People in Hong Kong create super chaebols

"Thank you everyone. I am very honored to be a member of the Wheelock Group's board of directors and to fight shoulder to shoulder with all of you here. As a leader in the industry, Wheelock Group has an outstanding leader like Mr. John Madden. I firmly believe that the group will be able to ride the wind and waves and create greater glory in the future!" Su Cheng stood up, smiled and said sincerely.

However, in his mind, he had a clear understanding of John Madden's current investment strategy - especially the continued heavy investment in the shipping industry, which resulted in a large amount of profits flowing to Wheelock Shipping Company, which undoubtedly increased the group's risk exposure.

But Su Cheng was not in a hurry to express his objection, he had his own plans in mind.

He knew very well that if he stood up and opposed it at this moment, he might be able to guide the group back to a more stable development track, but this also meant that it would be difficult to shake the existing power structure in the short term, let alone achieve the greater goal in his mind.

Although the 11.8% of Hutchison Whampoa shares held by Su Cheng are not absolute controlling shares, they are also the key to his careful layout.

He thought to himself that the only way was to let John Madden continue to lead the group on the seemingly "wrong path". When the time was right, he would be able to gradually expand his influence at a lower cost and with less resistance, and ultimately gain control of this major British bank.

Therefore, Su Cheng chose to remain silent and wait. He understood that in this battle without the smoke of gunpowder, patience and strategy were far more important than momentary justice or impulse.

He was looking forward to the day when John Madden's decision finally put the group in trouble and John Madden would once again think about selling the group's shares. At that time, he would take advantage of the opportunity to buy out John Madden's shares, not only saving the group from disaster, but also firmly holding the scepter of power in his own hands.

Moreover, the news that Su Cheng successfully joined the board of directors of Wheelock Group was like a bombshell in the business world, forcing many Chinese entrepreneurs who had been eyeing Wheelock Group and intended to get a piece of the pie to re-examine their plans and choose to give up their original ideas after weighing the pros and cons.

After all, in Hong Kong, a business environment full of opportunities and challenges, the name of Suzhou has long been closely associated with strong financial resources, excellent business acumen and influence that cannot be underestimated.

Anyone who dares to compete with him head-on is asking for trouble.

Su Cheng not only has sufficient financial strength to deal with any challenge, but also has a set of effective business strategies and networks of contacts, which enable him to always gain the upper hand in business wars.

Therefore, the addition of Suzhou City undoubtedly provides a protective layer for the Wheelock Group, deterring those Chinese entrepreneurs with ill intentions and further consolidating Wheelock's position in the industry.

In another parallel history, the fate of Wheelock Group was eventually rewritten by Pao Yu-kong and became part of his business empire.

But in this world that he traveled to from Suzhou City, Bao Yugang has not yet shown any clear intention to acquire the Wheelock Group.

Currently, Bao Yugang is in a critical stage of recovery and reconstruction.

Although Wharf Holdings's share purchase campaign enabled him to successfully acquire this important asset, it also cost him a heavy price - he was burdened with a heavy debt.

The victory in this battle was undoubtedly a recognition of his business acumen and determination, but it also made him deeply realize the importance of capital liquidity.

Therefore, in the next two to three years, Bao Yugang’s top priority will be to go all out to earn funds to repay the huge debt accumulated due to the battle of Kowloon Wharf as soon as possible.

Because Bao Yugang understands very well that only by consolidating his own financial foundation can he more calmly plan a broader business territory in the future.

As for the plan to acquire other British companies, Bao Yugang has to put it aside for the time being.

He needs time and space to recover and accumulate strength.

Only when he stands at the pinnacle of business again, with ample funds and powerful resources, will he reconsider the opportunities he has missed and new acquisition targets that may appear in the future. And Wheelock Group may come into his sight again at some point in the future.

Of course, the current situation is that Su Cheng has firmly sat on the board of directors of Wheelock Group, which forces Bao Yugang, who may have any intentions towards Wheelock in the future, to reconsider.

Bao Yuguang knew very well that he could not compete with Su Cheng in the contest of capital power.

Although he successfully took control of Hutchison Whampoa and greatly increased his strength, Su Cheng's leap in strength during the same period far exceeded his expectations, almost ten times his growth rate.

Such a gap forced Bao Yugang to consider whether he had enough chips to compete when facing Su Cheng.

In addition to Bao Yugang, Su Cheng has another competitor, that is Li Jiacheng.

In the past two years, Li Jiacheng's business journey has been full of ups and downs, and he has encountered unprecedented frustration.

He first kept his eyes on Hutchison Whampoa, but Bao Yugang got there first; then he turned his attention to Hutchison Whampoa, but missed the chance again and was taken over by Su Cheng in advance.

Now, when he turned his attention to the Wheelock Group, he received the news that Su Cheng had become a member of the group's board of directors, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to his consecutive losses.

Li Jiacheng felt mixed emotions. He knew very well that there was still a big gap between his strength and Su Cheng's.

Since losing the competition for Hutchison Whampoa, he quietly shifted his focus to Wheelock Group, hoping to make up for his previous regrets by acquiring its shares.

However, this road has not been smooth. To date, he still holds less than 10% of Wheelock's shares, and progress has been slow and difficult.

What was even more difficult for him to accept was that Su Cheng suddenly intervened at this time and reached a deal with Jardine Matheson, which directly consolidated its position in Wheelock.

This news was like a bolt from the blue to him. He felt angry and helpless, and even had the urge to vomit blood.

He realized that in this business game, he always seemed to be one step behind and unable to compete with those stronger and more acumen-oriented opponents.

Faced with such difficulties, Li Jiacheng had to re-examine his strategy and direction.

He knows very well that if he wants to gain a foothold and succeed in the business world, he must constantly improve his strength and wisdom to cope with various unexpected challenges and changes.

Only in this way will he have the opportunity to compete with those top business giants in the future.

So, now there are two paths before him.

One is to continue acquisitions and compete with Suzhou for the Wheelock Group in the future, but the success rate is too low.

The second is to abandon the acquisition of Wheelock Group and turn to other British companies. (End of this chapter)