Chapter 491 Too Much Interference Will Make Young People Run Away: Not a Free Lunch
From early to mid-February, Wang Xiao and Zhang Bo visited all the semiconductor research institutions and equipment manufacturers in Beijing.
They inspected the cleanroom process lines of the Institute of Microelectronics at Tsinghua University and Peking University, as well as the probe testing station and dicing machine of the 45th Research Institute of the Ministry of Information Industry, and the prototype of the M8611-1/UMGaP liquid phase epitaxy system of the 48th Research Institute.
The reason we could only see prototypes was that the latter two research institutes had already left Beijing when the Third Front construction was underway.
The situation is a bit better for Institute 45. Although its headquarters are located in Pingliang City, Gansu Province, it at least has a branch in Yanjiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, Hebei Province, which is the famous Yanjiao dormitory town.
All 48 research institutes are located in Changsha, Hunan Province. If Wang Xiao and his team wanted to see the production line, they would have to fly to Changsha. But that didn't seem particularly necessary, since it was still uncertain whether the prototype would work well.
In addition, they also visited the research and development and production of semiconductor silicon materials, and finally made a trip to Shougang Nippon Electric, where they visited their research institute and production line.
Shougang is truly determined to make chips and is extremely eager to make progress.
After becoming the leading chip company in mainland China in 1994, it did not rest on its laurels. At the end of 1995, it negotiated with NEC to invest an additional 12 billion yen for technological upgrades and capacity expansion. Starting in 1996, it began accepting design commissions from both domestic and international clients, becoming the first company in mainland China with a complete production chain encompassing chip design, front-end chip manufacturing, back-end packaging, and integrated circuit testing.
Now, Shougang Nippon Electric plans to build another 8-inch, 0.25-micron chip production line. It's not that it doesn't want to advance further, but rather that the transfer of more advanced technology is something the United States will absolutely not allow to be achieved.
Wang Xiao also greatly admires Shougang's enterprising spirit.
You have to understand that every time you launch a new product, it means throwing a lot of money into it, since the original equipment you bought at a high price only a few years ago.
As a steel company, having such boldness explains why Shougang has been a major player in China's steel industry for so many years.
Zhang Rujing toured Shougang Electric throughout the visit and was quite impressed with their approach of offering chip manufacturing services. This is because Japanese semiconductor companies primarily operate under the IDM (Integrated Device Manufacturer) model, handling everything from start to finish, with very few specializing in contract manufacturing.
Wang Xiao laughed and said, "I guess Nippon Electric also had to accept it with a stiff nose, otherwise none of us would survive."
Due to DRAM overcapacity caused by earlier industry expansion, chip supply exceeded demand starting in 1996, leading to a price decline. Then came the Asian financial crisis that began in the summer of 1997, which spread to Europe and the United States, further reducing market demand.
In this case, Nippon Electric's orders are probably not even enough to feed its own domestic production lines, so how could it possibly allocate them to Shougang Nippon Electric?
It's perfectly normal for the latter to go out and find their own food to feed the production line and ensure capacity.
Zhang Rujing nodded: "That's good too. If it goes out to do contract manufacturing, the chips it produces will be recognized by large companies, which will improve its industry standing."
With endorsements from large companies like HP and IBM, it gains recognition in the international semiconductor industry.
Wang Xiao shook his head with a smile: "I estimate its good days are numbered. It might not be able to do OEM manufacturing anymore."
"Why?" Zhang Rujing asked, quite surprised. "Internationally, no one should be restricting its OEM manufacturing."
To put it bluntly, the semiconductor industry is still an industry, and all industries are inherently profit-driven. If you do contract manufacturing for me, the price is low, and the product quality is stable, so why wouldn't I let you do it?
Shougang Nippon Electric is still using a 6-inch production line, so it's not to the point where it can be held hostage by others.
Wang Xiao waved his hand: "I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about the relationship between NEC and Shougang. The Nasdaq index has risen so fast. Since last summer, almost all the companies listed on Nasdaq have been technology companies. The rapid development of the internet economy will definitely drive the development of semiconductors. Haven't we all been doing better since the second half of last year?"
Zhang Rujing smiled without saying a word. World University's chip manufacturing business is naturally a case of "the ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring."
Wang Xiao smiled and continued, "Nippon Electric only has so many production lines. When the semiconductor market is good, it will definitely prioritize meeting its own needs. Nippon Electric currently holds a majority stake in Shougang Nippon Electric, and it has advantages in both capital and technology, so naturally Nippon Electric has the final say."
When the joint venture was first established, Shougang did indeed hold a 60% stake.
But in 1995, Shougang NEC wanted to make progress, producing 0.7-micron chips, and also wanted to upgrade its dynamic RAM packaging technology from 4M to 16M. So, they had to exchange equity for technology. NEC's equity increased to 51%.
She sighed, "We had the opportunity to form a joint venture with Japanese companies before, but I was afraid that the technology would belong to them, and I would just be responsible for processing their materials. I would have to listen to them in everything and not have any of my own ideas. I was willing to invest money, but they wouldn't let me. I just couldn't handle that kind of temper of mine."
Zhang Rujing laughed, hesitated for a moment before speaking: "The equity structure design is problematic. If it forms an alliance with its clients to form a joint venture, it will be less likely to be hampered by a single client."
He gave an example: "United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) in Taiwan collaborates with 11 well-known chip design companies in the United States, Canada, and other countries. Together, they invested $3 billion to establish a company specializing in chip manufacturing. The customers are shareholders, so orders are naturally prioritized for UMC. With so many shareholders, no single company can influence UMC's production and operations unless they form a coalition. However, these shareholders are also in competition with each other, making it unlikely that they will form a coalition."
They had finished their visit and were having dinner when they said this, so the atmosphere at the dinner table was quite relaxed.
In this atmosphere, Xiao Gao blurted out, "Oh, this has become an Eight-Nation Alliance, and none of them can be taken for themselves."
Xiao Zhao nodded vigorously beside him: "Yes, it's true. The Treaty of 1901 was signed by exactly 11 countries with the Qing government."
When he went home to visit his family, he saw his younger siblings memorizing history exam points, their faces contorted in pain. The Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, but when the treaty was signed, they conveniently included three more—how generous of them!
Zhang Rujing was taken aback, then nodded with a wry smile: "It's not impossible to understand it that way."
The main reason was that he knew the two bodyguards weren't very well-educated, and it would be difficult to explain the equity structure to them.
Wang Xiao steered the conversation back on track: "United Chip was able to do this because it already had a solid foundation. It approached internationally renowned chip design companies, and those companies were willing to cooperate with it."
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) is considered a veteran company in Taiwan, and Morris Chang once served as its chairman. In 1991, after being ousted by Robert Tsao and other directors on the grounds of non-compete agreement, he devoted himself entirely to TSMC's contract manufacturing business.
Shougang doesn't have the capital; it needs to listen to Nippon Electric to have the technology and be able to make a living.
Zhang Rujing nodded with a smile: "Every company has its own way of operating. It's good to accumulate experience first."
His only fear was that if Shougang Nippon Electric couldn't complete the eight-inch production line before the next downturn arrived, then things would get tough.
Since NEC has already established an 8-inch production line in Shanghai in partnership with Huahong, during this downturn, without the stimulus of orders, NEC may find it difficult to have the courage to continue investing.
Things are different now. Japan's semiconductor industry has been severely impacted by South Korea, and their profits are declining significantly.
Moreover, the characteristics of Japanese corporate culture dictate that the head of the family directly controls the direction of the company.
Since taking office in 1980, President Tadahiro Sekimoto has single-handedly transformed NEC into a world-leading information industry giant.
However, last year, Tadahiro Sekimoto retired, marking the end of an era for NEC. Given the continued weakness of the Japanese economy, NEC is likely to prioritize stability and may not have the courage to continue investing heavily in the semiconductor industry.
Wang Xiao clinked glasses with him and took a sip of beer. She felt that eating barbecue in the dead of winter was best paired with beer.
After taking a sip of wine, she sighed, "Everyone has their own difficulties."
She laughed and said, "If everyone were doing well, we wouldn't be able to get in here."
Zhang Rujing laughed. Indeed, the market is most difficult when it is just emerging, but the opportunities are also the greatest.
Ivanov is also having a tough time right now. He and his team have been negotiating for a full ten days since the official negotiations began on February 4th.
In reality, trade negotiations between two countries generally don't need to last this long. After all, once the general direction and strategy are set, the subsequent refinement is the work of implementation.
However, this time Ivanov also did the work of his subordinates, and he even dragged the Chinese side into it.
Because he knows all too well the flaws in his own government—the approval process can drag people out and kill them.
He told his negotiating counterpart bluntly: "We need to handle this as a special case, each of us should set up a leading group to specifically oversee this matter, set a timeline, and make sure it is completed on schedule."
He smiled wryly and said, "Otherwise, I'm afraid that it would take ten years to implement the plan after ten days of negotiation."
Prime Minister Hong laughed: "Ten years shouldn't be needed, but one or two years is possible."
In terms of slow execution, we can all say we share the same fate.
Since the Russian government hopes to expedite the process and get all the projects implemented in the first half of this year, China is naturally willing to respond positively.
Otherwise, the international situation is constantly changing, and if we drag this out until next year, the other party's attitude may have changed again.
They talked for ten days straight before finally sitting down to sign the contract.
In addition to cooperation agreements in the textile industry, toy and bicycle production, there are also agreements between TCL Group and the Russian Ruby Television Plant and Quantum Television Plant in Moscow regarding the assembly of color TV components, and a letter of intent for a joint venture between Chunlan Group and a Russian energy company and a machine manufacturing plant. (Note ①)
It can be described as swift and decisive.
After the contract was signed, Prime Minister Hong extended an invitation for a celebratory banquet that evening to celebrate the successful conclusion of the negotiations.
Wang Xiao also came along for a free meal, bringing Zhang Rujing and the other friends along with him.
A state banquet! This is a proper state banquet, something you can't usually get outside. You might as well eat it.
Of course, as a big boss, she has some self-respect and wouldn't be so comfortable just taking advantage of others.
Upon hearing about the agreement they had reached, Wang Xiao offered, "As long as your products are manufactured and the quality is not a problem, I will create a special section for you on my online store and promote your products."
The leaders of Liangjiang Province didn't think much of it at first, because in February 1999, online shopping was not considered a normal shopping mode for the mainstream in mainland China.
Yes, yes, online shopping existed in mainland China as early as 1996. In November of that year, Canadian Ambassador to China, Mr. Beth, purchased a cloisonné enamel piece featuring a dragon, phoenix, and peony through the online store of Shihua Kai Company.
Then, on the afternoon of March 6th last year, Mr. Wang Keping from CCTV purchased 10 hours of internet access time from Century Internet Company through the online banking service of Bank of China.
This incident made the news at the time and was considered a major event in the Chinese internet industry.
However, economists are generally not optimistic about online shopping in China because the credit card penetration rate in China is less than 5%. How will you pay for things you buy online?
Besides, internet access is so expensive. You always have to compare prices before buying anything, right? By the time you've finished comparing, the internet cost will be more expensive than what you bought.
What's the point of shopping online? Only a fool would follow the trend.
How can you compare yourself to the US? Back in 1996, the US had a $19.95 monthly internet subscription service. They earn several thousand dollars a month; that $19.95 is just a drop in the ocean, nothing to them.
It won't work in China. Even if internet access costs in China could drop to the same level as in the US, many farmers and unemployed city dwellers still might not be able to earn $19.95 a month.
While online shopping platforms like those of Wuzhou Group are quite popular in the wholesale markets of Jiangzhimen and Xiaozhou, they are essentially just online warehouses. They facilitate transactions between different wholesale markets and do not involve online payments; all transactions are conducted offline. This is not the same as the online shopping practices described abroad.
Because they didn't understand, the two vice governors simply smiled politely, expressing their gratitude as local government leaders for offering such helpful advice.
Whether it makes sense or not is another matter.
Nemtsov and his group are different.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the foreign culture that Russia absorbed the most was from the United States. Everything American was sought after by Russia's elite and fashionable people, and the internet, as a new phenomenon, was a hot topic of interest.
What is WoBuy.com? Now, on the internet, it holds a position on par with Amazon, Yahoo!, and eBay, and is known as one of the four giants.
In just one year, by riding the wave of the US president's sex scandal, it directly increased its active users from less than 1 million to 18 million, becoming a miracle in the 1998 internet market.
What do active users mean? They mean sales revenue.
Last year, Wowbuy.com's sales reached $600 million, and economic analysts are generally optimistic that its sales this year could reach $3 to $5 billion.
What a huge and astonishing market this is! With just an online platform, Wang has built another container market.
If products from the Sino-Russian cooperation can be heavily promoted on the website, even if they only account for 3% of sales, that would still be 100 million US dollars.
And this is just the beginning.
Nemtsov excitedly turned around and grabbed Ivanov's hand, startling the latter.
What are you doing? Why are you looking at me with such intense eyes? It feels so strange.
Yemtsov's lips trembled with excitement, and after a long while, he finally managed to say, "Ivan, I finally understand my daughter now."
Wang Xiao's smile vanished instantly.
I'm going to die! I was just trying to help you out of kindness, and you, Nemtsov, actually want to be my father? You're asking for it!
Nemtsov certainly didn't have such delusions, nor did he have any inclination to become a father unintentionally.
He blurted out that because his daughter loves reading romantic novels. Little girls are all like that; they always love stories about princes and Cinderella.
Oh, times have changed. It's almost the 21st century, and now Prince Charming has become a domineering CEO.
He was puzzled as to why his daughter would become obsessed with such unrealistic fantasy novels.
Now he understands, it's really exhilarating, it's incredibly captivating.
As a poor Minister of Industry who was constantly worrying about where the money would come from, he really wished there was a domineering CEO who would reach out to him and say: "It's nothing, just money, a small matter."
He now truly understands the story of two prime ministers in the Song Dynasty of China who fought tooth and nail over a wealthy widow.
Who can resist the allure of money?
"Ivan, you are so lucky. You have received the best Valentine's Day gift."
God! Why didn't anyone give him such a gift? Is this the sorrow of a married man?
Ivanov paused for a moment before realizing, "Oh, today is February 14th, it really is Valentine's Day."
Finding Nemtsov's muttering too embarrassing, he simply picked up a large strawberry and stuffed it into Nemtsov's mouth.
Vice Governors Hu and Zhao of Liangjiang Province had both dealt with Ivanov and Nemtsov before, and knew that the former was easygoing and the latter loved to joke.
So they weren't too surprised to see the Russian Minister of Industry making fun of the Deputy Prime Minister, comparing him to Cinderella.
They were even more curious: "Wow, this online shopping business is huge!"
“Big, very big, and it will only get bigger.” Nemtsov, with his mouth stuffed with strawberries, readily accepted them and ate them with relish. “This is a new era, a completely different era from the past. Yesterday at the close of trading, eBay’s market capitalization had reached over 16 billion US dollars.”
Both Vice Governor Hu and Vice Governor Zhao gasped in shock.
The late 1990s was indeed the era of the emerging Internet. Although the number of Internet users in China was limited, as provincial leaders, they had at least heard of eBay.
It's just putting the auction online, without even needing to rent a place to set up the auction hall, yet the market value can reach more than 16 billion US dollars?!
Good heavens! They're treating money like it's nothing!
Otherwise, how big of a company would it be, and how many years would it take to accumulate such a fortune of over 16 billion US dollars?
At the dinner, Nemtsov must have been drinking, and now, slightly tipsy, he blurted out, "This is a new era, a new era that has begun like the Gulf War."
The Gulf War of 1990-1991 showed the world that the steel torrent was outdated and the world had entered the information age.
The rise of the internet serves as a reminder that the 21st century is a brand new era.
Vice Governor Hu and Vice Governor Zhao didn't disagree with the Russian Minister of Industry's words; they just felt that hearing the Gulf War from a Russian's mouth was quite poignant.
Nemtsov, on the other hand, had no grudges. The Soviets abandoned the Soviet Union earlier than the rest of the world. He looked around, wanting to have a good talk with Wang about asking her to be his advisor.
He needs a wealthy and intelligent advisor right now.
Unfortunately, Wang was busy talking to the Chinese Premier, so he could only raise his glass to him from afar as a gesture, not wanting to disturb him.
Wang Xiao was eating jujubes when Premier Hong came over and greeted her.
The leader even smiled and took the initiative to start a conversation: "Who are you going to arrange to come over for a concert today?"
While preparing to host the Russian delegation for negotiations, he was reminded by his secretary that he had previously met with Deputy Prime Minister Ivanov's fiancée.
That was in 1995, when Michael Jackson came to Shanghai for a concert.
It wasn't a big deal; it's just that some older comrades had too many ideas and wanted to block things. The matter was resolved smoothly.
The concert itself wasn't the main point; what impressed him most was the concert contractor, a young female boss who proposed a plan to revitalize cinemas through concert films.
It sounded a bit unbelievable at the time, but with the idea of trying anything as a last resort, we still went ahead with the pilot program.
The result was excellent; in 1995, 1996, and 1997, the cinema's revenue soared, and concert films featuring big-name singers were particularly popular.
It wasn't until last year, when "Titanic" was released in China, that it became the first feature film in recent years to beat the box office of a concert movie.
If this trend continues, the film market will gradually be revitalized, and the arts and culture market will flourish everywhere.
Therefore, when Prime Minister Hong saw Wang Xiao again, the topic he brought up was the concert.
Wang Xiao hesitated for a moment before speaking uncertainly: "It's probably Celine Dion, the Canadian singer who sang 'My Heart Will Go On'."
The minister following behind Prime Minister Hong joked with a smile, "How can it be just a rough estimate? I was hoping to ask you how to book tickets."
The identity of this deputy prime minister's fiancée is rather delicate.
Those familiar with Moscow politics know that she has a nickname: the Godmother of the Kremlin. Although she is not as famous as Berezovsky, who is known as the Godfather, she is clearly more recognized than the latter in the inner circle.
This round of negotiations between the two countries is no exception.
At first, things were not going well. Everyone was worried that while a joint venture would be easy to agree to, what if they couldn't open up the market and make money?
After all, the cooperation started based on export quotas, rather than the fact that Russia's labor and consumer markets are extremely attractive to Chinese companies.
As a result, the Russian deputy prime minister and his fiancée met that evening, and the next morning they were much more proactive and came up with a concrete solution.
It's hard not to suspect that the complicated plan was actually proposed by his fiancée and received unanimous approval from the Russian delegation.
With such a godmother around, she naturally cannot be regarded as simply a family member of a high-ranking Russian official.
Wang Xiao shook his head with a smile: "I really don't understand. I handed this part over to my colleague. I don't have time to manage it right now."
Prime Minister Hong readily agreed: "So what have you been busy with lately?"
According to the information his secretary prepared for him, the fiancée of Russia's First Deputy Prime Minister was involved in all sorts of businesses, with her footprints spread from country to country, making her a veritable eight-legged octopus.
It seems she dabbles in every industry, and amazingly, she's managed to stick with them all, without any particularly unprofitable ventures.
"Busy with laying the groundwork for the semiconductor industry."
Life is a journey of trials and tribulations.
Wang Xiao remembers that when she first met Premier Hong, she was so nervous that her voice trembled.
If it weren't for the fact that the die was cast and there was no other choice but to ensure that Michael Jackson's Shanghai concert went smoothly, she was afraid that she wouldn't even be able to speak coherently at the dinner table.
But now, she can speak to Premier Hong with a smile and a relaxed demeanor, and even introduce Zhang Rujing directly to the leader.
"I invited Mr. Chang Ru-ching, a senior semiconductor expert, factory construction expert, and general manager of World Semiconductor Corporation, the third largest semiconductor company in Taiwan, to be a consultant for our semiconductor business unit. During this period, we first went to the Yangtze River Delta and then came to Beijing to investigate the domestic production of semiconductor equipment and see if we can use domestic products to replace imported equipment and consumables."
Premier Hong is a senior engineer with a background in electrical engineering and manufacturing from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He has always paid special attention to semiconductors and was aware of Wang Xiao's acquisition of Hyundai Electronics' LCD screen business and LG Electronics' chip business in South Korea.
After listening to Wang Xiao's words, he nodded and did not press for further details. Instead, he asked, "As entrepreneurs in the semiconductor industry, what do you hope the country will do for you? What do you need the country to do for you? Is it to provide loans or orders?"
Although the acquisition of the South Korean semiconductor company by Wuzhou was not widely publicized, and neither party even gave any media interviews, it still caused quite a stir in the industry.
Suddenly, everyone realized, "This is another way?" Is this the beginning of a new era for mainland China's semiconductor industry?
He really needs to hear the voices of semiconductor entrepreneurs, the voices that truly belong to business owners.
Wang Xiao turned to look at Zhang Rujing first. Regarding this matter, those who actually spend all their time in chip factories have more authority to speak on it than she does.
Zhang Rujing nodded first, then shook his head: "These are all important, but policy support is the most important. The rest is easier to talk about. Because as long as there is policy support, everyone will see the market and be willing to invest and start doing it."
Taiwan's semiconductor industry was able to truly take off in the 1990s. The trigger was that Degi Semiconductor encountered the explosion at Sumitomo Semiconductor's epoxy resin plant in Japan in 1992, which caused international memory prices to soar, and Degi Semiconductor made money.
When others saw that this could make money, they all joined in.
Regardless of how long they work there, even if they close down after only a few years, these factories and companies have already begun to train engineers. This increase in talent reserves has led to the prosperity of the entire industry.
After listening to his explanation of how semiconductor companies can survive, Premier Hong asked Wang Xiao for his opinion: "So what role should the government play in this?"
Wang Xiao smiled and said, "We should provide policies, but we can't interfere too much. If the government interferes too much, it will have biases and will support companies that it considers to be of high quality, hoping that they will do better. This kind of support is well-intentioned, but a doting mother spoils her child, and it is very likely that it will end up ruining the company."
Some of the officials following behind Prime Minister Hong gave a wry smile.
It's hard not to feel a deep sense of emotion when someone says this in mid-February 1999.
If they could be helped to recover, the government wouldn't have to watch so many businesses close down.
The mass layoffs of workers are a painful blow to the workers, but also a heavy slap in the face to government officials, silently reminding them that they failed to do a good job and planned properly, which is why such a miserable situation has occurred.
Wang Xiao didn't think about laid-off workers. She spoke frankly: "Businesses are like people. If they receive support, they easily become lazy and think that this order is definitely mine and I don't need to worry. Over time, the business's market awareness will decline sharply. By the time they realize it and want to ask the market for food, they no longer know how to ask for help."
"Moreover, the government's function dictates that it must seek stability, while the semiconductor industry needs to take risks to progress. In a sense, the latter's progress is not gradual, but rather leapfrog and disruptive. It must constantly evolve in the face of fierce market competition in order to survive."
Prime Minister Hong laughed upon hearing this, and joked to himself, "It seems we can't stretch our reach too far, or we'll be disliked."
Wang Xiao smiled and nodded: "Just think of semiconductors as ungrateful young people. If you interfere too much, they'll run away."
Everyone around burst into laughter.
Someone joked, "Okay, what will we do if we can't get food outside and go hungry?"
Wang Xiao dismissed it: "Then they'll just starve to death. That's how this industry is. In recent years, many semiconductor companies in the US, Japan, South Korea, and even Taiwan have gone out of business and had to close down. Only those that survive are competitive."
The celebration banquet lasted until 9 p.m.
As he left, Zhang Rujing was still very emotional, and he earnestly emphasized to Wang Xiao: "The semiconductor era belonging to China is coming."
Why did he say that? Because the current president and prime minister are both knowledgeable people. This is extremely important given China's political system.
The semiconductor industry can only thrive when leaders pay attention to it.
Taking the opportunity, Wang Xiao persuaded, "So you should go further and come be our general manager. Look, the Premier has personally promised us favorable policies, and there's such a huge market. If you don't come now, when will you?"
Zhang Rujing smiled and shook his head: "No, a person must keep their word. I went to the National Taiwan University first, how can I abandon my work there? My colleagues there are the ones I worked with, many of them came to the National Taiwan University with me, and I have to be responsible for them."
Wang Xiao directly urged, "Then just bring them all over. We can find a way to solve the problems of housing, children's education, and their spouses' jobs."
Zhang Rujing remained silent with a smile, then steered the conversation back to the topic: "I'll act as an advisor first and see how to integrate the existing resources."
Wang Xiao nodded with a smile, but secretly gritted his teeth.
Two tigers cannot share one mountain. Let's see when TSMC and UMC start fighting and wipe out World Microelectronics.
Let's see what you have to say then.
However, we've always referred to it as "Texas Tech," the latter using Texas Instruments technology.
Now that Texas Instruments has sold its semiconductor business to Micron, how will Texas Instruments survive?
I really worry about it.
It also has a beautiful 8-inch chip factory, which looks quite tempting.
Wang Xiao spent Valentine's Day in 1999 with such a greedy heart.
Well, since they've both forgotten, let's forgive each other and have some fun.
And what happens after the party's over? Everyone goes home and back to their own mothers?
There's really no need to rush.
Although the negotiations were over, everyone was eager to get back and report on their work and implement the project.
But February 14th in 1999 was Valentine's Day, and February 15th was Lunar New Year's Eve.
Since we're already here, in Beijing, and as foreign guests, we should at least watch the Spring Festival Gala live.
One reason is to join in the fun.
Look at their party, it looks so fun.
Second, make our stance clear.
Last year, the United States was far too aggressive, sending planes and warships to Iraq, clearly acting as if it were the world's number one power and that the rest of the world should just watch and kneel down. It completely disregarded other countries, especially Russia.
Russia will definitely have to make a diplomatic statement. If the US doesn't give me face, then my foreign policy will have to be closer to Europe and the East. As for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, no matter how powerful you are, you're still just one of them.
If the three permanent members of the UN Security Council stick together, let's see how easy or difficult things become for you.
For this reason, the Kremlin strongly supported the delegation watching China's Spring Festival Gala and extending New Year's greetings to the Chinese people on the spot.
That's how international politics works; a small ball can move a big ball, and watching a special artistic performance at a special juncture can also make one's stance clear.
Accompanying Wang Xiao to the Spring Festival Gala were her team and her parents.
Comrade Wang Tiejun was so excited that he kept exclaiming that he never thought he would be able to sit in the stadium and watch the Spring Festival Gala one day.
What an honor this is!
Wang Xiao was utterly speechless: "Dad, can you not be so dramatic? I asked you and Mom a few years ago if they wanted to come over."
Are you kidding me? Xiang Dong can get actors into the Spring Festival Gala, how could he not get tickets?
It was clearly you two old folks who said you were going to see some kind of cultural performance during the Chinese New Year.
Chen Yanqiu glared at her daughter: "How can that be the same? You see, there will definitely be high-ranking leaders watching the Spring Festival Gala with us today. There are no small matters in diplomacy; at the very least, the Premier will be there with us."
Wang Xiao could only chuckle and say, "Alright, alright, you're right. I was just ignorant. Is that alright?"
Turning her head, she bit Ivanov on the neck, making the unfortunate Ivanov howl and cry with tears in his eyes, completely baffled as to why she wanted to bite him again.
Wang Xiao simply snorted, not for any particular reason, she was just annoyed.
If it weren't for him, they wouldn't have come to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
Comrades Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu naturally didn't have much to say!
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Note ①: Article "Bilateral Economic and Trade Relations and Economic and Technological Cooperation" published on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website on January 30, 2004.
(I) A Review of Sino-Russian Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Trade Relations from 1991 to December 1999
From February 22 to 25, 1999, State Councilor Wu Yi, the Chinese chair of the China-Russia Prime Ministers' Regular Meeting Committee, visited Russia. On February 23, she co-chaired the third meeting of the committee with First Deputy Prime Minister Maslyukov, the Russian chair. The meeting finalized preparations for the fourth regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian prime ministers. The two sides exchanged detailed views on further promoting bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Following the meeting, five documents were signed, including a purchase contract for a Chinese shopping mall in Moscow, an agreement between TCL Group and two Russian television manufacturers regarding the assembly of color television components, and a letter of intent for a joint venture between Chunlan Group and a Russian company.
I was quite surprised, because this was the first time I had seen this information. I had previously thought that the two sides did not have any production cooperation in the field of home appliances.
Because verifying this information took some time, the rest of the writing wasn't finished and will have to be in the next chapter. [laughing and crying emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
