Chapter 446 Take Five Hundred Million First: A World of Madness
Ivanov hugged Wang Xiao from behind and started chirping: "Ignore them, they're so annoying."
Since the large-scale privatization, almost all economic activities in Russia have become intertwined with oligarchs. As deputy prime minister, he naturally had to deal with them frequently.
Now, just thinking about these people gives him a headache.
People who finally have a holiday are full of complaints: "What are they doing here? Don't they know they're annoying?"
Wang Xiao turned her head, kissed his puffed-up cheeks, and coaxed, "Okay, just think of them as delivering pocket money. Watch me, I'll get you some pocket money to spend."
Ivanov was still whimpering, and Wang Xiao hugged his head and kissed him several times before he reluctantly went to change into his guest clothes.
When he came downstairs to the living room, he saw Gusinsky and Potanin, who were sitting there looking very uncomfortable. Instead of being friendly, he spoke with a sharp tongue: "Gentlemen, why aren't you in Moscow? Why don't you go on vacation in Europe? What are you doing here? Don't you think you're bothering others?"
The two exchanged a glance, and before they could even prepare their responses to the disgruntled Vice Premier, Wang Xiao followed him downstairs.
She smiled and hugged Ivanov, coaxing him softly, "Alright, darling, go get the ostrich eggs."
After coaxing the guests to get back to work, she turned around and smiled at them with a smile brighter than the sun, saying, "You two are truly rare guests. Since you've come to Cape Town, you must try the ostrich eggs."
That's right, her ostrich farming plan in Moscow has most likely failed, but that doesn't stop her from raising ostriches on her farm in South Africa.
Her smile was sincere and radiant; she looked incredibly kind.
He's at least much better than Ivanov, who was frowning and looking unhappy, practically ready to chase people away with a broom, right?
But whether it was Gusinsky or Potanin, both of them preferred to face Ivanov, or at least have him present.
Gusinski knew a Chinese phrase called "smiling tiger," and at this moment, Wang Xiao's smiling face was practically the embodiment of a smiling tiger.
But he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take the initiative to speak first. Of the two, he was more familiar with Wang Xiao, and he was determined to win over the telecommunications investment company since he had spearheaded its privatization.
Gusinski tried to make his smile look more genuine and spoke in a light tone as much as possible: "Hi, Miss Wang, long time no see. I didn't even know you suddenly became interested in telecommunications investment companies."
He tilted his head slightly, looking puzzled. "You didn't seem to register for the auction the year before last."
In 1995, when Russia was conducting privatization auctions, the Italian state-owned telephone company Stet showed great interest in the Russian telecommunications investment company.
Italian Electric Company (TEPCO) is willing to offer $640 million to acquire a 25% stake in Russian Telecommunications Investment Company (TTI), and has pledged to continue investing $754 million over the next two years to complete asset investment and upgrades for the company.
Good heavens, all together, they're willing to pay 1.4 billion US dollars.
Just think about how much money the oligarchs spent acquiring oil companies and mineral resources. That's how huge that sum of money is.
But this highly anticipated deal ultimately fell through.
The reason given by the Russian federal government was that the Italians were difficult to deal with and made certain financial demands at the last minute, which were unacceptable to the Russians.
Those who know the inside story are well aware that it was just an official excuse.
In fact, the real reason the deal was halted was because of opposition from the military and security services, who, out of their most instinctive national security concerns, refused to allow a foreign company to buy Russian telephone lines.
But in 1995, all the oligarchs who had put up their money were busy scrambling for oil fields and mines, and no one bothered to give a second glance to the telecommunications investment company, which was difficult to liquidate. Like the power company and the airline, it failed to sell at auction.
The latter two were forcibly bundled by the president with Ivanov, who had not yet become deputy prime minister at the time.
At that time, Ivanov felt wronged, as if he was carrying a huge burden.
At that time, the status of telecommunications investment companies was roughly equivalent to that of the oligarchs.
But things are different now.
Wang Xiao raised an eyebrow, her face full of surprise: "Mr. Gusinski, why would you ask such a question? Why would I be interested in a communications investment company? Your interest is my interest."
Gusinski chuckled dryly: "Communications are linked to the television business, you know. I just want to build an independent television kingdom, free from any outside interference. Media people must always remain neutral."
Wang Xiao immediately stopped him, saying, "Alright, sir, you're not running for office, you don't need voters' votes. You probably don't want to reveal to me what you say to investors. But that's okay, I can tell you directly that I'm making a strategic investment."
She smiled slightly. "Telephone lines are very valuable. I heard that when the Spanish telephone company participated in auctions in Latin America, the asking price for a telephone system was $2,000 to $3,000 per line. My God!"
She exclaimed in surprise, "What did the data say? Telecom Investment Company owns controlling stakes in 88 regional telephone companies in Russia, and, in addition, it has 22 million telephone lines."
She moved the calculator on the table in front of her and started pressing buttons with a serious expression: "From 44 billion to 66 billion, that's 44 billion to 66 billion US dollars. What a worthwhile investment! Why can't I invest?"
Gusinski felt a sudden darkness engulf his vision.
She brought up Telefónica because she was clearly aware that Telefónica was the most important component of the foreign strategic investors she had brought in.
Furthermore, after he won the auction, the Spanish telephone company was put in charge of the company's day-to-day operations.
So if he now says that the Spanish investment company's offer in Latin America is insufficient as a basis, then he is contradicting himself.
Gusinski's voice grew increasingly hoarse. Even though Wang Xiao repeatedly urged him to taste the juice made from the world's top grapefruit—Golden Orange Grapefruit—produced in the South African desert region, he took two sips but still couldn't make his voice fuller.
He had originally intended to talk about feelings, but the other person went straight to money, so he could only approach it from a practical perspective: "Miss Wang, you are an industrialist, you must know that while the telecommunications investment company does have great potential, it has many more problems. Its technology is outdated, tariffs are complicated, and there are all sorts of political conflicts. Look, you control such a large business empire, where do you find the time and energy to handle such complicated and tedious work? God, Miss Wang, you don't need to work so hard."
He was so earnest and sincere that Wang Xiao believed he was telling the truth.
That's how it is with telecommunications companies. Even a true telephone giant has to spend a lot of time and make a lot of investment after entering a new company to get it running smoothly before they can even talk about profits.
That's why, in 1995, the oligarchs who participated in the auction didn't bother to even glance at the telecommunications investment company.
But so what?
Wang Xiao said seriously, "So what if I don't know how to run a telecommunications investment company? I'm just an investor. I can hire professional managers. You know, all the big companies in the world do this now, leaving professional matters to professionals. That's modern management."
Seeing her getting more and more excited, Potanin, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but speak up and join the fray: "Miss Wang, it doesn't seem appropriate for you to participate in the auction, does it? Mr. Ivanov is already the Deputy Prime Minister, what kind of situation would it be for him to participate in the auction as well?"
Although there are no explicit regulations, the unspoken rule is that when you are in a high-ranking government position, you have to give up your business interests.
Otherwise, are you the referee or the player?
One should not be too greedy.
Wasn't it enough that he took the position of vice prime minister from him last year?
Gusinski nodded in agreement. Yes, that's the most basic principle.
His fight with Potanin is between the two of them. For now, everyone should cooperate sincerely and kick Wang Xiao, the biggest threat, out of the game. That's the real priority.
Wang Xiao seemed startled, letting out a gasp before covering her mouth, her wide eyes trembling slightly.
She glanced at Potanin, then at Gusinsky who was agreeing, and then exclaimed incredulously, "My God, gentlemen, I always thought you were gentlemen. I never imagined you were the kind of men who would be eyeing your wives' dowries! My God, in our China, if a man were to eye his wife's dowry, he would be the subject of gossip!"
Gusinski and Potanin were both astonished. What was going on? Everyone was talking about the telephone company, how did it get to the dowry?
Wang Xiao continued to exclaim in astonishment, "You two are tycoons, how come you're still eyeing your wives' money? What do their dowries have to do with you? My God, isn't this a universal rule?"
When a woman's voice is sharp and she speaks quickly and urgently, it sounds like a needle stabbing someone's forehead.
Gusinski felt his migraine flaring up again, and he had to call out, "Alright, Miss Wang, let's stop talking about dowries. We're discussing the telephone company, it has nothing to do with it."
“How can it not concern me?” Wang Xiao’s tone became aggressive. “My money, my investment, is my business. What does it have to do with Ivan? I participated in the auction independently, and the highest bidder wins. If you have any questions about this, you can report it to the Internal Affairs Department. If you don’t trust the Internal Affairs Department, you can have the Security Bureau investigate me. I’m welcome to do so anytime.”
Her words were so strong that Gusinski dared not escalate the negotiations, fearing they would fall apart.
He could only soften his tone: "Miss Wang, your dowry is already more than enough. You don't need to prepare any more."
Wang Xiao chuckled and gave him a slightly teasing look: "Men are from Venus, women are from Mars, we don't live on the same planet. Gentlemen, you can't possibly understand, a dowry is a woman's confidence, the more the better."
Then she turned and winked at Ivanov, who was returning with a bucket of ostrich eggs. "Don't you think so, darling?"
Ivanov put down the bucket he was carrying, stepped forward, and bent down to kiss her cheek, whispering sweet nothings, "You are the greatest treasure. But, money is always a good thing."
Then he stood up, turned around, and looked innocently at the uninvited guests who had come today. "I can't help my fiancée earn money, but as a man, I absolutely cannot stop her from earning it. I think any husband, no matter what position he holds, should not interfere with his wife's progress. After all—"
He smiled slightly, "As we all know, this is no longer the Soviet era, and each of us is independent and free."
Neither Gusinsky nor Potanin could find a solution.
They had no intention of offending the young deputy prime minister in front of them.
Good heavens, last summer, everyone thought Russia's deputy prime minister was a paper tiger, and that he would be replaced in less than six months.
But luck is a very unpredictable thing. Who could have imagined that Russia would experience an economic recovery in 1997?
Foreign investors who were stingy and hesitant last year have finally come to their senses this year and suddenly realized that Russia is a hotbed for investment. Investors from all over the world are flocking to Russia with huge sums of money.
They would bet that even the Soviet Union's so-called golden age of foreign investment in the 1920s and 30s was far less intense than the current heatwave.
With money, everything becomes easier. Everyone is optimistic about Russia's future.
In this way, once the economy improves, Ivanov, as deputy prime minister, will be able to continue in his position, and may even be promoted to a higher level, with unlimited potential.
Why would a businessman offend such a rising high-ranking official?
Because Wang Xiao offered him advice, he would never obediently become their puppet.
Therefore, both men were quite sensible and did not refute Ivanov. They even expressed their flattery, as they were able to enjoy the treatment of having the Deputy Prime Minister personally cook for them.
Ivanov seemed amused and laughed heartily: "All I can do is make scrambled eggs with tomatoes."
Once the dishes were on the table, he enthusiastically promoted them, "Try this tomato and egg stir-fry, what do you think?"
Gusinski cautiously took a bite; the ostrich egg tasted, well, actually quite similar to a chicken egg.
As for the tomatoes, well, he can't see them anymore; they've all turned into juice, and the flavor has completely infused into the eggs.
He nodded in praise: "Very good, Ivan, your skills are even better than the master chef at the Great Wall Hotel."
To make his words sound more sincere, he even made conversation by asking, "My dear friend, how do you manage to make the tomatoes completely melt?"
Ivanov burst out laughing, his face beaming with pride: "Because I used tomato sauce! How is it? Isn't it delicious?"
He said with great enthusiasm, “South Africa is close to the equator and has a warm climate, so we can eat tomatoes all year round. But in Russia, it’s winter most of the year, too cold to grow vegetables outdoors. But if we make tomato sauce in the summer and use it to stir-fry eggs in the winter, the dishes will be much more flavorful.”
This is part of the government's "Enrich Your Table" program, which aims to improve the taste of food for the nation so that people don't have to rely solely on alcohol to numb their palates.
To this end, the Russian federal government is trying to enable its citizens to grow a wider variety of vegetables within limited environmental resources, and then use those limited vegetables to make more delicious food.
Ivanov’s eyes sparkled as he spoke, but both Gusinsky and Potanin had long since passed the stage of worrying about food and clothing for themselves and their families.
They simply couldn't be interested in what Ivanov said about how to make eggplant pancakes taste like meat.
This meal became Ivanov's battleground for showing off, preventing the two from finding an opportunity to continue persuading Wang Xiao and Ivanov at the dinner table.
After lunch, Ivanov continued to show everyone around the farm, showing off his ostriches and the rice fields that had already been harvested.
In South Africa, it is said that more than half of the population has become accustomed to eating rice, but no one grows rice locally, and all rice is imported.
They plan to grow more rice in South Africa to fill the market gap.
Gusinski had no interest in listening to any of this.
He nodded perfunctorily, quietly fell two steps behind, and winked at Wang Xiao.
When the two of them fell behind and were about 30 meters ahead of the people in front, he cautiously spoke up: "Miss Wang, how about we cooperate?"
Having risen from nothing to become a Russian media tycoon, owning the media giant NTV, Gusinsky believes he possesses decisiveness.
Now that Wang Xiao has already sniffed out the danger and is coming closer, there's no way to chase him away or fight him... well, even if he had ten lives, he wouldn't dare to hit him.
In short, if you can't shake it off, you can only accept it with a heavy heart.
"Miss Wang, let's cooperate. Let's participate in the auction together and acquire the telecommunications investment company, how about it?"
His brows furrowed, clearly his heart was bleeding. "Since your goal is to make investments, then you should act as a major shareholder. Just like when you invested in NTV, you should enjoy all the rights that shareholders are entitled to."
Wang Xiao chuckled inwardly. She had never exercised any shareholder rights at NTV. She didn't care about anything, and apart from receiving dividends, she had no real presence as a shareholder.
He is practically the angel investor that every businessman in the world dreams of.
Wang Xiao looked him up and down, her face full of suspicion: "Are you sure? How can I suspect that you're planning to use someone else to do your dirty work, drag me out to kick Potanin out, and then kick me out too?"
"That's obvious."
A soft reply came from beside them.
Potanin, who looked tall and strong, even had cat claws. He walked silently and approached them quietly, then suddenly spoke.
Oh my god!
Wang Xiao jumped up suddenly, clutching his chest and glaring at the other person: "God, are you trying to scare someone to death?"
Potanin raised his hands, looking completely innocent: "Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am, I didn't know you'd be scared. I was just worried you'd be fooled by a smooth talker, you know, he's a master of sweet talk."
Hearing the commotion, Ivanov finally stopped his rambling introduction of the farm and quickly turned around to look for someone.
Upon hearing this, he said irritably, "Mr. Gusinsky is good at talking nice things, so what are you good at, my Mr. Potanin?"
Potanin said seriously, "I'm good at doing beautiful things."
He gestured for Wang Xiao to step aside and said in a low voice, "Miss Wang, our goals are aligned; we are both making strategic investments, which will help us quickly recoup our funds. We are the best partners."
Wow! These two are about to fight.
Let's fight, the more intense the better.
Wang Xiao, beaming with excitement, spoke frankly: "You can use the farm's telephone and fax machines. I guarantee you won't be monitored. After you and your team have discussed it, tell me and try to negotiate my terms. I will choose the most favorable terms."
Gusinski was in despair. If the outcome were decided by money, Potanin would undoubtedly have the upper hand.
The latter has a bank, and he definitely has more than $1 billion in deposits in his bank, all of which come from the Federal Customs Service.
The resentful media mogul, even with a hint of grievance, looked at Wang Xiao: "Miss Wang, how could you do this? We've been working together for so long and have always cooperated very well. We should look at future prospects, not just talk about money."
Wang Xiao's reply was a burst of loud laughter. She laughed heartily and without restraint: "My dear Mr. Gusinski, if a tycoon like you has a daughter, it would be a disservice to her if you didn't teach her the importance of loving money."
She made no secret of her love for money, saying, "Gentlemen, your first auction is about to begin. I hope you will all give it your all."
With that, she turned around gracefully and walked away.
That night, Wang Xiao and Ivanov lay in bed, curiously discussing for a long time who would offer the higher price.
When they had breakfast the next morning, Gusinski and Potanin, who had been arguing like cats and dogs the day before, surprisingly reached an agreement: neither of them wanted Wang Xiao as their partner.
When they discussed the matter with their respective teams, they all received warnings from their teams not to get involved with Miss Wang.
As the Chinese saying goes, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; in the blink of an eye, an old hen turns into a duck."
Can today's Russia compare to Russia in 1996? Things that were worthless back then are now treasures.
The economy is so hot that anything with "stock" in its name is being snapped up like a treasure.
She's involved, and now they're saying she'll only participate in the money-sharing and won't care about anything else.
But once she becomes a major shareholder of the telecommunications investment company, given her ability to seize opportunities and leverage external forces, she may very well turn the tables and take control.
Most importantly, although the two tycoons were determined to acquire the telecommunications investment company, they didn't intend to spend much money out of their own pockets.
They brought in foreign investors and got them to spend money; their only remaining advantage in maintaining dominance is their political influence in Russia.
With them around, and by managing the political forces in Russia, the company can continue to operate normally.
But with Wang Xiao here, what use are they? With this uncrowned queen in place, what need is there for them? She wields even greater political influence in Moscow.
Once foreign investors realize this, they will not hesitate to unite around Wang Xiao and help marginalize or even kick out Gusinski and Potanin.
Yes, yes, yes, this is just the team's guess. Maybe Wang Xiao didn't even think about it that much. She's too busy to have time to think about such things.
Neither Gusinski nor Potanin would dare to take that risk.
They had no desire to become the poor magpie that usurped the nest.
Thus, the tacit understanding among the renowned Seven Oligarchs brought the two together once again.
Let's rejoin the trenches and drive this aggressive turtledove out first.
This time, Gusinski spoke first: "Miss Wang, investment is risky. How about this, we'll pay you your returns first, then you won't have to take the risk."
Wang Xiao raised his eyebrows in surprise and clapped his hands: "You two gentlemen are indeed worthy of being called gentlemen. You are indeed able to bend and stretch."
Yesterday they were practically ready to fight to the death, but today they're shaking hands and making peace. That's what a true big shot is like.
She put her hand down, continued drinking her porridge, and said with a smile, "So, I'm curious, how much did I earn?"
Gusinsky held up one finger.
Wang Xiao shook his head without hesitation: "No, sir, I'm willing to take the risk. From 44 billion US dollars to 66 billion US dollars, let's take the middle number, 55 billion US dollars. So, how much is 25% of the shares? That seems to be 13.75 billion US dollars. Gentlemen, don't worry about me, it's worth the risk."
Potanin exchanged a glance with Gusinsky, who then held up two fingers.
Wang Xiao finished the last mouthful of porridge, wiped his mouth cleanly, and said to shoo them away: "Alright, gentlemen, since you have no sincerity, please leave immediately. Just as you said, I'm very busy and don't have time to waste with you."
After saying that, she didn't give the two of them any time to react and simply walked away.
When it was time for lunch again, the two finally reached an agreement and held up five fingers.
Wang Xiao nodded reluctantly: "Alright, alright, sir, you really know how to manage money. If you acquire the telecommunications investment company now for $1.5 billion, I bet you can sell it for $5 billion by this time next year. But what are you going to do?"
She sighed, as if she had suffered a great injustice, "We all run into each other all the time, so I have to give you some face. That's settled then. Once the money is in your account, I'll withdraw. How you fight is your business, and I promise I won't interfere."
The two were then relieved.
The East Asian woman sitting at the table in front of them had a thousand faults, but at least she kept her word.
Let's cut our losses then, the important thing is to get rid of this shrew first.
They didn't expect Wang Xiao to send someone to take them to the airport. They called a taxi company, got a taxi, and hurried off to catch their flight.
After jointly resisting the external enemy, the two sides are now competitors and absolutely cannot be polite to each other anymore.
The uninvited guest left, but Ivanov did not feel relieved. Instead, he stared blankly at the sky outside the window.
Wang Xiao patted his back, rested his chin on his shoulder, and comforted him, saying, "Every little bit helps. Five hundred million US dollars may be a small amount, but it's better than nothing."
With a "crack," the teapot fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Xiao Gao, the bodyguard who temporarily acted as a waiter, was completely dumbfounded. He didn't even care about the broken pieces on the ground, and just stared in disbelief: "Five...five hundred million US dollars!"
Good heavens! They stared at the five fingers and guessed for ages, thinking it was at most 50 million US dollars.
That was an inflated price driven by fears of prices of $44 billion and $66 billion.
Five hundred million US dollars! Two years ago, in 1995, five hundred million US dollars could have bought several oil companies.
They pulled it out so easily, as if it were just five dollars.
Has the world gone mad? When did money become so worthless?
Wang Xiao sighed, his voice lingering: "Times have changed. The price is no longer what it used to be."
Ivanov couldn't laugh. The fact that Wuxinsky and Potanin readily handed over their money only proved one thing: their money came easily too.
Has Russia's industry truly recovered? This deputy prime minister knows better than anyone.
If it weren't for Russia's accumulated industrial wealth, their money could only have come from one place: large sums of foreign investment.
With so much money flowing into Russia all at once, even without reading Belikov's faxed report on his Thailand trip, Ivanov knew how dangerous it was.
Does Russia today have the capacity to absorb so much hot money?
When Ivanov went to bed that night, he had a rare bout of insomnia and couldn't help but turn over in bed.
Wang Xiao reached out and hugged him: "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Ivanov forced a smile. "I just needed to use the restroom. Did I disturb you?"
"It's alright." Wang Xiao shook her head and continued to hug him. "If you're worried, then go back to Russia."
Ivanov instinctively refused: "No, my vacation isn't over yet, I'm not going back."
He finally had a vacation and came to South Africa to reunite with her.
He added, "I want to take a vacation, and no one can stop me from taking one."
Wang Xiao laughed out loud and gently advised him, "But you can't have fun playing like this. It's like not finishing your summer homework and feeling uneasy."
These words really hit the nail on the head regarding the plight of underachieving students. When Ivanov was in school, he would always finish his homework at the last minute before the holidays.
But he remained stubborn: "No, I want to stay in South Africa."
Wang Xiao smiled and nuzzled his chin with her head, whispering, "I'll go back with you. Summer in Russia is beautiful too."
She should go back and take a look; the dramatic changes in Russia's economy have exceeded her expectations.
Ivanov was overjoyed and couldn't believe his ears, asking again to confirm, "Really?"
After receiving Wang Xiao's approval, why would he need to go to the toilet? He immediately suppressed his urge.
In the end, Wang Xiao wanted to kick him to death. This bastard was repaying kindness with enmity!
————————!!————————
Although it sounds surreal, in the summer of 1997, Russian oligarchs Potanin and Gusinsky were vying for control of a telecommunications investment company, each willing to offer the other hundreds of millions of dollars to force the other to voluntarily exit. At the time, Potanin also wanted to buy a 25% stake for $1.5 billion and sell it for $5 billion a year later, because that summer, the Russian economy was excessively hot, in a state of utter frenzy.
Note: For background information on Bangkok, including fees for taking photos with ladyboys and other animals, please refer to the article "Experiencing the Buddhist Kingdom" (by Ma Li) in the July 1998 issue of "China Business" magazine.
For information on Bangkok's traffic congestion, please refer to the article "Bangkok Mobilizes Land, Sea and Air to Solve Traffic Congestion Problem" (author: Hong Hai) in the September 1997 issue of "Economic World" magazine, and the article "Bangkok, the World's Largest 'Parking Lot'" (author: Chen Ming, Nantong Municipal Construction Committee, Jiangsu Province) in the May 1997 issue of "Urban Development" magazine.
For reference on short-selling techniques, see the article "Three-Dimensional Speculation: A New Concept in Foreign Exchange Speculation" (authors: Li Yongsheng and Ma Fei) published in the July 1998 issue of the journal "International Finance Research".
References to the process of the Thai financial crisis include: "A Brief Discussion on the Southeast Asian Financial Crisis" (by Yao Wei, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics), published in the June 1998 issue of *Finance and Trade*; "The Causes, Impacts, and Implications of the Southeast Asian Financial Crisis" (by Fan Zhigang), published in the December 1997 issue of *Urban Financial Forum*; "Reflections on the Triggers of the Thai Financial Crisis—Also Discussing the Stability of China's RMB Exchange Rate" (by Zhang Ying), published in the November 1997 issue of *Economic Review*; "Commentary on Hot Issues of Global Financial Turmoil" (by Zong Liang, Saqi, and Wang Lian), published in the December 1997 issue of *International Financial Research*; "Former Soros Staff Expose: How Did We Create the Asian Financial Crisis?", published in *First Financial Daily* on July 4, 2007; and "A Decade-Long Cycle: From Asian to Global Financial Crises," which I mentioned earlier, by Shen Liantao (then Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority), etc.
Haha, some friends were curious about how I found the information. The simplest way is to search on CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure). Most of the materials needed for historical articles are outdated and can be downloaded for free. Besides that, online searches are also an option, as are purchasing relevant books and asking elders. However, there are sometimes contradictions between the materials, so you need to verify them yourself.
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