discussing?”
Ivanov was truly annoyed: "Solar power generation, then grass grows to raise sheep and ducks."
Nemtsov blinked, trying to understand for a long time, but ultimately still couldn't comprehend it: "Can that make money? The cost of photovoltaic power generation is very high."
Good heavens, are these two planning to get Russian power companies to use solar power?
That's insane! If that's the case, who can afford electricity? He has to stop them from going crazy.
Ivanov glared at him, almost shouting, "China is using photovoltaic power generation in China's deserts, mainly for desertification control."
"Oh, oh, oh," Nemtsov said, indicating that he understood, but still wondering, "Can this make money?"
Electricity prices in China have skyrocketed to this level? How can they afford the cost of photovoltaic power generation?
“Of course you won’t make any money.” Ivanov rolled his eyes at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be good at math?”
Given Wang's marketing and public relations skills, he estimated that she could barely break even by relying on government subsidies and selling goods at high prices, or she might still incur losses.
As for making money, that's absolutely impossible.
Nemtsov expressed his incomprehension: "If you're not making money, what are you doing? Oh, Ivan, you might as well call the king back."
"Do you stop doing things just because they don't make money? It's not like you do everything just to make money."
Ivanov asked curiously, "Does that mean we make money by running a farm?"
In fact, large-scale agricultural production should be profitable; otherwise, wouldn't farmers be starving?
The problem is that the profits generated by their farms are mostly reinvested, or more specifically, farmers around the world are using them to improve their working and living conditions.
As long as there is a profit in the books, it will either be used to buy new agricultural tools, or to build houses, schools, and hospitals. In short, there will always be places to spend money.
Nemtsov was speechless, because he had indeed seen Ivan's farm, where all the irrigation systems were built by themselves, and there was even a wind-powered heating field to sustain the growth of vegetables and livestock during the winter.
He sighed and said, "You must have read a lot of Timur's stories when you were a child."
Who is Timur? A classic young man in Soviet literature, selfless and helpful.
Ivanov wouldn't dare call himself noble: "Everyone has their own way of relaxing and having fun, and building a farm is my way of relaxing."
These people wouldn't understand.
When you walk along the farm paths and see the harvest scene, your soul feels full and rich.
It was full of hope and full of fulfillment.
Therefore, he understood that Wang wanted to build a photovoltaic ranch.
What a wonderful thing it is for a flower of hope to bloom in the desert!
"Alright, alright, my sir, have you satisfied your curiosity?" Ivanov said, trying to shoo him away. "You can leave now with your documents."
Nemtsov didn't want to leave: "You have to give me somewhere to stay."
He looked pitiful. "Where else isn't the election being discussed besides here?"
The election he was referring to wasn't next year's presidential election, but rather this year's Duma election.
In the winter of 1995, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) won a landslide victory in the State Duma elections. As a result, CPRF Chairman Gennady Zyugalov was a hot favorite and considered a sure thing for the next president.
Although he ultimately failed to win the 1996 election, the fact that the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which he led, held a large number of seats in parliament still caused considerable trouble for the Kremlin.
Putting aside other issues, the president has been working on a treaty to reduce offensive strategic weapons since 1992, but due to the lack of cooperation from Congress, it has not been passed to this day.
Given such a tragic experience, the president naturally hopes that this year's Duma elections can turn things around.
Therefore, he hoped that Nemtsov, the Minister of Industry whom he had personally promoted, could lead the right-wing party to participate in the Duma elections.
However, Nemtsov was not particularly interested in getting involved.
He complained, "This should have been your job."
Four years ago, it was Prime Minister Chernomyrdin who formed a new political party and participated in the State Duma elections.
Well, the result was a crushing defeat.
Ivanov shrugged and spread his hands: "That's why I won't repeat the same mistake. Even the president only dares to rely on you."
Nemtsov was silent for a long time before lowering his voice and saying, "Do you think he plans to run for the next presidential term?"
Although the president had previously stated publicly that he would not run again in the 2000 election.
But times have changed; he wasn't as spirited and ambitious back then.
Одномуяблоко,другомуяд (What is an apple to one person is poison to another).
The Kosovo crisis plunged the Kosovo region of Serbia into war, but it also gave Russia an opportunity to exert its influence on the international political stage.
In response to the Kosovo issue, the British Prime Minister has taken a very strong stance, repeatedly advocating for necessary military measures and even indicating a willingness to deploy ground troops to actively support Kosovo's independence.
Because it was the free choice of the people of Kosovo.
Then he was rebuked by the Russian president: "In that case, Russia also supports the referendum of the people of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and we will fully support their choice."
Besides engaging in verbal sparring in diplomatic settings, the President of the Russian Federation is also prepared to use the military to retaliate in kind.
This tough-guy president has awakened the dormant memories of the Russian people.
His former supporters recalled August 1991, when he sat atop a tank, facing the dark muzzle of a gun without flinching, and loudly appealed to the nation to defend Russia.
His approval rating is rising rapidly.
Nemtsov strongly suspects that the soaring approval ratings will rekindle the president's ambitions and lead him to choose to continue working in the Kremlin.
Good heavens, that's definitely not good news.
It's no secret that the president is in poor health. No one can believe that someone who has undergone major heart surgery would still be in good health.
Nemtsov said with concern: "If he insists, I fear Russia will fall into division."
Ivanov remained silent for a long while before finally saying, "Things will work themselves out. Who knows what will happen next? We just need to do our own thing."
A butterfly flapping its wings in South America can potentially trigger a storm on the Mississippi River.
Everything in the world is like two sides of a coin.
The fact that the United States did not directly intervene in Kosovo has indeed emboldened Russia and boosted the morale of its people.
Is this a blessing or a curse? Who can give a precise answer?
Wang Xiao couldn't either.
She sat in the car listening to the radio, guessing that the president in the Kremlin had changed his secretary to write his articles.
At least this time, unlike last year's Iraq crisis, he wasn't overshadowed by the French president; he still managed to make a strong impression.
Wang Xiao asked curiously, "Have the peace talks started? What was the result?"
The radio news was just a short message, and it didn't explain what exactly happened.
Lyuba shook her head: "We're still negotiating."
Even if a ceasefire agreement is reached, she doesn't think it will be of much significance. What good is a ceasefire agreement? As long as one side cannot overwhelmingly suppress the other, the war can be restarted at any time.
Because the real demands of the Kosovois have not been met.
It will become a festering wound, a wound clinging to the European continent. Perhaps it will no longer bleed instantly, nor die instantly, but it will cause Europe to bleed incessantly, the losses never ceasing.
Xiao Gao sighed: "Let's finish the talks sooner and stop this sooner. If this fighting continues, Romania won't be able to handle it. Sister Ruan said that quite a few refugees have already fled to Bucharest."
Refugees are like bandits; no country will truly welcome them.
Because the latter is an unstable bomb, no one knows when it will explode.
If even Britain was helpless, what chance did Romania have? It had no choice but to bear the continued negative consequences of the Kosovo crisis.
Countries in the same predicament include Hungary, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Croatia, among others; almost all Eastern European countries have been affected.
The nearly decade-long peace in the post-Cold War era seems to be on the verge of being completely shattered.
Wang Xiao was lost in thought.
She thought that perhaps Eastern Europe would become another Middle East, a battleground for competition among external powers, a fragmented area with constant internal conflicts and a fractured identity.
The broadcast jumped from international bloodshed to gossip news. Because it was gossip about political figures, it still belonged to politics, and was an important political event.
The US president is being sued again, in yet another sexual harassment case.
See, when a person is in a key position, their personal crisis can affect the entire world order through a series of domino effects.
The United States will not intervene, nor will it take swift and decisive military action to suppress the forces in the Balkans.
The consequence was that the cornerstone of post-Cold War European stability was removed, pushing Eastern Europe back to a "dark forest" era closer to the 19th or early 20th century—a dangerous and unpredictable era dominated by ethnic conflicts, historical grievances, and great power rivalry.
Fortunately, Eastern Europe is not entirely the Middle East, so there are ways to get through even the most painful times.
Although the EU has performed poorly in this crisis, it remains a huge economic and political stabilizer.
Joining the EU means market, financial and political stability.
Eastern European countries will actively seek to join the European Union.
With this goal in mind, all issues can be discussed.
Moreover, we should thank the Soviet Union.
Socialism established a strong administrative system in Eastern European countries, making governments powerful.
The shared history of resisting the Soviet Union further strengthened the national identity of the people of Eastern Europe.
The combination of the two weakened the forces of division.
Looking out the car window at the old Soviet-style buildings, Wang Xiao felt a sense of disorientation.
Even if a giant disappears for nearly ten years, the impact it once had on the world will still remain.
When the car stopped, she suddenly came to her senses and quickly perked up: "Have we arrived?"
"We're here, we're here," the driver replied immediately. "It's right here."
Where is this? It's the Institute of Thermal Engineering at Jiangbei University.
What's Boss Wang doing here? Oh! She's here to invest in a waste incineration project, isn't she?
China has been involved in waste incineration for about ten years.
The earliest factories, such as the Shenzhen Qingshuihe Waste Incineration Plant, all imported technology and equipment from abroad.
It's not that these devices are bad; countries like Japan, Germany, and France have been researching waste incineration for many years, and their technology is quite advanced.
But the problem is that imported waste and domestic waste are two different things.
Foreigners have different lifestyles than Chinese people. They sort their garbage and use high-calorie garbage for incineration.
But this can't be done in China. The characteristics of domestic waste are very typical: high moisture content, high ash content, and low calorific value. Relying on incinerating it to generate heat for power generation would result in a complete disaster.
Moreover, imported equipment is expensive, and if something goes wrong, foreign engineers have to fly in to repair it, which adds up to a huge expense. Most waste incineration plants can't afford it, proving that foreign expertise doesn't always work in China, and demonstrating that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.
In this situation, insightful people in China also took action on their own.
Jiangbei University is a typical example; its Institute of Thermal Engineering did not initially focus on waste incineration.
But they later discovered the enormous potential of circulating fluidized bed technology in the field of combustion.
It can be used for burning coal, biomass, or municipal waste.
With the theoretical foundation, laboratory research, pilot and intermediate tests nearly complete, the research institute prepared to set up a factory to realize marketization and engineering.
Wang Xiao had just mentioned at a meeting and dinner in Shanghai that he wanted to build a waste incineration plant. Soon after, leaders from the Xiaozhou municipal government, sensing the potential, called him and enthusiastically recommended the Thermal Energy Engineering Research Institute, praising it to the skies.
Mr. Wang hadn't originally planned to make this trip himself.
But Dr. Zhang felt that her boss was too controlling and wanted to ask about everything, so he simply urged her to go to Jiangbei University herself so that she could see for herself whether the fluidized bed technology was actually useful.
Wang Xiao knew perfectly well that, apart from paying money, bosses were disliked by everyone most of the time. Knowing this, she wisely slipped away and came to Jiangbei University.
Wow, university is university after all. As soon as she opened the car door, she felt the youthful energy emanating from it.
No wonder people love to pursue immortality.
Youth means more than just physical beauty; it also means a vibrant and upward-moving life force.
Students on campus hurried about, books tucked under their arms as they moved between teaching buildings and classrooms.
Lyuba looked on with envy.
Because when she went to Moscow State University a few years ago, the teachers were busy going out to do part-time jobs to earn money, and the students were in a hurry to find places to do business, and the campus had lost its original color.
I wonder if things have improved in the last few years.
She still prefers a purer university, one without too much vested interest.
She followed her boss into the research institute, but she was unlucky because the institute was having a meeting, and everyone she could talk to was in the conference room, so no one was available to greet her.
Fortunately, Mr. Wang was in a good mood and didn't get angry because of the cold reception. He even went out to stroll around the school.
April is the most beautiful time of year. The grass is lush and green, the spring flowers are in full bloom, and the sunlight shines like golden fragments on the artificial lake on campus.
Wang Xiao wandered around for a while, then went to the school's coffee shop, sat down, and ordered a milk tea.
Well, don't be surprised, that's how amazing it is to do business at school. They even sell Taiwanese braised pork rice in their coffee shop, it's clearly written on the blackboard on the wall.
The college students drinking coffee and eating sandwiches in the coffee shop didn't have any objections.
Wang Xiao had just sat down and taken a sip of milk tea, or more specifically, before she had even swallowed a single sip, she choked.
A female college student wearing a white T-shirt suddenly rushed into the coffee shop and shouted at the cashier, "Senior, hurry up! The boss is going to have a meeting soon, he's waiting for us!"
The cashier asked in surprise, "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"WTO." The girl in the t-shirt blushed like a crabapple, fine beads of sweat appeared on her nose and forehead, and she was panting as she spoke, "The United States has reached an agreement with us and agreed to let us join the WTO!"
Wang Xiao's mind went blank. Was she mistaken? She remembered very clearly that China only joined the WTO at the end of 2001.
This brings the timeline forward by more than two years?
No, no, she has to find out the truth.
She borrowed the coffee shop's phone and called the Xiaozhou Municipal Government.
However, probably because no official document has been issued from above, the Xiaozhou municipal government is also unclear about the situation and needs to inquire further.
But Wang Xiao had no patience, so she quickly called Secretary Fang again.
Upon hearing her voice, Secretary Fang began to complain: "Whether it's photovoltaic power generation or waste incineration, you should just do it in Jiangdong. When it comes to developing these industries, Jiangdong is definitely stronger than Jiangbei. Jiangbei has no foundation in heavy industry!"
Wang Xiao was about to stomp his feet: "Oh, my good secretary, let's not talk about that now, let's talk about the WTO. Have we really joined the WTO?"
Secretary Fang was taken aback: "WTO?"
Secretary Sun rushed into her office: "Secretary, the United States has reached an agreement with us and agreed to let us join the WTO."
Although theoretically speaking, the WTO does not belong to the United States alone.
However, the system of having the top leader in charge is common worldwide.
Look at the EU. Without the US getting involved, the Kosovo crisis would have dragged on from last year to this year, and who knows when it would end.
What does this show? It shows that when it matters most, the US has to step in.
The fact that the United States agreed means that the WTO has agreed.
Wang Xiao eagerly pressed, "Did you join or not?"
Political correctness isn't emphasized much these days, so Secretary Sun doesn't have to be as careful with his words.
He gave an analogy, blurting out: "Now the leaders have finished their small meeting and made a decision. Next, we need to go through the procedures, hold a large meeting, and then complete the formalities, understand?"
Oh, Wang Xiao finally understood.
So we still have to go through the procedures.
No wonder, she said she didn't cause much trouble, so history shouldn't have been reversed so drastically, with the timeline suddenly being moved forward by more than two years.
Thankfully, others can't read minds, otherwise, if they heard what she was thinking, they'd probably roll their eyes: "Doesn't your conscience hurt? You call that not causing any trouble?"
With a clear conscience, Mr. Wang had begun to ponder the matter. However, judging from the current situation, China should have joined the WTO by the end of 2001.
Then her career needs to be accelerated.
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In reality, from November 10 to 15, 1999, a Chinese government delegation and a US government delegation held negotiations in Beijing on China's accession to the WTO. On November 15, the two sides signed the "Bilateral Agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the United States of America on China's Accession to the WTO," which meant that the United States formally agreed to China's accession to the WTO, and the bilateral negotiations between China and the United States officially ended.
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