2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 300: Seizing Luck?
"President Tan, you've been very busy lately. You haven't been back to Beicang for a month."

"Brother Zhao is joking with me again. I'm just busy doing nothing. I also want to be able to sit in an office and make money comfortably like you."

How's things going in Tianjin? Has anything been finalized? Do they need any help?

Zhao Jinsheng's words surprised Tan Jincheng. So someone had put in a good word for him? He just didn't expect Zhao Jinsheng to have such a connection.

My brother Zhao is something else.

"Not yet, I'm having trouble making a decision. Brother Zhao, is there anything you can advise me on?"

Zhao Jinsheng didn't bother with formalities: "Well, I have a friend in Jinghai. If you haven't made up your mind yet, could you consider his place? Of course, that's on the premise that it doesn't affect your company's plans."

"Jinghai, Brother Zhao, wait a moment, I'm getting a map."

These past few days, Tan Jincheng has been frequently fiddling with a map of Tianjin. Jinghai is located east of BHX District, and most of its area borders Hebei Province from the north to the south. Geographically, it is similar to Xiqing District and Wuqing District, which Tan Jincheng had seen before.

Tan Jincheng thought that since the best location in Beichen District was already taken by Yadi, they should choose a region closer to Hebei Province, so that they could better radiate the North China market. As for the advantage of BHX District being near the sea, it was not an advantage for Tan Jincheng.

If we're going to export, we'll definitely go through Yongcheng Port, which is Flash Motors' headquarters.

After a moment, Tan Jincheng replied, "No problem. Brother Zhao, where is your friend in Jinghai? I'll go check out the place tomorrow."

"Won't this affect your company's plans?"

"It won't affect anything. Besides, I'm just going to take a look. I didn't say I'd definitely stay there, right?"

A hearty laugh came from the other end of the line from Zhao Jinsheng: "Alright, more options mean more choices. He's in Chenguantun Town. I'll give him your phone number in a bit and have him arrange a time to meet you."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Zhao."

"I should be thanking you," Zhao Jinsheng said in a deep voice.

He knew that once this phone call was made, even though Tan Jincheng said he was just going to take a look and hadn't made a decision yet, that was only half the story. As long as his friend wasn't ridiculously stupid, it was basically a done deal.

Tan Jincheng has been in Tianjin for several days and has seen many places. This time, Flash's factory plan has directly exceeded the total investment of Chipstar's Tianjin factory. The investment in the first phase alone is over 100 million yuan.

Such a large project is a rare and high-quality opportunity for any of the townships under the jurisdiction of Tianjin, which has a strong preference for the electric vehicle industry. It is only natural that various parties would compete for it.

The key point is that Zhao Jinsheng knows that FlashChe currently has a lot of cash on hand, and Tan Jincheng doesn't even need to borrow a single penny from the bank for this first phase of investment of 100 million yuan!

Compared to those projects that involve getting something for nothing, this is like heaven and earth.

After giving Tan Jincheng's phone number to his friend Yang Zhenting, Zhao Jinsheng gave him a few more instructions, leaving the rest to him.

Yang Zhenting grew up in the same courtyard as him and is currently serving as the second-in-command in Chenguantun Town. The two are childhood friends, which is why Zhao Jinsheng was willing to help him and gave him a few special instructions.

He also mentioned some of the aspects of Tan Jincheng's personality that he knew.

"Oh, so you just need to tell me your requirements and discounts directly, no need for all that fancy car-related stuff, right? Got it, got it, that's actually better," Yang Zhenting replied happily.

"That's true. In your early twenties, you're full of vigor and ambition. If you engage in all that superficial stuff with him, you're not necessarily happy. We were like that when we were young too."

"Haha, that's right, but don't interpret it as Xiao Tan being arrogant. He's a good person, not arrogant at all. I hope you can win him over, so that when you come here on business trips in the future, we can have a meal together."

"Oh? You have a very high opinion of President Tan?"

“He’s a good young man, full of ideas and drive, and his thinking is very progressive. Most importantly, he’s clean. Another reason I’m introducing him to you is that I hope you can take care of him. After all, the North is different from the South.”

"I understand, I get what you're saying. Don't worry, I'll try my best to get it. I won't skimp on the discounts that other places offer. Our location may be a bit less convenient, and our infrastructure may not be as good as other places, but it's still Tianjin, after all. Things will get better gradually."

"Alright then, here's his private number. You can contact him later. He promised to come see you tomorrow. You can decide on the exact time yourselves."

"Okay, thank you, brother," Yang Zhenting said in a deep voice.

Regardless of one's family background, everyone needs to put in effort to make progress after entering society. The only difference is that some people achieve results despite their efforts, while others do not.

From Zhao Jinsheng's words, Yang Zhenting could tell that as long as there were no problems on his side, the matter was basically settled, which meant that Zhao Jinsheng had been a great help.

I have to accept this favor from him.

The next day.

Tan Jincheng arrived at Chenguantun Town as agreed with Yang Zhenting. It was not much different from the towns he had seen before. It was a suburban area of ​​Tianjin in 06, almost reaching Hebei Province. It was not particularly developed.

Low-rise buildings, dry air, and vast stretches of farmland basically define this town. The only saving grace is that the roads are in decent condition.

"Brother Yang, I think the roads here are in pretty good condition. Why didn't any electric vehicle factories come here to set up factories before?"

Upon meeting, Yang Zhenting immediately insisted that Tan Jincheng call him "brother" just like he called Zhao Jinsheng. Tan Jincheng couldn't refuse, and whether the matter would work out or not was another matter. Having a brother wasn't a bad thing.

"That was built a while ago. There's a pretty good bicycle factory in the next town. They thought they could get some of the profits from the road repairs, but the bicycle factory hasn't expanded in recent years." "I see." Tan Jincheng nodded, not paying much attention.

He then added, "The location here is alright, and the terrain is good too. Since the transportation is convenient, let's go back and talk. What do you think, Brother Yang?"

Yang Zhenting asked, somewhat surprised, "Is this all we can talk about? Won't you reconsider?"

"If the basics are fine, let's talk about other things. I've already spent quite a bit of time here, and I have other things to do when I get back."

"No wonder Lao Zhao said you're decisive; you really are decisive," Yang Zhenting sighed.

The whole thing took only two hours, and it went much more smoothly than he had imagined.

"Don't worry, the preferential policies that other districts can offer are no less than those offered here. I'll go back now and organize a meeting."

"Alright, then I'll wait in town. I hope Mayor Yang can get here as quickly as possible," Tan Jincheng said with a smile.

Yang Zhenting noticed that Tan Jincheng's form of address had changed, so he solemnly said, "Definitely, as early as this afternoon, or at the latest tomorrow morning. Please rest assured, Mr. Tan."

"Okay, Zeng, go book a few rooms at the hotel in town. We'll be staying here for a few days," Tan Jincheng said to Zeng Jixiang.

"No need, no need, how could we let President Tan book it himself? We'll take care of the accommodations," Yang Zhenting quickly replied.

"No, no, we can handle this ourselves, we won't trouble Brother Yang."

"This is not causing trouble at all. It is our responsibility to entertain investors. Let's go."

"Really, there's no need, Brother Yang. We've been taking care of our own food and lodging wherever we go lately, so there's no need to trouble you."

Before finalizing the location for their trip to Tianjin, the entire group of Shanchi arranged their own food and lodging, refusing all hospitality to avoid giving others cause for criticism.

Tan Jincheng wasn't very familiar with the business environment in the north, but since it wasn't his home turf, he had to be careful in everything he did.

Tan Jincheng likes to take advantage of deals, but there are some bargains he shouldn't take.

Seeing that Tan Jincheng insisted on refusing, Yang Zhenting didn't say anything more: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But don't refuse to treat you to dinner afterwards. Don't worry, I'll pay for it out of my own pocket."

"Okay, thanks Yang. We'll head back now; we need to prepare some documents here."

Tan Jincheng already knew about the relationship between Zhao Jinsheng and Yang Zhenting. In terms of personality, Zhao Jinsheng was much more reserved, while Yang Zhenting seemed more outgoing. Of course, it was also possible that their positions were related.

Yang Zhenting was aware of the administrative efficiency along the coast and knew that Tan Jincheng was used to this efficiency. Therefore, after returning, he did not delay at all and immediately arranged for relevant personnel to hold a meeting after reporting to his superiors.

The top official of Chenguantun Town was also very excited. Shanchi Group was going to set up a factory in Tianjin, with an initial investment of over 100 million yuan. Any town would want to get a factory of that scale, but the other party didn't seem to be interested in Jinghai.

When I came to Jinghai for inspection, I only took a brief look around. I had never even been to their town before. I never expected things to turn out this way.

He didn't care how Xiao Yang did it, or what connections he used to bring people over, nor would he care that Yang Zhenting hadn't informed him beforehand.

"It sounds pretty much a done deal?"

Yang Zhenting laughed and said, "Yes, it's almost certain. Now it just depends on our attitude. President Tan is very easy to talk to."

"Don't worry, we offer as much as other places do, and we'll provide land, discounts, and even help you with loans."

"Yes, Mr. Tan said that the first phase of the project will cost 100 million yuan, and the total investment is planned to be over 300 million yuan. They have a detailed plan, and they will show us their project plan during the formal negotiations. Therefore, they may have more requirements regarding the land."

"How big is their industrial base in Beicang again?"

"150 acres, not including the two existing factories."

“No problem, let’s allocate more than 200 mu. Now let’s have a meeting to discuss which plots are more suitable.”

Flash Group is rich and is the exclusive electric vehicle sponsor for the Olympics. It's politically correct for such a company to move in. Why would they hold them back over something as trivial as land?
Not only should we give, but we should give more. You need to have a specific plan for how much industrial land you should be given; it's not like you can just leave it there and not use it.

"Good."

On the other hand, Tan Jincheng did not stay in Chenguantun Town, where the hotel conditions were not very good. After obtaining Tan Jincheng's consent, Zeng Jixiang decided to stay near the district government. Even if they really chose a location in Jinghai, they would still have to go through the district's approval.

As Tan Jincheng drove along the road he had just mentioned to Yang Zhenting toward the district government, he happened to pass by the neighboring town that Yang Zhenting had mentioned earlier. Out of curiosity, Tan Jincheng looked toward the bicycle factory by the roadside.

Rows of factories lined the road. As vehicles drove past the factory gates, the gold lettering of "Aima Automobile Co., Ltd." was showing signs of wear and tear, indicating that the factory had been around for some time.

Tan Jincheng, sitting in the car, was stunned.

"Holy crap! Could this be the future headquarters of Hermès? I remember Hermès did indeed transition from a bicycle factory to an electric vehicle manufacturer."

(End of this chapter)