Chapter 1784 Why not do something that achieves multiple goals at once?
Xiao Peng lit another cigarette and said, "You said it yourself. The development of the Northeast Passage in the Arctic is your country's national policy and must be realized. The construction of Sabetta Port seems to be just for Gazprom, but if that's the case, why did Zhu Zhengshuo come here? Isn't it for your coal mines here?"
"I think I understand what you mean by building a road. You want us to build a railway to Sabetta Port, right?" Novuf said, "That would be beneficial. After all, our coal mines are currently constrained by transportation issues and can't be sold at high prices. Domestic consumption is limited, and we have production but can't sell it. That's why we value Zhu Zhengshuo and his men. But there's a fatal problem here: we don't have the money to build this railway!"
Xiao Peng looked at Nouw as if he were an idiot: "Who said building a railway costs money?"
"Ah?" Nouf didn't understand what Xiao Peng meant.
Xiao Peng drew a line on the table. "From here to Sabetta Port, it's only about 200 kilometers. I'm not exaggerating. If you said you wanted to build a railway here, Gaoli would rush over to help you build it. They need your coal mines. Even if you don't have the money, it doesn't matter. What they want more is the operating rights of this railway."
Nouf frowned slightly. "What's the point of them wanting the operating rights for such a railway? The maintenance work of such an extremely long subway line is very complicated."
Xiao Peng explained, "It's to protect their coal transportation routes. And if they get the operating rights to this railway, they'll essentially control your coal mines. If your coal is to be shipped overseas by sea, it has to go through Sabetta Port, right?"
Nouf nodded.
Usmanov frowned and said, "Isn't this putting the lifeblood of the entire coal mine in the hands of the Koreans?"
Xiao Peng smiled and shook his head. "Your worries are unnecessary. I was just giving you an example. The Koreans don't have the ability to build railways on permafrost. There are only a few countries in the world that can build railways on permafrost. Your country wouldn't build this railway because it would be expensive and slow to produce results. But Daxia is very happy to build this railway."
"Isn't this the lifeblood of the coal mines? What difference does it make if it is in the hands of your country?" Usmanov said.
Xiao Peng shook his head. "That's different. The Polar Silk Road is a joint project between the two countries, and Sabetta Port is also a product of their cooperation. For the sake of that cooperation, our country can't hold you back on a railway. After all, which is more important, the railway or the port? Furthermore, building such a railway will relieve a large number of laborers in your city from construction to operation. Only with stable jobs can people stay for a long time, right?"
Usmanov thought for a moment and said, "This sounds reasonable, but how can we guarantee that you won't further control our coal sales by controlling the railway?"
Xiao Peng shook his head and said, "I can't guarantee that. After all, I'm not the head of our country's think tank. But as an ordinary citizen, I think our country really doesn't look down on your coal mines!"
Usmanov frowned slightly after hearing this. "Mr. Xiao, I'm also following the news. I heard that your country has been facing power outages and production cuts recently, with many places experiencing large-scale power outages. You need coal mines to generate electricity. And because of your country's relationship with Australia, your coal mines are currently unable to supply, causing the power outages, right?"
Xiao Peng grinned after hearing this: "Usmanov, I think you look a lot like our country's keyboard warriors."
"Keyboard warrior? What is that?" Usmanov was confused.
Xiao Peng said seriously, "In our country, we call all superheroes 'xia', like The Flash, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Fantastic Four, the Silver Surfer... The so-called keyboard warriors are people who have superpowers when they pick up a keyboard. Without the keyboard, they're nothing, but with the keyboard, they're invincible."
Usmanov blinked. “Why doesn’t that sound like a good thing?”
Xiao Peng laughed and said, "Do you know which country is the world's largest electricity exporter? Our country exports nearly as much electricity as all other electricity exporters combined. So, the question is, if we export so much electricity, are our power outages and production cuts really due to a power shortage?"
This question really stumped the two of them.
Xiao Peng said, "I just said, 'Leaning on the United States and enjoying the shade,' what does that mean? Which country in the world can still maintain its production capacity after the global epidemic? Of course, it's our country. A steady stream of orders are pouring into our country. Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Of course it's a good thing!" said Nov.
Xiao Peng shook his head and said, "This is really not a good thing. What's the problem with too many orders? Our domestic manufacturers are facing severe internal competition, and all companies are working overtime. If the global epidemic remains unchanged, we will definitely still make money. But what will happen if the epidemic improves and the world resumes production? A large backlog of products will be followed by a drop in product prices, and countless companies will lose everything."
After hearing this, Nov and the other man suddenly understood.
Xiao Peng asked them another question: "Who do you think makes the most money from this kind of production?"
"Of course it's your country!" Novuf answered without thinking.
Xiao Peng shook his head: "Wrong, it's the Americans."
"Why?" Novuf widened his eyes in confusion.
Xiao Peng replied, "It's simple. The US dollar is the world's settlement currency. Our companies may seem to have a lot of orders, but that comes with higher raw materials prices. The Americans can print money endlessly, and they manipulate raw material prices with US dollars to make huge profits. So to speak, they're like a leech clinging to every economy in the world. Our country's power rationing and production suspensions can mitigate risk, but they can also disrupt the raw material market. Oh, and we're also embracing Western 'environmental' ideals, so they can't afford to waste time. Besides, with coal prices so high right now, how much is the cost of generating electricity? Why not kill two birds with one stone? As for your coal mines, our two countries have a currency swap agreement, but Korea doesn't! Selling them allows you to profit from the high prices driven by American manipulation of the raw material market. Tell me, aren't you just leaning on the US for support? Wouldn't solving urban poverty through the jobs created by coal mines be far better than the crap you're doing now? And..."
"And?" Nouf looked at Xiao Peng: "I hope you can give me some advice."
Xiao Peng coughed dryly and said, "By then, there will surely be different energy companies from countries like Japan coming to you seeking cooperation. By then, won't you be making more money from foreigners than you are making from your own people now? What you're doing now is illegal, but if you're truly successful by then, you can directly go to your district government and have these things legalized—you're an autonomous region here! Uh... I won't stand for any of this!"
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