2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 597 The Spirit of Craftsmanship
"Distinguished leaders, you've all worked hard today. Let's take a good rest first."

When we arrived in Nagoya, it was already past 9 p.m. local time.

Tan Jincheng worked alongside the advance team from Flash Group, helping to arrange accommodations.

The delegation was of a very high level, and the Chinese consulate in Nagoya had arranged for people to pick them up at the airport. Tan Jincheng didn't need to prepare anything; he was just making a gesture.

The leaders all understood this implicitly, but they also enjoyed it.

"Alright, Mr. Tan and Mr. Gu, go ahead and do your own thing. You two are having your wedding banquet. If you have the energy, you can go and enjoy the night view of Nagoya. We old folks won't come along."

This newlywed, excessively young entrepreneur has a very promising future, barring any major problems.

This guy was invited to the commendation ceremony last week, which is a huge honor. What's most surprising is that when he met with the delegates while avoiding the media, one of the two high-ranking leaders jokingly said, "Isn't this my fellow townsman? Well done!"

The other person even chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, which amazed everyone.

We're all in the same industry, so everyone understands how much weight that joke and the pat on the shoulder carry.

Many people witnessed this scene, and they were all shrewd individuals. The day after the commendation meeting was officially broadcast, which was this Monday, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission officially approved the merger and reorganization plan of Flash Group to acquire Changfeng Group.

It went so smoothly I couldn't believe it.

As for the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) approving the on-site inspections of the two companies, that's only a matter of time.

The leaders who accompanied Tan Jincheng to Nagoya this time were all of high rank, and on the surface, they were the ones in charge. They wouldn't necessarily fawn over Tan Jincheng, but maintaining a good relationship was definitely the right thing to do.

After Tan Jincheng left the Hunan provincial leaders' room, he smiled and said to Li Jianxin, who was still in the room, "In a few years, it won't be so easy for anyone below a certain level to see President Tan again."

Li Jianxin remained silent, genuinely unsure of what to say.

The rumors about No. 8 have spread throughout the upper echelons of G-market and the business circle. This is no small matter. With the support of two generations, the development path of Weilai Auto will definitely be much smoother than that of most new car companies.

Tan Jincheng himself is very capable, and the prospects of Weilai Auto are worth paying attention to.
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"It's not that easy. We make consumer products, and ultimately, it depends on whether consumers can accept them."

Back in their room, Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing were discussing the matter. He hadn't expected such a thing to happen that day; he genuinely didn't know about it beforehand.

You can't guess what the big boss is thinking, and you don't dare to guess. Maybe he just did it on a whim.

"Yes, especially cars. Families are generally quite cautious when buying cars, so there's still a long way to go to do it well."

"It's okay, pressure is also motivation. At least our future development will be much smoother."

At least most people wouldn't dare to mess with themselves anymore. Of course, the physical industry is so tough, and you can't make much money, so some people might not even look at it. It's not as lucrative as the internet.

Alas, the bigger the business, the greater the risks. Behind the glamour, Tan Jincheng also faced considerable pressure.

I'm not going to think about these things anymore. Anyway, I have a company in Hong Kong, so my family won't starve.

Clearing his head, Tan Jincheng smiled at Gu Qingqing and said, "How about we go out for a stroll? Nagoya is a historic city, and most of the village chiefs from the Warring States period were born here."

The fourth largest city in the country, with a population of over 200 million, is also a major trading port in the country. It is located in the central part of the country, and I saw many ancient buildings on the way here.

"Sure, it's good to go out for a walk. I can't sleep right now."

Gu Qingqing was also a little curious. This was her second time going abroad, and this time there wasn't such a big time difference as last time, so her mental state was much better.

"Okay, I'll go and say hello to the leaders and ask them if they need anything. You can prepare in advance."

According to the time difference, it's a little past eight o'clock in China right now. Gu Qingqing first called home, but before she could finish the call, little Tan Jinyue snatched the phone away.

Her sister-in-law rambled on about what happened at the kindergarten, but Gu Qingqing didn't hear much of it.

Gu Qingqing replied with a smile, "Okay, okay, Jin Yue is great. I'll bring you a gift when I go back with your brother."

Tan Jinyue, who has started school, is also a popular figure at school. Compared with other children in the small class, the knowledgeable Tan Jinyue is far superior in both behavior and vocabulary.

Tan Jincheng didn't try to be low-key or pretend to be weak. He revealed his identity as soon as he enrolled in school. Whenever he had time, he would personally pick up his sister. In addition, he was always protected by someone in the shadows.

The kindergarten teachers and principal dare not slack off at all; the children are always the focus of special care at school.

The idea of ​​"pretending to be weak to fool others" is just a plot in novels. In real society, there are plenty of naive and foolish people who will just give you a surprise attack, and you won't even have time to cry.

"The night view is really nice. The urban development in China is really not as good as theirs. Sigh."

Tan Jincheng strolled along the street hand in hand with Gu Qingqing, sighing with emotion. In 2008, major infrastructure projects hadn't even started yet. Even in a highly industrialized city like Ningbo, the infrastructure wasn't very good. Take Beicang, for example; there weren't many high-rise buildings at all.

Only the first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are doing alright.

"Although their economy is not as strong as before, they still have a solid foundation. Several car companies have their own technologies, and their sales are very good in the US and Europe."

"Haha, that's the spirit of craftsmanship."

"Yes, the spirit of craftsmanship, that's what they promote a lot, and it's very popular in China."

"The 'bowing' I'm referring to isn't the 'work' in 'work,' but the 'bowing' in 'bowing in one's body.'" Tan Jincheng pursed his lips.

Gu Qingqing was taken aback, Liu Suman, who was following behind, couldn't help but laugh, and Li Yaohui also couldn't help but chuckle. The boss's mouth was really too sharp.

Tan Jincheng turned and glanced at Li Yaohui: "Laugh if you want, but don't laugh too loudly. When we're out in public, we still need to maintain a certain image."

Lai Yiu-fai grinned silently. People like them who had served in the military didn't have much affection for a simple life.

After staying at the Xiangjiang Hotel for nearly two months, even someone with Lai Yiu-fai's personality and experience felt like he was going crazy. He originally didn't want to come at all and wanted to go back with Cheng Linfeng and the others.

The boss had already arranged his visa, and it was necessary for his work, so there was nothing he could do.

Gu Qingqing understood and patted Tan Jincheng with a smile: "Why are you so mean? Say less. There should be people on the street who understand Chinese. It wouldn't be good if word got out."

Bending over and kneeling at the drop of a hat—isn't that the spirit of craftsmanship? It's quite a vivid description, isn't it?

"Sigh, I wonder what Mitsubishi's attitude is. Such a huge company is bound to reduce its investment during an economic crisis."

Mitsubishi has gone from giving a verbal agreement to being ambiguous, and a date for a formal meeting has not yet been set.

Mitsubishi and Changfeng have a 13-year history of technical cooperation. Changfeng Motor is heavily reliant on Mitsubishi's technology. In addition to the domestically produced Pajero, the chassis technology and some engine technology of Cheetah CS6, CS7 and its Qiling model were also introduced from Mitsubishi.

If a cooperation agreement cannot be reached with Mitsubishi, many technologies in the existing production lines will be unusable, which will be a major problem for Changfeng Motor and Weilai Motor at this stage.

The collaboration between Flashpoint and Changfeng is a major event in the securities market. Many senior securities analysts have stated that a large part of the purpose of the two companies' major investment is to cooperate with Mitsubishi. If Mitsubishi's future is uncertain, it will be difficult to carry out future cooperation.

While the securities analysts' claims may be somewhat exaggerated, they are not entirely unfounded, at least not in the case of Changfeng Motor.

The Hunan and Zhejiang provinces were also concerned that Mitsubishi's attitude would affect the restructuring. Before Tan Jincheng and his entourage set off, they publicly stated: "People and things that hinder the development of enterprises will be despised by society. As long as it is beneficial to the development of enterprises, Mitsubishi has no reason not to support it."

This is a public statement of support for the restructuring of both parties, which will put some pressure on Mitsubishi.

"If you don't cooperate, how do you plan to deal with it?"

Tan Jincheng said casually, "If you won't cooperate, we'll have to think of other ways. A living person can't be killed by holding their pee."

That being said, it's not easy at all. If we don't cooperate, we have to modify all the production lines we acquired, including the pickup trucks. How much money will that cost?
The key point is that Tan Jincheng really doesn't want to invest too much in gasoline-powered vehicles. He just wants to make a few models to build up the reputation of Weilai Auto. He wants to focus his efforts on electric vehicles.

Despite significant investment in both gasoline-powered and new energy vehicles, the ultimate result has been extremely difficult. Just look at Chery and Geely; the reason they can't compete with Didi may well be due to the drag from their dual-track development strategy.

Dizi's gasoline cars are really no good, but they have a lot of cutting-edge technology in new energy vehicles.

Some things require making choices.

It's better to cooperate with Xiao Rizi, especially since Mitsubishi's technology is very popular in China right now. Weilai Auto's first SUV is also planned to be equipped with Mitsubishi technology.

"Don't let your guard down. If we can cooperate, we should stick to that. That way, we can save a lot of money," Gu Qingqing advised.

Looking at the buildings along the street, Tan Jincheng sighed, "Of course, who would turn down money?"

"Oh, right, you haven't mentioned what brand you put on Weilai Auto's first SUV yet, have you?" Gu Qingqing suddenly remembered this.

Tan Jincheng was also taken aback: "Didn't you say that?"

"I haven't said that, and I've never heard Mr. Zhang say it either."

"Uh, I don't think I ever mentioned that. I've been so busy with the acquisitions that I forgot about it."

This was somewhat awkward. After thinking for a moment, Tan Jincheng said, "Then let's use the Yuechi. It'll be a pleasant ride on the highway."

Hehe, if it had been launched in 2010, its design would have been absolutely crushing among SUVs priced under 20 yuan.

(End of this chapter)