People in Hong Kong create super chaebols

In the past six months, as the market gradually took control of the two British giants, Jardine Matheson Group and Hong Kong Land, the stock prices of the two giants also rose sharply and were hyped to staggering prices.

Their total stock market value has exceeded the HK$30 billion mark and even began to approach the market value of Hong Kong Electric Group. This scene caused a huge sensation in the industry.

In the eyes of many people, Jardine Matheson Group and Hong Kong Land Development should have surpassed Hong Kong Electric Group in strength with their profound historical heritage and vast business scope.

However, today's Hong Kong Electric Group, under Su Cheng's careful leadership, is no longer what it used to be.

Su Cheng not only successfully brought the Hong Kong Electric Group into a new stage of development, but also achieved a leap in corporate value through a series of far-sighted strategic layouts.

Therefore, it is no coincidence that the Hong Kong Electric Group is able to distribute such a huge amount of dividends in one go, but rather it is an intuitive reflection of its strong strength and good financial condition.

This series of changes not only demonstrates how excellent the companies under Su Cheng's leadership are, but also once again proves the huge potential and appeal of high-quality companies in the capital market.

With Suzhou's further integration and upgrading of Jardine Matheson Group and Hong Kong Land Development, the future of these two giants will undoubtedly be more worth looking forward to.

Despite facing numerous difficulties, the Keswick family did not give up easily.

They once again united all the shareholder forces they could and decided to invite the Hong Kong Securities Regulatory Office as a third party to intervene in a negotiation with Suzhou regarding the future fate of the Jardine Matheson Group.

The core issue of this negotiation is whether Su Cheng is willing to give up its controlling stake in Jardine Matheson Group.

The Keswick family understood that this request was certainly a slim hope, but they still held on to a glimmer of hope, hoping that through the efforts and communication of both parties, they could find a win-win solution that would be in the interests of Sioux City and allow the Jardine Matheson Group to return to the control of the Keswick family.

At this moment, the curtain of negotiations slowly opened in a solemn and elegant conference room in the Jardine Group Building.

With its spacious space, exquisite layout and good sound insulation, this conference room provides a formal yet flexible environment for the upcoming trilateral talks.

In the conference room, representatives of the three parties sat on both sides of the long table, forming a delicate balance of both opposition and cooperation.

On one side was a delegation from Sioux City, dressed in formal attire, with focused looks, representing local interests and aspirations;
On the other side are representatives of the British financial group centered on the Keswick family. Their behavior reveals deep heritage and confidence, representing the power and wisdom of international capital.

In between the two is the neutral observation group, mainly composed of the China Securities Regulatory Commission. Although they claim to be neutral in name, there is an inexplicable bias in the air.

After all, the common cultural background and long history of cooperation inadvertently tilted the CSRC's position towards the British financial group, as if it had laid an invisible balance for the negotiation, with one end unconsciously gaining weight.

The atmosphere at the negotiation table was tense and subtle, with every word and every eye contact containing deep meaning.

Representatives from all sides are carefully constructing their arguments, trying to gain the upper hand in this clash of interests and wisdom.

The Suzhou delegation used its local advantages and long-term planning as weapons to strive for the most favorable conditions for its own development;

The British consortium, relying on its international vision and strong strength, put forward a series of proposals that seemed reasonable but actually contained hidden tricks.

As a "neutral party", the China Securities Regulatory Commission shuttled between the two and mediated, trying to maintain order and balance in the negotiations, although its inner balance may have quietly tilted and they are more inclined to the British consortium.

As the discussion deepened, the atmosphere in the conference room became increasingly tense, but it was precisely this tension and subtlety that constituted an indispensable landscape at the negotiation table, foreshadowing that this contest over interests and the future would be a wonderful showdown of wisdom and strategy.

"Mr. Su, if we assume that we need to discuss the possible equity transfer of Jardine Matheson Group, under what conditions do you think such an arrangement would be considered?" As a nominally neutral representative, Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, Mai Si, asked the Sucheng side a cautious but direct question.

This question was not only his personal curiosity, but also undoubtedly reflected the common concern of the Keswick family and the British financial consortium behind them.

Although the financial strength of the Keswick family alone may not be comparable to that of Sioux City, the British financial consortium is far more extensive.

In order to regain control of Jardine Matheson, the Keswick family carefully built a powerful alliance, bringing together the strength of several well-known British financial groups.

The combined financial strength of these consortiums is not only not inferior to that of Su City, but even exceeds that of Su City in some aspects. This is the reason why the Keswick family is so confident at the negotiating table.

It is particularly worth mentioning that the Keswick family successfully won the strong support of the British super financial group, the Rothschild family.

The Rothschild family is world-renowned for its global financial network and profound industry influence. Its joining will undoubtedly inject strong financial backing and strategic resources into this alliance.

The Rothschild family has made it clear that it will provide the necessary support and assistance to the Keswick family and its allies at the appropriate time, which will undoubtedly further enhance their confidence and strength in acquiring the Jardine Matheson Group.

Therefore, the Keswick family is very confident that as long as Suzhou City shows some signs of loosening its intention to sell the Jardine Matheson Group, they will be able to quickly mobilize resources and successfully implement their acquisition plan of the Jardine Matheson Group with their strong financial resources and extensive network.

“Mr. Max, I must make it clear that I have no intention of selling my controlling stake in the Jardine Matheson Group. In my opinion, the Jardine Matheson Group is not only an outstanding enterprise, but also an investment target that I have carefully selected and have high hopes for.

I firmly believe that with its unique advantages and potential, Jardine Matheson Group is fully capable of becoming one of the world's top companies. In fact, I have formulated a detailed plan for the future development of Jardine Matheson Group for more than ten years. This attention and investment is something I cannot easily give up.

Of course, the business world always has its flexibility. If there is indeed an irresistible opportunity for cooperation, I am willing to open up to discussion. But then again, if we really want to talk about share transfer, I think a reasonable price should be HK$49.99 billion. This is the basis for me to discuss the % of Jardine Matheson Group shares that I hold.

Please understand that this proposal is not made casually but is based on my deep understanding of the current value and future potential of the Jardine Matheson Group.”

Su Cheng's words revealed firmness and confidence. He naturally knew that the value of Jardine Matheson Group was far more than that. Although the current market value of Jardine Matheson Group has soared to more than 30 billion Hong Kong dollars, this growth is the result of his forward-looking layout and precise investment.

Looking back on the time when he first got involved in Jardine Matheson and Hutchison Whampoa three years ago, the market environment was completely different and the costs were relatively low at that time. Even the shares he later took over from Hutchison Whampoa, although the costs had increased, overall, his total investment in acquiring these 49.99% shares was only over HK$ billion.

Today, with the value of Jardine Matheson Group soaring, his investment has undoubtedly paid off handsomely.

Of course, this is also a very high price.

49.99 billion to buy 600% of the shares, doesn't that mean that the Jardine Matheson Group is now worth billion? This is of course impossible.

"Mr. Su, your proposal really surprises me. Even according to the current market value, the value of the shares you hold is only around 10 billion Hong Kong dollars, and the 30 billion Hong Kong dollars you proposed... seems a little beyond common sense." Simon Keswick tried hard to maintain his composure, but his tone could not hide his surprise and dissatisfaction. Su Cheng's words almost suffocated him.

He knew very well that this was not just a price issue, but also a clear indication of Suzhou's determination not to give up its controlling stake in the Jardine Matheson Group.

The offer of "30 billion Hong Kong dollars" is more like a carefully designed threshold, intended to make the opponent retreat.

"Mr. Simon, my position has always been very clear. The price is here. It is up to you whether you accept it or not. Moreover, I must emphasize that if you really intend to acquire a controlling stake in the Jardine Matheson Group, then you must consider acquiring all of my shares. Otherwise, every share I retain may become an uncertain factor in future changes in the situation. After all, the business world is changing rapidly, and no one can predict what will happen in the future, including how the shares I hold will affect the direction of the Jardine Matheson Group." Su Cheng smiled, his words revealing unquestionable firmness and confidence, as if everything was under control.

"Mr. Su, as the coordinator of this negotiation, I would like to say that your offer does seem quite unfair, but perhaps we can be more pragmatic and jointly discuss a more reasonable price that both parties can accept."

Mr. Mai Si intervened at the right time, and put forward his own views from a seemingly fair and objective but actually biased standpoint, trying to build a bridge of communication between the two parties.

Subsequently, the atmosphere at the negotiation table became increasingly tense and representatives of the three parties began a heated discussion.

Representatives of the Keswick family, with their deep family affection for the Jardine Matheson Group and their vision for long-term development, argued their case and explained their determination and plans to revitalize the Jardine Matheson Group.

Their words were full of nostalgia for the past and longing for the future, trying to impress Su Cheng.

And Su Cheng responded calmly with his usual calmness and wisdom.

He not only expressed his unique insights and firm confidence in the future development of the Jardine Matheson Group, but also elaborated in detail why he believed that the Jardine Matheson Group had such high value.

The two sides exchanged blows fiercely, but they remained graceful and polite.

For Su Cheng, he approached the negotiations with an indifferent attitude.

He can take Jardine Matheson Group or not.

He has already seized Jardine Matheson Group's most important asset, the Landmark Group. As for another important channel, it is not very important to him because he has a more powerful channel of his own.

Therefore, if these British financial groups really want to be taken advantage of, Su Cheng is very willing to sell the Jardine Group back to them.

Of course, the prerequisite is that the price offered by the other party can satisfy him.

Otherwise, Sucheng would definitely not sell it.

Even if the CSRC favors British financial groups, so what?
Su Cheng is not afraid of the threats from the CSRC at all. If pushed too hard, he will withdraw part of his investment in the UK in a minute to see how the other party dares to treat him.

For example, if the Su Group's European headquarters is moved from London to Paris, France will definitely welcome it.

Sucheng has already stood at the pinnacle of capital and is not afraid of these simple threats.

Unless European and American countries unite to exclude him, how is this possible? He is a law-abiding citizen and is very popular in all countries.

As expected, the China Securities Regulatory Commission did not dare to push too far, as they knew they did not have the strength to threaten Su Cheng.

Otherwise, his final outcome would not be very good.

Although he wanted to help his fellow villagers, Mai Si was not willing to risk his own future. It was not worth it!

In the end, the negotiations ended in a bad mood because Su Cheng had been asking for an exorbitant price. Even though the Rothschild family was involved in their British consortium, it did not mean that they would agree to any price.

After that, some time passed and everything seemed to return to calm.

Even in Sucheng, people thought that these British financial groups had given up.

Soon, it was May.

A big event happened in Hong Kong this month. The term of office of Governor Murray MacLehose will end this month.

He was succeeded by Governor Youde.

Therefore, Youde arrived in Hong Kong in advance.

When Youde arrived in Hong Kong, he specially invited the world's richest man from Suzhou to have a private chat for a long time.

Su Cheng still has mixed feelings about Governor MacLeod.

In any case, MacLehose's contribution to Hong Kong has been highly recognized by all parties. In addition to being awarded many honors by the British court, he was also awarded a life peerage this year. The MacLehose Trail and Lady MacLehose Holiday Village in Hong Kong were also named after him to commemorate his contributions.

May 1982, 5 was the day when MacLehose and Youde took over.

On this day, Su Cheng, Shen Bi, Bao Yugang and others were invited to witness their handover ceremony in person.

This Governor Youde was actually a very outstanding official.

His wife is a Chinese, so Youde can speak fluent Chinese.

You Dexiang is known for his love of Chinese literature and Chinese language. He reads several Chinese newspapers while eating breakfast every day.

Su Cheng also specifically looked up some of his information through Xiao Ai.

What particularly impressed Su Cheng about him was that he was the only Governor of Hong Kong to die in office. He died suddenly of a heart attack during his visit to the mainland on December 1986, 12.

Looking at the spirited old man in front of him, Su Cheng shook his head.

Who could have thought that this now high-spirited governor would die in just four years!
After Youde had been in office for a while, nothing major happened.

However, on the first day of June, Su Cheng received another invitation from Youde, hoping that he could visit the Governor's Mansion to discuss something with him.

Although Su Cheng was a little confused about this, he still accepted the invitation.

After all, Youde is now the most powerful official in Hong Kong. (End of this chapter)