Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, leading the technology war

Chapter 524 Are you kidding me? You think you can invest five million in a launch site project?
Hu Jiangshan's appearance immediately suppressed the momentum of the Singaporean entrepreneurs.

It's important to understand that Singaporean companies are indeed pursuing a high-end strategy, focusing on the technology, semiconductor, and financial industries. Even Zhang Xing's restaurant business is a new type of restaurant, far superior to traditional restaurants.

Zhang Xing is now the richest man in Singapore, with considerable wealth, and no one should underestimate him.

Compared to the space launch site, the companies in Singapore are nothing; they are simply insignificant compared to the giants.

Having a space launch site on Hong Kong Island means having a space industry, something Singapore has always dreamed of.

Countries like Singapore aspire to have a space industry, but as a tiny nation, it's difficult to develop one. They struggle to attract enough talent and are even less capable of training their own, at least for now.

Singapore can't even design a single airplane and has to buy them from the United States.

So now Hu Jiangshan's status is different; people look at him differently, and the face of Hong Kong entrepreneurs has been preserved.

Fang Chenyang finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he had managed to drag Hu Jiangshan over despite his desperate pleas; otherwise, he would have really had to put up with the wrath of those people from Singapore.

After the banquet, it's time for free time.

Hu Jiangshan and Feng Hua returned to the hotel first, planning to go out for a stroll in the evening when it was cooler, as it was too sunny during the day.

However, some of the Singaporean business leaders did not leave immediately, but instead gathered in a conference room for a meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Liang Gaoyuan, the Singaporean government's official trade commissioner.

Lu Xingwen and Zhang Xing were also present. These two are clearly important figures among Singaporean entrepreneurs, that is, opinion leaders.

In addition, there were several new faces; they were not entrepreneurs, but Singaporean officials.

One of them, named Courtney, looked like an Aryan but was actually of Barat descent, meaning he belonged to a high caste.

Of course, there is no caste distinction among the Palang people in Singapore; everyone's rights are equal, at least on the surface.

Therefore, in recent years, a large number of Balat people have tried every means to migrate to the new country of Singapore in order to live a better life.

Courtney had a more arrogant attitude, and his position was one level higher than Liang Gaoyuan's.

Courtney asked in British English, "So, what are your thoughts after talking with the people of Hong Kong Island?"

Leung Ko-yuen said, "The vast majority of companies coming from Hong Kong Island are in traditional industries. Even some technology companies are relatively basic and small in scale."

Courtney laughed: "So, the only thing Hong Kong Island can still boast about right now is its financial industry."

"Indeed it is."

"Then we need to focus our efforts on the financial sector and defeat Hong Kong Island in one fell swoop!"

Courtney wasn't joking.

Singapore's current goal is to surpass Hong Kong and become the financial center of the Asia-Pacific region. Coupled with Singapore's already well-developed technology industry, it should be relatively easy for Singapore to completely defeat Hong Kong.

It's normal for Singapore to set Hong Kong Island as its target to surpass, since the two places are roughly the same size, with a population of six, seven, or eight million, and their geographical locations are also very similar.

Hong Kong still holds a certain position in the global financial industry. If Singapore surpasses Hong Kong in this field, its status will continue to rise.

This move was imperative, and Singaporean officials were extremely confident.

At this moment, Liang Gaoyuan hesitated for a moment and said, "However, there is one person in the Hong Kong Island business team who deserves attention."

Courtney asked, "Who is he? Is there anything special about him?"

Lu Xingwen and Zhang Xing exchanged a glance, clearly knowing who Liang Gaoyuan was referring to.

Sure enough, Liang Gaoyuan said Hu Jiangshan's name.

Liang Gaoyuan introduced Hu Jiangshan's identity, emphasizing that Hu Jiangshan owned a space launch site on Hong Kong Island.

Courtney listened with her eyes wide open.

"What? You mean Hong Kong Island now has a space launch site?"

Leung Ko-yuen nodded: "Yes, there is now reason to suspect that Hong Kong Island is developing the aerospace industry."

"Aerospace industry? Can Hong Kong Island develop such an industry? That's unrealistic."

Zhang Xing said, "I also heard that Hong Kong Island will not only have a space launch site in the future, but there is also a launch site under construction that is expected to be put into commercial operation next year."

Courtney was stunned.

Liang Gaoyuan's expression was somewhat serious.

One space launch site is a coincidence, but two would be impossible.

Lu Xingwen said, "So, Hong Kong Island is indeed preparing to make a strong push in the aerospace industry."

Zhang Xing said, "We have to admit that if it's true, then Hong Kong Island has made a very smart move. Hong Kong Island is backed by mainland China, which makes it easy to absorb China's aerospace talent. If it doesn't lack funds, it may indeed succeed."

Everyone present is exceptionally intelligent, a leader among humankind. Even if they don't know much about the aerospace industry, they can still offer some insights.

The aerospace industry is not just about launching rockets. Once the launch site is built, other aerospace projects can be developed.

For example, the research and development and manufacturing of satellites and probes, the design and manufacturing of spacecraft, and the related electronic instruments are countless. Developing any of these can significantly increase the technological value.

Leaving aside the direct economic boost to Hong Kong Island, the stock market alone can generate substantial profits. After all, people now prefer to invest in the technology industry, and the valuation of technology companies is significantly higher. And aerospace is at the forefront of the technology field, so it goes without saying that it will be even more profitable.

For example, although SpaceX is not listed on the stock exchange, its related industry chain is making a fortune.

At this moment, everyone was observing Courtney, who was the highest-ranking official here and naturally had the most say.

Courtney pondered for a moment, then smiled: "I think you're all overthinking it."

"what?"

"I don't think Hong Kong Island can develop a space industry at all; the so-called space launch site is just for show."

Liang Gaoyuan frowned slightly and said, "But it is said that they have already conducted a launch test last year, which shows that it can be used."

Courtney said, "It's all a smokescreen. Chinese people love these kinds of tricks. It's just a very basic launch, and then they use that as a basis to keep bragging."

Whenever Courtney makes that expression, I feel like I've been brought back to reality.

What is the prototype? The prototype of the mysteriously confident Balat people.

Zhang Xing said, "You mean, that was just a money-grabbing scheme?"

Courtney nodded, with an expression that said, "This kid is teachable."

"This... doesn't seem quite right."

Courtney asked, "Did that person mention that they were attracting investors?"

Liang Gaoyuan shook his head: "No."

"Really not?"

"Not really."

Courtney didn't feel embarrassed and said, "Alright, we can send someone to test the waters."

"Test? Mr. Courtney, how do you test him?"

Courtney waved her hand: "Alright, leave this to me, Commissioner Liang. You just need to send me the information of the owner of the space launch site, and I will arrange for someone to probe."

Liang Gaoyuan nodded. Although he didn't know how Courtney was going to test him, he didn't press her for details since she had already said so.

Courtney is the boss, so he's the one who calls the shots.

The next day, the Hong Kong business delegation had a series of activities. Fortunately, the itinerary wasn't too packed, and unlike tour groups, there were no shopping stops, so they weren't too tired. After the activities, Hu Jiangshan finally returned to the hotel, took a hot shower, and sat on the sofa to watch TV.

Although the hotel room wasn't very big, the sofa and bed were very comfortable, and I had a good rest.

Singaporean television is quite diverse, with Mandarin, British English, and Malay all available, which is very characteristic of the local culture.

Of course, when you add it all up, there are still the most British language TV channels.

Singaporeans love speaking British English, so much so that their average level of Mandarin is now far lower than that of the Chinese in neighboring Malaya.

This is quite a strange thing, considering that Chinese people still make up 60-70% of Singapore's population, yet they are slowly abandoning Mandarin.

Just as Hu Jiangshan was watching TV and making some remarks, his cell phone rang.

[Caller ID: Minister Fang Chenyang]

Hu Jiangshan answered the phone immediately.

"Hello, Minister Fang."

Fang Chenyang asked, "Mr. Hu, are you in your hotel room now?"

"in the room."

"Alright, now someone wants to see you to discuss cooperation."

Hu Jiangshan was taken aback: "Cooperation? Minister Fang, what cooperation?"

“I don’t know the specifics, but they are people from Singapore. They said they wanted to talk to you in person.”

Since the other party had approached Fang Chenyang, Hu Jiangshan naturally couldn't refuse and said, "Okay, Minister Fang, I'll change my clothes and come down."

Fang Chenyang responded and told him the meeting place.

Meanwhile, at Marina Bay Sands Hotel, on the third floor, a Western restaurant.

This is a restaurant with a beautiful view. The decor is of a very high standard, and the most famous feature is the harbor view.

Here you can see a port, which is quite exquisite.

It wasn't mealtime, so the Western restaurant wasn't too crowded, but it was about 30-40% full, mostly with people drinking coffee and having light meals.

Three people were sitting in a booth, two of whom looked like foreigners.

One of them was named Onka, and the other was named Vijay.

Judging from their names, these two people are most likely of Barat descent.

Sitting opposite them was Yao Hong.

Yao Hong was sent by Fang Chenyang to receive these two people of Bharat descent; they were the ones who wanted to see Hu Jiangshan.

Yao Hong was also completely confused. Wasn't she supposed to be in Singapore for an inspection? Why were they talking about cooperation?

Although there are business delegations that discuss cooperation, this delegation is not of that nature.

Onka and Vijay sized up Yao Hong, exchanging a few words in their strange language from time to time, making Yao Hong feel uncomfortable. She really didn't like dealing with the Barat people, especially the men, whose eyes always looked strange.

Actually, this is because Yao Hong's physical appearance is so good that it's hard not to take a second look.

At this moment, Ongka asked, "Has Boss Hu not arrived yet? It's been a long time."

Yao Hong thought to herself that it had only been a few minutes, but she still reassured him, saying that Hu Jiangshan probably had something to take care of and should be here soon.

Vijay said, "I've noticed that Chinese people seem to have a habit of being late. I wonder if this is part of Chinese culture."

Onka chuckled: "Perhaps."

They were just speaking in Balat, how come they suddenly switched to British? And what they're saying sounds sarcastic, impolite, and completely nonsensical.

Hu Jiangshan was not late at all. They insist that he was late. Isn't that just trying to pin a accusation on someone else?

Yao Hong was a little confused. What were these two thinking?

What exactly did Onka and Vijay want from Hu Jiangshan? It's completely baffling, utterly inexplicable.

Ongka smiled and said, "Are you curious about what we're going to talk about with Boss Hu?"

Yao Hong replied, "A little."

"We'd like to invest in Mr. Hu's project. Do you think it's possible to reach an agreement?"

Yao Hong paused, then asked, "Investing in Mr. Hu's project? You mean the space launch site project?"

"Yes, that's right."

"We have very strong financial resources, and we can handle any large project," Vijay said.

Yao Hong finally understood what kind of cooperation they wanted to discuss, but she was still quite confused because their behavior was illogical.

Yao Hong could only say, "I don't think Mr. Hu will agree so easily."

“Beautiful Chinese woman, you are mistaken. No one can refuse our investment.”

Yao Hong remained noncommittal, perhaps the two of them had some big tricks up their sleeves to persuade Hu Jiangshan.

After all, they contacted us through official channels, which means they have some connections.

Just then, Hu Jiangshan walked over, and Yao Hong breathed a sigh of relief, no longer having to face the two Bharat people alone.

Yao Hong quickly waved to Hu Jiangshan.

"Mr. Hu, over here!"

Hu Dongshan sat down next to Yao Hong naturally, looked at the two Singaporeans of Bharat descent sitting opposite him, and then looked at Yao Hong with a puzzled expression.

Yao Hong explained that the two people wanted to meet Hu Jiangshan to discuss cooperation in person, and they had gone through official channels, which is why they directly approached Fang Chenyang.

Fang Chenyang is busy right now, so he arranged for Yao Hong to handle the liaison.

Hu Jiangshan exchanged a few pleasantries with the two, but it was rather casual, since they were of Bharat descent and their communication style differed quite a bit from that of Chinese people.

Hu Jiangshan asked, "So, what brings you two here?"

Wengka glanced at Hu Jiangshan a few times and said, "Mr. Hu is very young, he doesn't look like he's even an adult yet."

"I'll take this as a compliment."

"Mr. Hu owns a rocket launch site on Hong Kong Island, right?"

Hu Jiangshan nodded: "That's right, you two, please speak frankly about what's on your mind."

Yao Hong was very surprised, not expecting Hu Jiangshan to be so fluent in British.

Who would have thought! Hu Jiangshan is a good-for-nothing rich kid.

Vijay said, "Okay, we want to invest in your space launch site project, and we'll spend a lot of money."

Onka gestured with his hand and said, "We're prepared to invest five million, Lighthouse Dollars."

Yao Hong felt like she was about to faint.

Five million? Investing in a space launch site? Even a beacon of dollars wouldn't be enough!
As expected, Hu Jiangshan only said one word: "NO".

(End of this chapter)