Behind the scenes

Chapter 26

29
The negotiating team led by Li Zimin arrived at Shenzhen Airport at one o'clock in the afternoon.Director Zhu of Xianghan Municipal Government Office in Shenzhen personally drove to the airport to meet him.Li Zimin has not been to Shenzhen for five or six years. Sitting in the van and looking out the window at the wide expressway and the many buildings, he couldn't help sighing: "The changes are really great."

Director Zhu of the driving office said: "Mayor Li, it's not easy for you to come here once, so you must take a good look this time."

While smoking a cigarette, Bai Zhi said, "Old Zhu, Mayor Li is here, where do you arrange us to live? In your guest house, or..."

"Director Bai, there are three options for Mayor Li's residence, good, medium, and poor. Well, I can arrange to live in a four-star hotel. The room has already been contacted. Is the price a [-]% discount? Well, there is a mid-range hotel near our office, the price is not too expensive, and the conditions are good, so I will arrange you there. Of course, the guest house in our office also has rooms, but the conditions are too poor, so everyone has to use them A bathroom."

"I think I can live in your office. You can live in it, so there is nothing I can't live in. Besides, I am no longer the mayor, so you don't have to be so polite and particular." Li Zimin said.

"Don't, don't. Mayor Li, I can't accept what you say. Don't think that you are not the mayor, but I can never treat you worse than the mayor. No matter what you say, our Shenzhen office has many difficulties. You helped solve it when you were the mayor. Let’s go to the office for a rest first, and as for where to live, it’s not too late to decide after dinner.” Director Zhu accelerated the speed of the car while talking.

Zheng Gang and a deputy director of the Foreign Economic and Economic Commission sat in the car without saying a word. They were thinking about where to negotiate. The specific business matters really depended on the two of them.

From the airport to the office, the car ran for four and 10 minutes.Under a ten-story residential building, the van stopped.The Xianghan City Government Office is the first and second floors of this house, covering an area of ​​more than 800 square meters.This is no easy feat in Shenzhen, where every inch of land is expensive.Director Zhu led everyone to the restaurant on the first floor, which is not only the restaurant of the office, but also a small restaurant for the outside world.In a private room inside, the tableware is already set.Everyone washed their hands and sat down at the dining table.Director Zhu was busy calling for dinner, so he served the food, poured wine, and was about to serve a glass when the mobile phone in his pocket rang. He looked at the caller ID, the number was unfamiliar, and he didn't want to answer it, but the phone still rang. Still answered the phone. "Hi, hello, who are you looking for?"

The phone was fluent in Chinese: "Are you Director Zhu of the Xianghan Municipal Government Office in Shenzhen?"

"Yes. I am. Are you..."

"I'm Mr. Green, the president of the European ATC company. I heard that the mayor of your city is coming to Shenzhen today to discuss a cooperation project with our company. I wonder if the mayor has arrived?"

"It's here. It's here. I just took the mayor and his party to the office from the airport." Director Zhu replied.

"Then can I have a few words with Mr. Mayor on the phone?"

Director Zhu hurriedly handed the phone to Li Zimin, covered the transmitting part with his hands, and said to Li Zimin in a low voice: "Mayor Li, Mr. Green, the president of European ATC Company, wants to talk to you on the phone."

Li Zimin shook his head, "I don't know English, how can I speak to him?"

Director Zhu said: "He speaks Chinese." Then he let go of the transmission part covered by his hand.

Li Zimin put the phone to his ear, and a fluent and friendly voice came out: "You are Mr. Mayor, I'm Green. I was supposed to pick you up at the airport, but I didn't go because I had other urgent matters. You report the debt. I have booked a room for you and all your entourage at the four-star Continental Hotel, and arranged dinner. I will pick you up by car in a short while. All expenses during the stay in Shenzhen will be borne by our company .”

Li Zimin immediately said: "Mr. Green, thank you for your kindness. All of this is unnecessary. I live in our government office. What about dinner?" Li Zimin looked at his watch. Started using it. Thank you for calling, otherwise I would like to contact you, when will we meet and when will we start formal negotiations?"

"Mr. Mayor, please don't be polite. We will pick up your car and arrive in a while. Please be ready." After speaking, the other party hung up the phone.

Li Zimin asked: "How does this Mr. Green know your mobile phone number? He will pick us up here in a while, and he also said that he arranged our accommodation in a four-star hotel. What's going on?"

Zheng Gang said: "Mayor Li, before I came, Xiao Dong asked for the phone number of the government office in Shenzhen. He said that Mr. Green asked for it. I think people can still find us if they want to find us."

"No matter what, let's eat, the dishes are already cold." Director Zhu held up his glass, looked at Li Zimin and said, "On behalf of all comrades in the Municipal Office in Shenzhen, I welcome Mayor Li and his party to Shenzhen to discuss projects. And inspect and guide the work of the office, I wish the mayor and his party a smooth job in Shenzhen and a happy mood, cheers." After he finished speaking, he drank a glass of wine.Then he looked at everyone with an empty glass, "Except for Mayor Li, you can drink as you please, other leaders, please drink this glass of wine. We are stationed at the forefront of reform and opening up, and we can look forward to the leaders who come to our hometown. I'm so excited!"

Li Zimin said: "Xiao Zhu has done a good job here. I will finish this glass of wine." After he finished speaking, he drank the glass of wine. When everyone saw that the mayor had drunk it, they all drank the wine in the glass .

"Eat vegetables, eat vegetables. Everyone must be hungry." Director Zhu said while using chopsticks to pick up vegetables on the plate in front of Li Zimin, and called everyone to eat.

At this time, the waiter came in and said to Director Zhu: "Director, there is a foreign gentleman outside, please invite Mayor Li."

When Li Zimin heard this, he quickly put down the chopsticks in his hand, "Why did you come here so quickly? It took only ten minutes to put down the phone!" After speaking, he stood up, "Come on, let's go outside and have a look." At a glance, I saw a European mixed race, and it can be said with certainty that he is a mixed European and Chinese. He is in his thirties and looks very similar to the famous singer Fei Xiang, but he is whiter and shorter. some.Seeing Li Zimin coming out, he hurriedly stepped forward and stretched out his hand, and introduced himself, "I'm Green, and you are Mayor Li, right?!"

Li Zimin immediately stretched out his hand, "I am Li Zimin".Then the two held hands.

Li Zimin looked him up and down and said, "Mr. Green, I didn't expect you to be so young and speak Chinese so well."

Green said: "My mother is Chinese, and my father is European. I am a real mixed-race child. My mother taught me to speak Chinese since I was a child, and my father taught me to speak English. Therefore, my Chinese and English are very authentic, and I can also speak Chinese. It becomes half Chinese, half European."

Li Zimin immediately introduced the accompanying personnel to Green one by one. When Zheng Gang was introduced, Green shook his hand vigorously, "Director Zheng, I know you, I know you." Then he said to Li Zimin Min said, "Mr. Mayor, let's go. I'm here to pick you up."

Li Zimin shook his head with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Green, I live in the office and am having dinner, how about you share dinner with us?"

Green smiled and shook his head, "I've already booked a room for you at the hotel, as well as dinner for tonight, so why don't you come? You are a guest specially invited by me by telegram. According to our company's rules, For all the guests we invite, all arrangements and expenses shall be borne by us."

"You have to bear all the expenses when you invite guests. I really haven't heard of this practice." Li Zimin said while asking the deputy director of the Foreign Economic and Trade Commission beside him: "Old Yu, you are an expert in foreign economic and trade. Do they all do that?"

Director Yu shook his head: "It's a common thing to send invitation letters. Most of the expenses are borne by ourselves. Every time we go abroad to negotiate, do we also pay for it ourselves!"

When Green heard this, he hurriedly took over the quarrel: "This is the rule set by our ATC company. When my father was alive, he followed this rule. I took over from my father, so I naturally did it this way. But you have to know, There are not many guests that our company actually invites, and those who are invited by us are..."

"Ah, I understand." Li Zimin took over without waiting for him to finish his sentence, "It seems that your company has quite good eyesight, and you will not easily send out invitations without careful investigation and understanding. Then We are really lucky. But, to be honest, I do appreciate your kindness, but I have already decided to live in the office, and there are many things to discuss in the evening, so let's count it as a meeting today Alright, today's affairs will be done separately, tomorrow will be formally discussed, and all arrangements for tomorrow will be in charge of you, do you think this is okay?"

Green looked Li Zimin up and down carefully with a strange gaze, and then spread his hands, "Since Mr. Mayor has made such a decision, I have no other choice. In China, the word of the leader decides everything." Yes, I have no choice but to express my regret, but I still admire your style and pragmatic style. Well then, I will wait for you in front of the Continental Hotel at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Okay. It's a deal." Li Zimin shook hands with Green, and then sent him outside the door.Outside the door, there were four brand new black "Mercedes-Benz" cars parked.It can be seen that Mr. Green is a very handsome man.

After seeing off Green, everyone went back to the dining table and sat down. The dishes were already cold, so Director Zhu asked the waiter to take them back and reheat them.The enthusiasm for drinking just now is gone.Zheng Gang said: "I think this young mixed race is smart enough, how can he know me? I have never dealt with ATC companies."

Bai Zhi lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, then took out a piece of information from the purse beside him and said, "Before I came, I found some information about Mr. Green through the Internet. Lin Mr. Ge is 34 years old and holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Cambridge. His grandfather was a well-known entrepreneur in Europe at the time. His father had been to China when he was young, and later opened a branch in Hong Kong, where he met a The very beautiful daughter of a Chinese businessman, and they fell in love at first sight. Green's grandfather firmly opposed the marriage, and Green's father left the family for this reason. Soon, Green's grandfather died, and all the property was inherited by Green's father. At this time They officially returned to Europe, inherited the entire family business, and gave birth to Green. ATC has developed rapidly in the world over the years, and the fields involved have become wider and wider. Not long after Green received a doctorate from Cambridge University, his father After he died in an accident, the ATC company was handed over to him. Although he is young, he has a quick mind. After several years of hard work, the company successfully entered the US market. To open up the Chinese market, in his words: Occupying the markets of developed countries is as important as occupying the markets of developing countries. He is so polite to us today, I am afraid it is not without purpose?!"

Li Zimin nodded after listening, "It is much better to meet a strong opponent than to meet an idiot. If our chemical plant can really develop faster through this cooperation, it will be a good thing for both parties He is shrewd and well-managed, which is exactly what we need to learn from him. Zheng Gang, he is ten years younger than you, but manages the company so well. In contrast, we really have to learn from him. Learn!"

After the new hot dishes were served, Li Zimin picked up the wine glass, "Eating and resting in our own office, the mood is happy, and there is a feeling of going home. The comrades in your office are away all the year round, leaving home and unemployed. It’s not easy. As the former mayor and current government advisor, I would like to express my deep gratitude. At the same time, I also wish our negotiation a success. The opponent has already met, and it seems to be very strong. We must be fully prepared , After drinking this glass of wine, we will have dinner. Take a break after the meal, and we will sit down at five o'clock and seriously study the specific issues to be discussed tomorrow. Come, drink this glass of wine and serve the staple food."

The staple food was two big plates of dumplings. Everyone was hungry, and in a blink of an eye, all the dumplings were eaten.

At nine o'clock in the morning the next day, Li Zimin led the negotiation team of the Xianghan City Government and arrived at the Continental Hotel on time.This is a 28-story hotel that has just been built, with a novel appearance and a luxurious style.In front of the hotel, Mr. Green led his negotiating team to stand neatly in a row to welcome Li Zimin and his party.Mr. Green stretched out his hand, "Mayor Li, you are welcome. How did you rest last night?"

Li Zimin smiled, "Thank you for welcoming me at the door. I had a very good rest last night, exactly the same as at home."

"No, how can it be exactly the same as at home? As far as I know, you have a young and beautiful wife at home, did you have it last night?"

"This..." Li Zimin was really stopped by Mr. Green's question.He never expected that Green would understand his family. It seemed that this opponent really couldn't be ignored.

Seeing that Li Zimin was speechless, Mr. Green burst out laughing. "I'm joking, Mr. Mayor, please."

Under the guidance of Mr. Green, Li Zimin and his party entered the lobby of the hotel, took the sightseeing-style express elevator to the top of the 28th floor, got out of the elevator, and entered a very luxurious conference hall.Although the hall is not big, Li Zimin has never seen the luxury of decoration, furniture, and decorative items. The round conference table has everyone's name tag on it, as well as drinks, mineral water, and records. Pencils of various colors, tissues, etc., just like diplomatic negotiations on TV.The personnel from both sides sat down according to their signatures, and the number of people was equal, six people each.The six people in Xianghan City are: Li Zimin, Bai Zhi, Zheng Gang, Deputy Director of the Foreign Economic and Trade Commission, Deputy Director of the Economic and Trade Commission, and Director Zhu of the Xianghan City Office in Shenzhen. The six members of ATC Company are: Mr. Green, the president of ATC Company, one of his assistants, a full-time female secretary, the manager, deputy manager and a financial supervisor of ATC Company's Shenzhen branch.After the two parties introduced their respective personnel, the negotiation officially started.

Li Zimin first said: "Our delegation from the Xianghan Municipal Government, at the invitation of Mr. Green, the president of the European ATC Company, came here to discuss the joint venture and cooperation project of the Xianghan Chemical General Factory. The Chemical General Factory is our state-owned key in Xianghan City. A backbone enterprise is also a large taxpayer. The scale of the factory is the largest in Asia, and the products it produces are currently selling very well. However, in the process of development, they have encountered difficulties in capital and technology. We know that ATC is an internationally renowned company. It is a large company producing chemical products with strong capital and technical strength. We are willing to cooperate sincerely under the principle of mutual benefit. The specific situation will be further introduced by Mr. Zheng Gang, director of Xianghan Chemical General Factory. "

After Li Zimin finished speaking, he nodded to Zheng Gang who was sitting beside him. Zheng Gang took out the factory introduction and cooperation intention that had been printed in advance, and began to read.This material has just been distributed to the six people negotiating with ATC.The material is written by Bai Zhi. The first part is the basic situation of the factory, the second part is the main cooperation scope and cooperation intention, and the third part is the preferential conditions.Zheng Gang had just read halfway through the script when he was interrupted by Mr. Green. "I'm sorry, Mr. Zheng Gang, I want to interrupt your speech. We have read your manuscript, and we know the situation of the factory. Can we be freer? There is no such thing as opening Yes, what kind of report-style negotiation? If possible, I would like to ask you a few questions."

Zheng Gang glanced at Li Zimin.Li Zimin nodded and said: "Flexible negotiation is also good, you can ask any questions you have."

"I would like to know how much was lost in total after the explosion of the General Chemical Plant before the Spring Festival? Now, is the total value of the factory's fixed assets in your materials before the explosion or after the explosion? How much capital is needed for the factory to resume production? Do you have any resources?" Can it be resolved? If not, when will the factory resume production? What will happen to the lives of the workers at this time? Also, how much decision-making power does your government delegation have on the issue of the chemical plant?" Green When he asked these words, he looked at Li Zimin with his eyes motionless. His eyes had long since lost the friendship he had at the office yesterday afternoon and just now in front of the big hotel, only coldness and seriousness remained in his eyes.The series of questions he asked, without looking at the small book on the desk, without any thought or pause, were completely thought out in his heart before he said them very smoothly.He seems to know everything about the explosion at the Xianghan Chemical Plant.

Li Zimin took a sip of mineral water and spoke. "I admire Mr. Green's understanding of the situation of our Xianghan Chemical General Plant. Yes, before the Spring Festival, due to technical, equipment and management reasons, an explosion occurred in the Chemical General Plant, and a technical section chief was sacrificed. , the factory also caused certain economic losses. Yes, up to now, the factory is still shutting down production. In the process of resuming production, we also encountered some difficulties, of course, mainly financial and technical difficulties. However, we support In the process of studying the resumption of production of the chemical plant, the Han City Government considered not only to resume production, but also to turn the bad thing of explosion into a good thing. The introduction of capital and technology, so that the company's technology and products can reach the international level in the mid-90s, this starting point should be said to be not low, so we chose ATC as a partner. Just now Mr. Green said to the company's workers I am very concerned about the issue, and have questioned the decision-making power of our delegation, I don't quite understand what Mr. Green means, please better understand what you said."

(End of this chapter)