The rise of a great power: starting with military industry

Chapter 451: Rebuilding Two Type 052 Destroyers
A special team will soon be set up to establish a charitable foundation.

People from the foreign affairs department took the initiative to help Liu Tao.

What follows is nothing more than formalities and various donation ceremonies.

Liu Tao doesn't even need to go to North America, Europe, or Japan in person. He just needs to take a few photos and make a statement.

Then these royalties are donated to the corresponding charitable foundations, so naturally there is no need to pay taxes on the royalties.

The money Liu Tao donated to the charity foundation was paid to him by the state according to the bank's exchange rate.

The money raised overseas is used to sponsor Chinese students studying abroad, sponsor Chinese university education, etc. It is expected that the accounts will be balanced soon.

After ending his vacation, Liu Tao did not return directly to Kunming City, but went to Dalian Shipyard first.

Because the first Type 052 destroyer, the 'Xiang Jiang', is finally about to be launched.

At this time, everyone at the Dalian Shipyard was nervous because they had been notified that several senior military leaders would come to attend the launching ceremony of the first ship.

It is certain that this will be a very high-standard and grand launching ceremony.

In order to organize the launching ceremony of the first ship well, Dalian Shipyard has held a special office meeting, and the leaders held a collective discussion to make the ceremony more grand and the work more thoughtful.

Liu Tao did not take a commercial airliner to Dalian, but accompanied his leader on a special plane.

"It seems that our 'Hong Kong' can participate in the 87th celebration in time!" On the special plane, the old man was smoking a cigarette with a thick Sichuan accent.

He personally participated in the launching ceremony, showing his importance to the Type 052 destroyer.

This is the largest surface ship currently built in China and also the most advanced warship.

For the country now, the 87th Anniversary Ceremony is a top priority and the most important thing.

This is also about opening a new chapter and washing away the shame on our shoulders.

Liu Tao smiled and said, "Leader, we can definitely catch up. This is a magical device specially built for Xiangjiang!"

"The Navy attaches great importance to this aspect and keeps a close eye on the progress at all times," said Liu Tao.

Liu Tao was naturally very clear about how much importance the Navy attached to the first Type 052 destroyer.

"After the launching ceremony of the Xiangjiang, the construction of the second and third Type 052 destroyers will begin. The navy needs more destroyers, and the country needs more Type 052 destroyers!" the old man suddenly said.

Liu Tao was shocked.

You know, the navy’s military budget alone is not enough to purchase more Type 052 destroyers.

It is only for the first ship that the state supports the navy's equipment renewal by withholding taxes.

Leaders have also been emphasizing that the country's focus is on economic development, and everything else must give way to economic development.

As a result, the leaders now say that they want to immediately build the second and third Type 052 destroyers, and say that the navy and the country need more destroyers.

Could it be that something has happened that has made the navy and leaders feel such an urgent need to have more Type 052 destroyers?

Liu Tao didn't ask because the leader didn't say anything, which meant he was not suitable to ask or know.

Liu Tao's mind was constantly turning, and he was constantly using the process of elimination.

China and the United States are now in a honeymoon period, with political and economic ties between the two sides warming up and exchanges becoming increasingly close.

Japan and South Korea? Japan is now in trouble because of the sharp appreciation of the yen.

Despite the violent appreciation in the first week, the Japanese yen has stabilized its position, and even the USD/JPY exchange rate has fluctuated to USD/JPY = 1:220.

But everyone knows how great a price Japan paid.

Liu Tao had an idea at this time. It was either the Soviet Pacific Fleet, or the Soviet Pacific Fleet squadron stationed in Cam Ranh Bay and the Annan Navy.

Thinking about the battlefield in the south, the Annan army is already at a disadvantage and has lost a lot of strategic locations. I am afraid that the big brother will have to stand up for the younger brother. On land, after years of training, streamlining the troops, and replacing advanced weapons and equipment, although China has fewer troops than before, its strength has not decreased but increased.

In the sky, China now has a batch of F14, F15, F16 fighter jets and "Black Hawk" helicopters. Although the number is not very large, they can act as spearheads.

Among the three armed forces, the navy is the only one that still lacks a lot of strength.

Although it is equipped with a batch of Type 022 missile boats, 022A torpedo boats and minesweepers, these are all part of the near-shore defense strategy.

The first Type 054 frigate, HMS Hong Kong, which was previously in service, is still in the stage of forming combat effectiveness, and for the sake of the 87th anniversary celebration, it is still in the confidentiality stage and has not been opened to the public.

Among the three armed forces, the navy is currently the weakest.

"Can your Yangcheng Shipyard build the Type 052 destroyer?" The old man looked at Liu Tao.

Liu Tao said: "There is a shipyard, but there are not enough construction workers. We have to transfer them from Dalian Shipyard."

"Then let half of the experienced ones go to Yangcheng Shipyard." The old man took a puff of cigarette and said firmly: "At the same time, build two more Type 052 destroyers. I understand that the navy is still very important. There must be one or two scary equipments, so that no one dares to speak nonsense after drinking an extra bottle of Volga."

Volga!?

Liu Tao said to himself, "As expected."

He really guessed it right.

Although the relationship between the two sides has eased and there have been some exchanges, the frequency and intensity of verbal battles have dropped significantly compared to before.

But it does not mean that everyone has the same stance. On the contrary, in some places, it is completely the opposite.

In Kashmir, the Soviet Union supported India. It was with the strong support of the Soviet Union that India dared to launch a war. In the past few months, it has been cheering for India.

Regarding Sikkim and Bhutan, the Soviet Union has made many criticisms, especially on the issue of Sikkim becoming a member of the United Nations, the Soviet Union has cast two consecutive votes against it.

Because of the veto power, Sikkim has never been able to obtain membership of the United Nations.

Similarly, several newly established countries were not recognized by the Warsaw Pact countries.

"I understand, leader!" Liu Tao nodded.

“If the second ship and the third are built at the same time, will the cost be reduced?” the old man asked.

"Yes." Liu Tao nodded and said, "Because the first ship needs to build an industrial chain and it is all new, the cost is 20 billion RMB. The second and third ships will only cost 10 billion RMB to build at the same time, or even less than 10 billion RMB."

The cost of building the first ship is often the highest.

If you only build one ship, the price will naturally be outrageously high.

But when it comes to mass production, the cost will drop significantly.

"That is to say, the money used to build the first ship can be used to build the second and third ships!" said the old man.

"Yes, you are wise!" Liu Tao gave a thumbs up. "Now we are mainly limited by our shipbuilding capacity. In another five years, it should not be a problem to start construction of five Type 052 destroyers at the same time."

"Nothing can be accomplished overnight. You can't eat hot tofu if you are impatient." The old man nodded and said, "But we Chinese must seize this rare opportunity to develop the shipbuilding industry and improve our shipbuilding level."

In the shipbuilding industry, Japan, the current leader, has seen its competitiveness decline significantly due to the appreciation of the yen. This is not a good thing for Japan, but it is a very good thing for China.

Shipbuilding is a non-profit industry for Japan, but it is a high value-added industry for China.

Moreover, this industry is a labor-intensive and technology-based industry that can create a large number of jobs and drive the development of the steel, mechanical and electrical and other industries.

Japan treats it like a piece of trash, but China regards it as a treasure.

Liu Tao said with deep conviction: "The shipbuilding industry is indeed very important. South Korea is now heavily subsidizing the shipbuilding industry. Our biggest competitor in the shipbuilding industry is South Korea."

(End of this chapter)