Started from Hong Kong Island

Chapter 396: 394 [Governor's Palace Night Banquet]

“Then can we acquire 12% of Tiger Balm International’s shares and then initiate a takeover?” Zhang Wentao turned his attention back to Tiger Balm International.

Li Wendi thought about it. Although Huang Zuoyao of United Overseas Bank was financially strong, it would still take some time for him to completely control Tiger Balm International. Moreover, Huang Zuoyao had already taken over Tiger Balm International. It would be very disadvantageous for them to launch a rash attack now.

The founder of Tiger Balm International was Aw Boon Haw, and Aw Sin of Sing Tao Newspaper Group was his adopted daughter. Originally, Tiger Balm International was under the control of Aw Boon Haw's family. As the second generation heirs of the Aw family loved the newspaper industry and were not very interested in Tiger Balm International, it was taken over by Wong Cho Yaw of United Overseas Bank.

The industries under Haw Par International cover the fields of medical care, leisure, real estate and investment. Its well-known representative brands include Tiger Balm. Its iconic buildings include Haw Par Centre and Haw Par Glass Tower in Orchard Road, Singapore, Haw Par Tower and Haw Par Technology Center in Kuala Lumpur, etc. It also holds equity in UOL Group and United Industries Group.

In Li Wendi's eyes, Tiger Balm International is a company that is no less powerful than China Gas Company, and is also the guarantee for the Cheung Kong Group to gain a firm foothold in Singapore.

"UOB is one of the three giants in Singapore's banking industry. We don't have any advantages for now, so we'd better secretly purchase enough shares, at least 20%." Li Wendi said. If it were in Hong Kong, he would dare to give it a try, but that was in Singapore where he was unfamiliar with the place and it was difficult for a strong dragon to defeat a local snake.

“Mary Reese of Wharf Holdings was previously the president of Tiger Balm International. Perhaps we can talk to him to find out more about the situation,” Zhang Wentao suggested.

Li Wendi nodded. Michael should be very familiar with the situation of Tiger Balm International, so the two of them took a car to the Wharf Group.

According to Mai Lisi, the Huang Zuyao family was very aggressive and he was driven out by the Huang Yaozu family. However, due to Huang Yaozu's aggressive style, many shareholders were not satisfied.

If the Cheung Hsin Group wants to acquire Tiger Balm International, it must prepare at least 10 billion yuan in funds, otherwise it will be difficult to defeat the Huang Zuoyao family, which is backed by the United Overseas Bank.

Li Wendi immediately asked Zhang Wentao to continue purchasing stocks secretly, striving to hold more than 20% of the shares by the end of the year. As for the 10 billion yuan of funds, Changxin Group can borrow from the Singapore branch of Bank of China.

Saturday, June 81, 10

After nightfall, the lights in the Governor's Palace on Upper Lipit Road in Central were dazzling. Cars of various types drove into the courtyard in a row, and after the owners got out of the cars, they quickly left through the back door.

All the political and business celebrities in Hong Kong were invited by the Governor's Office to attend the dinner hosted by Governor Murray MacLehose.

The people gathered here at this time can almost dominate the entire Hong Kong. In order to ensure safety, the police force has deployed thousands of police officers nearby to ensure that no accidents will happen at the banquet.

When Li Wendi and his wife arrived, many familiar faces had already gathered in the banquet hall, including Zheng Yutong, Li Jiacheng, Pao Yue-kong, Li Zhaoji, Bao Fuda and others.

These people were divided into large and small groups according to their own circles of friends, and they were talking in low voices.

When Chen Zengxi from Hang Lung Company saw Li Wendi, he raised his glass to signal him. Li Wendi also took a glass of red wine from the waiter's tray and came to Chen Zengxi with He Qijun.

"Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, you are a little late." Chen Zengxi said jokingly.

"Haha! There's a traffic jam on the road! I'll report the terrible traffic situation in Hong Kong to the Governor later." Li Wendi said with a laugh. He Qijun saw the group of wives not far away, apologized, and walked over there. "I heard that the Hong Kong government has launched the Garden Road land king, with an area of ​​12 square feet, which can be used to build three high-rise residential buildings. Are you interested, Mr. Li?" Chen Zengxi said.

Li Wendi couldn't help but sigh at the greed of Hang Lung Group. It was not enough for them to take over so many subway station projects, but they even wanted to intervene in this project, not afraid of bursting their stomachs.

"Of course I'm interested. Let's find another time to discuss the details. Now is not the right time to talk about this," Li Wendi said with a smile.

Of course Chen Zengxi knew that now was not the time to talk about this, he just thought it would be better to bring it up now than to go find Li Wendi specifically.

Chen Zengxi added, "This banquet is a Hongmen Banquet. Mr. Li, you should be the focus of Governor MacLehose's attention."

This banquet was a party for taking sides. Both the mainland government and the Hong Kong government hoped that some businessmen in Hong Kong could stand on their side clearly, so that they could gain some extra strength and even tip the balance.

Jardine Matheson Company clearly supports Britain, while the Fok family supports the mainland. The others are betting on both sides. Even if they want to support one side in their hearts, they only express it through business means.

For example, the British-owned Jardine Matheson & Co. has been slow to make a statement on this matter, but has been participating in various British-owned enterprise meetings held by the Hong Kong government as normal, and has also been involved in disputes with the mainland. Its Coca-Cola (agent) subsidiary has already entered the mainland market.

Among the Chinese tycoons, Pao Yue-kong, Cheng Yu-tung and others have invested in many industries in the mainland, which actually makes their position clear.

The reason why Chen Zengxi said that Li Wendi would be the focus of attention was, first, Li Wendi had strong business strength, and second, Li Wendi was the youngest, so he thought it would be easy to make a breakthrough from him.

"These things cannot be stopped. What is coming will come, and I am ready." Li Wendi took a sip of red wine. He had made such a guess earlier.

The banquet officially began soon. As the current Governor of Hong Kong and the protagonist of today's banquet, Murray MacLehose naturally began a long speech, which talked about the achievements made by Hong Kong and some of the Hong Kong government's future policies.

At this time, the Chinese business circle represented by Li Wendi, Pao Yue-kong, Zheng Yutong, Li Jiacheng and others has gradually caught up with the influence of traditional British enterprises, and has been strengthening. The influence of British capital has been continuously reduced, and it is only a matter of a few years before it is completely caught up.

Naturally, people like Li Wendi did not believe in MacLehose's proposal to "allow Chinese to participate in the management of more important functional departments of the Hong Kong government". This proposal can be given or taken back without any guarantee.

Even if the current Governor Murray MacLehose is trustworthy, what about the next one? Who can guarantee that everyone will always be at peace and implement these policies?

After MacLehose finished his speech, he and his colleagues walked around the banquet hall, chatting and communicating with some established people, with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Mr. Li, this is the second time we meet." Murray MacLehose walked up to Li Wendi and shook hands with her.

Li Wendi smiled politely and said, "I am honored to be here at the banquet hosted by His Excellency the Governor! This is indeed my second meeting with His Excellency the Governor."

(End of this chapter)