Chapter 960: A Grand Chess Game

'Governor, the Hong Kong government has already started the construction plan for the new Tin Shui Wai town. I wonder how long it will take to complete the project according to the Hong Kong government's real plan?'

Xia Yu asked MacLehose a question that was difficult to answer.

MacLehose subconsciously wanted to play the game of Taichi, but on second thought he felt that Xia Yu's question should have a deeper meaning, and that it was related to the creation of the Science and Technology Industrial Park.

So after a moment's hesitation, he spoke his true thoughts: 'Mr Xia, the Hong Kong government's revenue has been better in recent years, but it is still on the verge of deficit. The focus of the Hong Kong government's creation is on Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. Although the plan to create a new town in Tin Shui Wai has been incorporated into the Hong Kong government's strategic plan, it will be difficult to see results in the short term.'

'It can be said that a new town with a population of hundreds of thousands needs to be built from scratch. The investment required in terms of transport, water and electricity networks, residential and commercial areas, education, public services, etc., is too great for the Hong Kong government to afford at the moment.'

'We were hoping that property developers would invest first, but Cheung Kong Holdings has been in the market for a year and a half and there has been no movement. So it will take at least ten years to create a rudimentary form of the Tin Shui Wai new town.'

Xia Yu nodded slightly. Combining what he knew about Tin Shui Wai in the future, what MacLehose said was pretty much the truth.

It could even be said that MacLehose was relatively optimistic, because, absolutely no one could have imagined that if no one else interfered and the town followed its historical trajectory, what a strange, weird and even miserable place Tin Shui Wai would become.

According to the historical trajectory of the previous life, the Hong Kong government did not start building public housing in Tin Shui Wai until 1987, and it was not until 2003 that there were gradually buses, light rails and other means of transport. It was not until 2017 that a hospital was established in the district, but there was no emergency department, so if you were sick, you could only go to a private clinic.

Before 2017, the nearest public hospital was about 9 kilometres away. If the more than 300,000 residents of Tin Shui Wai fell ill, they would have to make an appointment three months to six months in advance to see a doctor for a sore throat.

It can be said that Tin Shui Wai is almost a purely residential area. In addition, there is a serious lack of supporting urban facilities. There are only a few catering and service industries that can absorb employment. If residents here want to make a living, they have to choose to bear the high transportation costs and work across districts.

Many Tin Shui Wai residents get up at 4:30 a.m. in order to catch the first subway at 5:30 a.m. They want to lead a happy life through self-reliance, but find that no matter how hard they work, they can only earn a meager salary.

'The harder you work, the longer you work, and the poorer you become.' This is the current situation of former Tin Shui Wai residents. Their quality of life is even worse than relying on welfare.

Because of poverty and a lack of hope, all kinds of problems have come to the fore in Tin Shui Wai. Hong Kong has the highest rate of spouse abuse, and there have been repeated incidents of "child gang" violence and murders, as well as various other shocking incidents.

In fact, all of these things can be changed. If the Hong Kong government had money, and if Cheung Kong could shoulder its social responsibilities while making money, instead of buying land at low prices, changing the nature of the land by getting people to do favours for them, and then cashing out when the land appreciates in value, Tin Shui Wai would not have become a stain on Hong Kong.

Since Lao Li and others had ruined Tin Shui Wai New Town, directly or indirectly harming hundreds of thousands of people and wasting such a precious place, Xia Yu was also unceremonious and took matters into his own hands to make Tin Shui Wai look favourable to himself.

Xia Yu smiled and said, 'Governor, I understand the pressure and financial difficulties of the Hong Kong government, but I have a proposal that can accelerate the construction of Tin Shui Wai New Town without putting the Hong Kong government under financial pressure, while also promoting the Hong Kong government's livelihood reforms.'

MacLehose's eyebrows shot up, and Xia Yu piqued his curiosity.

He asked curiously, 'I wonder what the proposal is?'

Xia Yu said, 'This plan is quite large, so let's find a place to sit down and talk.'

'Okay!'

Next, Xia Yu and MacLehose found two large stones in the shade.

After sitting down, Xia Yu told MacLehose in detail: 'The Hong Kong government is temporarily unable to finance the development of the Tin Shui Wai new town, and real estate developers such as Cheung Kong Holdings are also not doing anything. I happen to have the funds, so why don't I assist the Hong Kong government in building the Tin Shui Wai new town?'

'First of all, Governor, you proposed the 'Home Ownership Scheme'. In the first phase, Jiuding Real Estate Group will fund the construction of 40,000 to 50,000 public housing units in the new town of Tin Shui Wai. I am confident that this project will be completed and the units handed over within three years.'

'At the same time, I will also build the supporting public facilities such as schools and hospitals. The Hong Kong government only needs to provide the staff, including teachers, medical staff and administrative staff, after these public facilities are completed.'

'It's equivalent to Jiuding Real Estate Group building the new town of Tin Shui Wai from scratch,' asked MacLehose directly.

He wanted to know if Xia Yu was joking. After all, building a city that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people was no joke, and even the Hong Kong government could not build it in three years.

Xia Yu smiled and nodded and said, "Yes!'

MacLehose frowned and said, "Mr Xia, the amount of money invested here is not small, and the Hong Kong government does not have that much money.'

Xia Yu said nonchalantly, 'Governor, I will directly pay for all the funds. Although this does require a huge amount of capital, I would not do it if I did not have the means. Moreover, as an entrepreneur, I should indeed take the initiative to shoulder social responsibility.'

MacLehose was full of admiration, gave Xia Yu a thumbs-up, said nothing more, made a gesture of invitation, and continued to listen attentively.

'In addition to building the Tin Shui Wai new town, the construction of the Science and Technology Industrial Park can also be invested and built solely by Jiuding Real Estate Group.'

Xia Yu smiled slightly and continued, 'And in terms of these investments, although the Hong Kong government does not need to pay, it needs to use resources in exchange.'

'These resources include the land in the Tin Shui Wai new town, which I will use to build a city commercial district and introduce the shops needed for hundreds of thousands of residents.'

'It also includes land for the construction of a good science and technology industrial park.'

'If these are not enough to offset the funds I have invested, then on the basis of calculating interest, the Hong Kong government can use the taxes paid by my enterprises in the future to offset it.'

'In this way, the new town of Tin Shui Wai will be built, and the residents of Pingshan and Ha Tsuen can use the value of their fields and old houses to purchase or replace the built public housing, solving their living conditions and improving their living, education, medical care and other environments.'

'The construction of the Tin Shui Wai New Town and the Science and Technology Industrial Park will require a large number of migrant workers, who can be hired directly from the local population, solving their employment problems.'

'Moreover, the city and the Science and Technology Industrial Park are being built for them, and the local migrant workers will be more motivated, which will greatly improve social security.'

'When the Science and Technology Industrial Park is completed, local residents can also enter the Science and Technology Industrial Park for employment.'

'Governor, what do you think of this plan?'

MacLehose, who had been a little dazed, came back to his senses and applauded vigorously, praising Xia Yu's plan.

'Clap, clap...'

'Mr Xia, your plan is too big and interlocking,'

'But I must say that it is highly executable. As long as it is publicised, it will definitely receive a positive response from hundreds of thousands of villagers nearby.'

'The potential difficulties in land acquisition will also be directly resolved.'

After praising him, MacLehose calmed down a little and said to Xia Yu seriously, 'But Mr Xia, you have to think carefully, the investment required is not small.'

Xia Yu smiled faintly and said calmly, 'Governor, thank you for your concern, but I am confident in this matter.'

When Xia Yu said this again, MacLehose also stopped talking. After all, if this matter was accomplished, it would definitely be a good thing for the port and the people, and there was no reason for him to refuse.

As for the land resources and tax reductions that the Hong Kong government was going to provide, they still existed in the future.

Now, using some of the land resources to replace Xia Yu's investment could get him the new town of Tin Shui Wai and the Science and Technology Industrial Park.

After these two were built, the originally cheap land prices would also rise, and the Science and Technology Industrial Park would be able to collect rents from other companies until they were overwhelmed.

And taxes are needless to say, there is not even a single one now. If the Science and Technology Industrial Park is really built in the future, it will not create direct taxes for the Hong Kong government in the first few years, but after the principal and interest are paid off, it will be free money.

And we must also consider that hundreds of thousands of nearby residents will have an income, and what about the development of all walks of life driven by consumption? Won't it also greatly increase the Hong Kong government's tax revenue?

It can be said that as long as the Hong Kong government does administrative work, it can lie back and enjoy the results, and it is a big winner.

Xia Yu has also achieved his goal and is also a big winner.

The lives of hundreds of thousands of residents near Tin Shui Wai have also been changed, and they are also big winners.

Everyone wins. If there is anyone who loses out, it is probably the real estate developers like Cheung Kong Holdings who have land but want to develop residential housing for profit.

After all, Xia Yu built 40,000 to 50,000 public housing units, which can solve the housing problems of 40,000 to 50,000 households. If there are five people per household on average, then it can solve the housing problems of more than 200,000 people, which is absolutely enough for now. If there aren't enough houses, then they can build a second batch of public housing later!

There are enough cheap public housing units, and the residential buildings in Tin Shui Wai New Town will never develop. Even if property prices want to rise, they can't.

However, the civilian real estate market has been destroyed, but not the commercial real estate market. Because hundreds of thousands of people are concentrated here, the shops will definitely be valuable. And commercial real estate is mainly affected by market fluctuations and the macroeconomic environment, which has little effect on civilian real estate prices and will not affect Xia Yu's strategy to curb housing prices.

Unfortunately, according to the conditions Xia Yu just mentioned, he will also build the commercial district, so the only profitable commercial real estate in the property market here will also be swallowed up by him!

But even if Lao Li and others are jealous and hateful, it's useless. Who let this game be played? Xia Yu is the only person in the entire Xiangjiang with the strength and qualifications to play it.