The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 415: Changes in Hong Kong

After staying at the Yangcheng Shipyard for two days, Liu Tao went to Shenzhen to inspect the Jinlong Computer Group and took a boat to Hong Kong that evening.

The Hong Kong River at night is bustling with traffic, bright lights and the hustle and bustle of the city, showing the prosperity of this city.

No one would have thought that just a few years ago, Hong Kong would be full of wailing and screaming, and filled with pessimism.

Last year's military parade was broadcast live by Hong Kong TVB, which caused a big sensation in Hong Kong.

In less than three years from 1982 to now, Hong Kong's public opinion, real business and financial sectors have quietly changed hands.

Even the most core right to issue Hong Kong dollars is already in the hands of Chinese financial groups.

Throughout last year, the banks controlled by Liu Tao have set up branches in ten cities, including Yangcheng, Pengcheng, Shanghai, Ludao, Foshan, Shantou, and Beijing. Although there are still many restrictions, there is no doubt that he has taken the lead, which has led to the continuous increase in the market value of several banks under his command.

A large amount of funds were used for domestic loans and loaned to enterprises, enabling these capital-strapped enterprises to have funds for development.

Liu Tao stayed at the Peninsula Hotel, which has a very long history and can be said to be the most famous hotel in Hong Kong.

In the suite, Liu Tao, who had just taken a shower and was wearing pajamas, looked at the hustle and bustle of traffic and the bright lights outside and could feel the prosperity of Hong Kong.

In the whole of Asia, only Tokyo in Japan can be compared with this city.

After taking a sip of water, Liu Tao flipped through his notes, which contained all the itinerary arrangements for this trip to Hong Kong.

He is expected to stay in Hong Kong for ten days. Although the time seems long, there are many things to do and the entire itinerary is fully scheduled.

There are a few particularly important things to do here.

One is to inspect the construction and operation of the factories under his command in Hong Kong. No matter how well the report is written, it is not as good as going to the site to see it in person, so as to prevent the subordinates from deceiving their superiors and concealing the truth. Liu Tao will not underestimate the sugar-coated bullets of capital at all.

So every year, Liu Tao would come to Hong Kong and stay for a few days to see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears.

One is to inspect the construction status of the "Beijing-Kowloon Railway" project in Hong Kong. It is not as simple as in the mainland where it can be solved with a single order, so until now, the Hong Kong section has not been completed.

One is to attend the board meetings of various companies. Hong Kong is a capitalist society that implements a capital system. Listed companies have listing rules, and Liu Tao also has to abide by them. For the listed companies he controls, he attends the board meetings and shareholders' meetings every year. For example, the shareholders' meeting will involve the issue of dividends.

Another thing is the construction status of the main road of Xiangjiang River. This involves major events in 1987 and cannot be sloppy at all. The construction quality of the main road will determine the effect at that time.

Another thing is to meet with businessmen in Hong Kong and win over their relationships.

"Boss, it's almost time. We need to change clothes to attend the Huo family's dinner party." The secretary knocked on Liu Tao's door and reminded him quietly.

Liu Tao nodded slightly, then changed into a suit, left the Peninsula Hotel and headed for the Huo family.

The Fok family is his ally, and the two sides have a lot of cooperation. They are also an important ballast for stabilizing the situation in Hong Kong. Fok Ying-tung has made an indelible contribution to the situation in Hong Kong in recent years. Every year, Fok Ying-tung makes three or four trips to the mainland to promote exchanges between the two places.

In recent years, more and more people from Hong Kong have gone north to trace their roots and pay homage to their ancestors. It can be said that Ho Ying-tung has contributed to this.

Whenever a famous person goes north to trace his roots and pay homage to his ancestors, it is always widely reported in Hong Kong.

Among them, Huo Yingdong would take his wife and children to the north to worship their ancestors every year, setting an example. When Liu Tao came this time, Huo Yingdong personally prepared tonight's dinner as a bridge of communication.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Huo family mansion, which is a stone castle. It is the Huo family's mansion and also where Huo Yingdong normally lives. The outside world generally calls it the "Stone Manor". The entire Stone Manor is three stories high, with its back to the mountain and facing the sea, and covers an area of ​​more than 3,000 square meters.

At this time, all kinds of luxury cars were parked in front of the Stone Manor, including fashionable and flamboyant sports cars such as Lotus and Aston Martin, as well as noble and luxurious stretched sedans such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Some people say that Japanese cars are tools, German cars are machines, French cars are romantic, and British cars are art.

Previously, the low-end and mid-end car market in Hong Kong had long been dominated by cheap Japanese cars represented by Nissan and Toyota, while the high-end market was still dominated by British cars. As a British colony, Hong Kong's wealthy people particularly admired the aristocratic cars of the sovereign country.

In recent years, China Auto has begun to capture the mid- and low-end automobile market in Hong Kong. After all, in terms of cost-effectiveness, China Auto has a higher cost-effectiveness.

In addition, the subsidiary companies have regulations that there are subsidies for purchasing Hua Xia cars, which makes the employees of the company controlled by Liu Tao often choose Hua Xia cars when buying cars. After all, subsidies mean saving a lot of money.

Driven by this trend, Hong Kong citizens are increasingly willing to buy China Automobiles and China Motorcycles.

Liu Tao was driving a high-end version of a Hua Xia car today. Looking out the window, he saw a lot of British cars and shook his head slightly.

Among these wealthy people, very few truly have a strong sense of identity with China.

Many of the gestures being made now are just for the North to see, to take sides and to plan for the future.

This is also why Henry Fok is so valuable.

Giving timely assistance is often countless times more valuable than adding icing on the cake.

Liu Tao got out of the car and the guards stayed outside. Naturally, the Huo family's servants would make arrangements.

Liu Tao's arrival made the whole banquet seem different. Famous tycoons from Hong Kong came forward to greet him.

Among these tycoons, Liu Tao looked young, about the same age as their children, but Liu Tao had already become the object of their flattery.

Whether they are willing to admit it or not, Liu Tao is indeed someone they need to curry favor with, unless they want to immigrate or stop doing business.

The other tycoons are well aware of the current situation in Hong Kong.

Liu Tao rarely appears in the public eye in Hong Kong, but he has unparalleled influence in Hong Kong. If he stomps his feet, the whole of Hong Kong will shake.

The economic crisis in 1982 was a crisis for others, but it was a rare opportunity for Liu Tao and Ho Ying-tung. In just a few years, the two companies experienced explosive growth.

Many people only regret that they did not have enough vision and did not stand up early, thus missing out on the opportunity to grow rapidly.

In the past, those high-quality assets of British or foreign capital were the ones that many Chinese investors coveted.

But now these high-quality assets have nothing to do with them. Whenever they see those assets being bought at low prices and now rising in price, there is no one who will not regret it and stamp his feet.

(End of this chapter)