Hong Kong Island's New Rich Era

Chapter 59 Preliminary Agreement
"Mr. Liu, let's be frank. The Hong Kong government has always wanted to develop new towns. Your industrial park needs to be placed in a place designated by the Hong Kong government. You can choose a piece of land in Yuen Long," said Murray MacLehose.

"Yuen Long?" Liu Zhicheng began to think quickly. As he had judged, as far as he knew, after taking office, MacLehose had proposed a new town building plan to relieve the population pressure in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

In fact, Liu Zhicheng had predicted this and placed his industry in the Hong Kong government's new towns, but his idea was to go to Tai Po and Sha Tin, where transportation was relatively convenient.

It is definitely not the rural Yuen Long. The equipment, commodities, and production and life of employees in the industrial park will be affected. MacLehose first mentioned how to make him give up the plan for Yuen Long or gain greater benefits for himself.

You know, without sufficient industries, it would be difficult to relocate hundreds of thousands of people there relying solely on the policy support of the Hong Kong government. Even if it is possible, it would take at least ten years and a lot of effort.

"Any questions?" Murray MacLehose asked with a smile.

"Sir, you know that in Yuen Long, the roads are not well developed, not to mention the industrial base, and there will be problems with labor."

"Such a place, Sir, do you think it's suitable? I want to give birth as soon as I move there, rather than waiting for the Hong Kong government to complete the municipal construction before putting it into use."

Now that the Hong Kong government’s intentions are clear, there is nothing to hide. After all, investing and attracting investment is a process of bargaining between the two sides.

If the Hong Kong government forces me to settle down in Yuen Long, I have to get some benefits! Otherwise, how can I be a qualified businessman?

If it was a place called Dapu, Liu Zhicheng would agree without hesitation. Even though it was a little far away from Hong Kong and Kowloon, at least the infrastructure was more complete.

Not to mention Sha Tin, where a racecourse is under construction and has unlimited potential for the future. Of course I am willing to buy it. Even if it is industrial land, it will be worth a lot in a dozen years.

As for Yuen Long, although it was very popular in the 1980s, that was only after long-term guidance from the government and the opening of roads and subways.

But Yuen Long is really in bad shape now, everyone says so, and there is only a little industrial industry. Can we just wait for the Hong Kong government to carry out municipal construction?

MacLehose was well prepared and said with a smile: "As for infrastructure, since the Hong Kong government is planning to build new towns, there will definitely be investment plans."

"We will build a new road from Yuen Long to Kwai Chung Pier, and there will be no shortage of hospitals, fire stations and schools to ensure that a large number of citizens can live and work in Yuen Long."

Liu Zhicheng shook his head and said, "Sir, there is a certain order of precedence here. I can't build the industrial park and wait for the Hong Kong government to build supporting facilities. I propose to build our industrial park in Tuen Mun. At least it is close to the sea and we can build a wharf there."

In the past, when large enterprises invested in building factories in a certain place, they would first look at whether the industrial chain, logistics costs, and water and electricity supporting measures were complete.

In addition, Tuen Mun built an inland river terminal in the 49s with a total of berths, which mainly handles goods from the Pearl River system.

"Mr. Liu, as a businessman who grew up in Hong Kong, you hope to make a contribution to the economic development of Hong Kong. As long as you agree, I will appoint you as a non-official justice of the peace for the next year."

Seeing that Liu Zhicheng was still reluctant to go to Yuen Long, MacLehose could only make bigger promises.

"Sir, there are many ways to contribute. I can do charity and invest in Hong Kong and Kowloon, but I don't have to make contributions in Yuen Long because I am a businessman and I have to do business." In fact, part of Liu Zhicheng's investment is pure assembly (such as the fan industry), which does not require much technical content. There is no hard and fast requirement for where to build a factory, but he has to make the foreigners spend some money anyway.

"Then Mr. Liu, just tell me directly, what will it take for you to be willing to locate this industrial park in Yuen Long?" Murray MacLehose asked directly.

Liu Zhicheng smiled and said, "Well, Sir, I will say it directly. If the industrial park is located in Yuen Long, I need to be granted a piece of commercial land in Yuen Long for the construction of preliminary supporting living facilities."

"This is impossible. All the land in Hong Kong needs to be auctioned. Only in this way can fairness and justice be demonstrated," Murray MacLehose said quickly.

"Sir, once I get the commercial land, I will immediately invest in construction. I will invest in a commercial center, a hotel, and offices. This will not only speed up the construction of supporting infrastructure for the factory, but also speed up the construction of the new town of Yuen Long. It will also drive employment for Hong Kong citizens and boost Hong Kong's economy. This is a good thing that kills several birds with one stone."

"In that case, I need some time to discuss it with others, and I still need to make a judgment. How about this? I will give you an answer after New Year's Day next year?" said Murray MacLehose.

"Okay, then I'll wait for good news from the Governor of Hong Kong." Liu Zhicheng nodded and said.

The main source of Hong Kong's fiscal revenue is land sales, and it is because MacLehose cares more about the industrial economy that there is a certain basis for negotiation.

"Your Excellency, there is one more thing I want to discuss with you. It is about the land in Hung Hom owned by the Whampoa Group. I plan to invest 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in its development. I hope the Hong Kong government will give preferential treatment in the conversion of industry to business." Liu Zhicheng continued.

The Whampoa Group intends to invest HK$20 billion to build a large urban complex in Hung Hom, which can solve the employment problems of a large number of construction workers and alleviate the population housing pressure in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

This is a win-win investment, and the Hong Kong government is certainly happy to see such an investment. Although the construction industry is not as stable as factories, it can at least solve the employment problem of citizens in the short term.

In the original history, Murray MacLehose solved the employment problem in Hong Kong through the development of Daxing Real Estate, and he single-handedly promoted the recovery of the entire real estate industry.

When the economy has no growth point, pushing up housing prices is the simplest and most brutal solution. Real estate development can drive countless industries.

"20 billion Hong Kong dollars?" MacLehose was somewhat moved, but he continued, "Mr. Liu, you should know that even if I offer a discount, it won't be much. You are going to invest 20 billion, so why would you care about a little discount?"

“Investing 20 billion Hong Kong dollars in the real estate market does not mean that you have to take out 20 billion Hong Kong dollars all at once,” Liu Zhicheng said with a smile.

"Okay, I can answer this for you now. I can give you a 10% discount on the cost of industrial-to-commercial conversion," said Murray MacLehose.

Liu Zhicheng certainly knew that MacLehose agreed so readily mainly because he hoped that real estate could drive Hong Kong's economic development.

Although the real estate market is showing signs of recovery, Hong Kong's economy is still relatively weak. Large investments are definitely better than no investments at all. If they can boost the economy a little, then that's it.

Of course, the investment of Huangpu Group is also carried out in multiple phases, with a construction period of at least 5 years. Liu Zhicheng hopes to complete the project before the new real estate bubble bursts, boost the stock price and cash out some Huangpu shares.

　Please read! Please add to favorites! Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a reward! Please give me a recommendation ticket!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)