2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 201 Changes in Mentality
After a day of conversation, Tan Jincheng and Zhao Jinsheng dragged their tired bodies back to the hotel. Zhao Jinsheng, who was used to sitting in an office, was fine, but Tan Jincheng seemed to be having some trouble.

Maintaining a certain posture, engaging in a high-intensity conversation, and sitting for extended periods is quite a challenge.

Seeing Tan Jincheng's exhausted appearance, Zhao Jinsheng was very understanding: "Tan, get some rest early tonight. The results will probably be out in two days. You don't need to get up too early tomorrow."

Zhao Jinsheng was most aware of this kind of internal process. Even if Chief Engineer Lü was already interested, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

"Okay, Brother Zhao, you should get some rest too." Tan Jincheng didn't stand on ceremony with Zhao Jinsheng; he was indeed tired today.

Back in his room, Tan Jincheng lit a cigarette, something he rarely did; he hadn't smoked in a long time.

Reviewing the conversation from earlier in the day, I felt there shouldn't have been any major issues. This step in lithium battery research and development is crucial, as it relates to the future of Flash Technology. If it can proceed smoothly, Flash Technology will be able to enter the automotive industry.

If not, then they can only honestly be a small electric scooter manufacturer. The best outcome is to become a giant in the electric scooter industry like Xinri, Yadi, and Aima in the past. At worst, they can only fade into obscurity like most electric scooter manufacturers.

Deep down, Tan Jincheng preferred to collaborate with research institutes. Although he could also achieve this through corporate mergers and acquisitions, this approach required more funds and the technical capabilities of research institutes were not as strong.

Thirdly, another major advantage of cooperating with research institutes is that it prevents unscrupulous individuals from taking advantage of the situation. This is a natural barrier, and few people dare to mess with research institutes.

Furthermore, the biggest advantage is that although research institutes have a technological advantage, most of them do not participate in commercial operations. Therefore, in the process of cooperating with enterprises, they do not value equity as much, nor do they interfere with the management rights of enterprises.

They have connections and technical skills, and aren't particularly interested in equity. Although they are elites within the system, people with technical skills are relatively simpler, making them easier to deal with.

Various factors led Tan Jincheng to attach great importance to this collaboration.

Today's performance should have initially convinced Chief Engineer Lü. If the other party intends to use it commercially, as long as we are sincere, there is still a good chance.

After organizing his remaining tasks, Tan Jincheng decided to take a shower and go to bed; he was indeed a bit tired today.

On the other side, after finishing his conversation with Tan Jincheng, Chief Engineer Lü quickly reported the contents of today's conversation.

"Breaking the blockade? That's a novel perspective. Wasn't this young man only a high school graduate? Is he that capable? Or does he have a mentor guiding him?"

While issues such as oil reserves and environmental protection will affect the future of gasoline-powered vehicles, these are only superficial phenomena. The real issue lies in the competition between countries, which can be seen in trade frictions.

Regardless of whether the relationship between countries is good or bad, competition will always exist. When the economy is booming, everyone works together to make a profit, but the economy cannot grow forever. At a certain stage, the economy will stagnate or even regress.

Therefore, it is essential to possess the core technologies that are required, which is a means of self-protection.

This applies to everything, from relations between nations to relations between individuals: only when you are strong can you have a voice.

"It doesn't seem like it. Xiao Zhao, who came with him, was also shocked when he heard his statement. Judging from his expression, it seems that there was no prior communication between them," Chief Engineer Lü said after thinking for a moment and shaking his head.

Moreover, the young man didn't seem to intend to reveal much at first.

"That's quite insightful. Young people these days are really remarkable; a 20-year-old dares to come and discuss cooperation with us," the leader remarked.

Then he asked, "By the way, what's your opinion of him as a person?"

Since they dare to come and discuss cooperation, it proves that they are definitely not short of money. In addition, they have the recommendation of the local government. The main thing is to see if this young man is reliable. If he is reliable, we can consider it.

Faced with this question from his superior, Chief Engineer Lü pondered for a moment and said, "I don't understand the technology, but I have my own unique perspective on its application. Some of these perspectives are quite advanced, and I need to think about them carefully before I can come up with them."

"He gives off a very mature and humble vibe. You can't see the arrogance of a young person in him, nor the nouveau riche feeling after suddenly becoming rich."

"By the way, he only has a high school diploma. It wasn't because of poor grades, but because he missed school registration due to an accident. That's what he said himself."

Although Anhui University may not seem like much to these top students, it is still a decent university. It is currently applying for the 211 Project and is almost certain to be accepted. In fact, its academic performance is quite good.

"Oh? Is that so?" the leader asked with interest.

"Well, I casually asked why I wasn't in school at this age, and that's how we started talking about it. It's kind of funny, really. My friends and I were tricked into boarding a cruise ship out of curiosity, and we were completely lost once we were at sea."

After hearing Chief Engineer Lü's description, the leader was dumbfounded. This experience was even more unbelievable than how he had amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions in just over a year. "My parents must have been worried sick if I hadn't been able to contact them for several months, haha."

"That's what they said. He got a beating after going ashore and returning home. He was young and impetuous, so it's understandable. It's also possible that the year and a half at sea broadened his horizons and made him more mature."

"Yes, that's possible. People need to experience different things. Seeing the scenery of different parts of the world and meeting all kinds of people is indeed a rare experience."

"Yes, it's also possible that he's met too many foreigners and later got into foreign trade, which led to this novel theory."

"Alright, that's enough for today. We'll have a meeting tomorrow to discuss it. This technology will eventually be commercialized. As for whether or not to choose it, we can discuss that in the meeting."

Chief Engineer Lü nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll go home now."

After Chief Engineer Lü left the office, the leader sat behind the office and pondered for a long time. The commercialization of the institute's technology was already part of the plan. This young man was able to find out about it and ask someone to make contact with him. He must have some ability behind him.

Furthermore, judging from the attitude of the local government, they are very supportive. FlashTech was a dark horse in the electric vehicle industry in 2005, and through two endorsement activities, it quickly established a certain degree of brand awareness for its two major brands nationwide.

It is said that, to date, their company's products have been in short supply and sales have been excellent. A new industrial base is also under construction. All of this information was obtained through an intermediary.

Judging from today's conversation, it's clear that this young man is not content with just assembling electric vehicles; he wants to enter a larger market through lithium batteries—he has quite the ambition.

With funding, support, resources, and ambition; and with its own judgment on the future landscape, such a partner is actually quite good.

Most importantly, they are young enough. Having seen many leaders who are young geniuses, they do not see youth as a disadvantage, but rather as an advantage.

Young people are bold and decisive. Even if they fail, they have enough time to regain their confidence and start again.

Partnering with a promising future stock is far more promising and better able to protect one's own interests than partnering with established capital firms. It also allows one to reap greater benefits when one's support is needed.

Most importantly, this young man is clean; his background is spotless, which minimizes the risk for me.

Lost in thought, the leader couldn't help but take out his phone and dial the number of the intermediary.
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The next day.

Tan Jincheng got up as usual, neither too early nor too late. Today was relatively easy, with nothing much to do, so Tan Jincheng planned to visit the Forbidden City.

The message from Chief Engineer Lü is that they will hold a meeting today to discuss the matter, and the specific results will be communicated to Tan Jincheng after the meeting.

If the deal is approved, both parties can proceed to the next stage of formal negotiations, which involves many issues such as technology transfer, fund allocation, and share distribution.

If he doesn't succeed, Tan Jincheng doesn't intend to give up and will continue to persuade him. The opportunity is rare, and if he gives up after just one attempt, it would be a waste of all the preparation he's put in.

If I give up easily this time, given my current network of relationships, it will be almost impossible to get someone to act as a middleman to facilitate future cooperation.

Besides, Xinri can only be considered a newcomer this year. Last year, their strength was not much stronger than that of FlashChe now. They can cooperate with Zhongke Sanhuan to develop lead-acid batteries, so why can't they cooperate with research institutes on their own?

Having figured all this out, Tan Jincheng was no longer in a hurry and could simply wait patiently.

With his mind at ease, Tan Jincheng regained his previous energy: "Let's go, Brother Zhao, I've never been to the Forbidden City before, you'll have to explain it to me."

This was a pre-arranged itinerary. Despite the freezing weather, Zhao Jinsheng and his technical staff cooperated with them. Even things like the hotel were arranged by the Beicang government's office in Beijing. FlashTech couldn't just leave without giving anything in return.

Besides, going out for fun and relaxing is good for you too.

"You little rascal, didn't you brag that you had good grades in school? You need me to give you a tour of the Forbidden City?" Seeing that Tan Jincheng looked well, Zhao Jinsheng felt relieved.

"You are very knowledgeable. I've long forgotten what I learned in school," Tan Jincheng flattered.

He had certainly been to the Forbidden City, but that was in his previous life.

Meanwhile, a group of people at the research institute were meeting to discuss their intention to cooperate with Flashpoint Technology.

(End of this chapter)