Chapter 1230: Guangdong's automobile industry

Luo Yunfei subconsciously looked at his boss. When he saw Xia Yu drinking tea at a leisurely pace, his somewhat impatient state of mind instantly calmed down.

After a long while, Liu Zhongfei looked at Xia Yu solemnly and said in a deep voice, 'Mr Xia, I know that your proposal is based on the direction of reform in Guangdong Province and the mainland. I personally support it, but the difficulty involved is indeed great.'

'I personally support you fully, but in the end, the final result will be determined by those above.'

It seemed that he felt it was inappropriate to say these empty words and phrases, which might seem insincere and be an apology to his friend.

After a moment's thought, Liu Zhongfei added, 'Mr Xia, the coal industry is mainly concentrated in the north of the mainland, especially in Shanxi Province. I can't do anything about that.'

'As far as Guangdong Province is concerned, there are no super-large coal mines, but there are smaller ones. However, I believe there are still coal resources that have not yet been explored.'

'I can report to the authorities about the qualifications for coal exploration and production in Guangdong Province, and I believe I can get them for you.'

'I will also give you full support in Guangdong for the operating licence for the petrochemical sector and help you get it approved.'

'I think the authorities will also give Guangdong special treatment.'

'But as for whether these two companies can go beyond Guangdong, I can only offer you assistance, and the key is still up to you.'

Considering the position Liu Zhongfei is in right now, these words of his are already very revealing, and his sincerity is also shown.

Xia Yu was of course not dissatisfied. As long as Guangdong Province was willing to open up, then it was only a matter of time before they could break out of the province.

Besides,

the coal company and petrochemical company he had set up would definitely need to lay a foundation in the first few years, and even if he was given a nationwide licence and operating permit, he would not be able to use it for the time being.

It would not be too late to rush across the country once they had laid a solid foundation and gained a firm foothold in Guangdong Province!

In the next few years, even if the winds of reform blow everywhere, the focus will remain on Guangdong Province. The market here is enough to support the growth of these two companies!

After thinking about it, Xia Yu smiled and said, 'Secretary Liu, thank you!'

'I believe the higher-ups will make a wise decision. After all, what I'm doing is the foundation for industrial development. There's no harm in it, so there's no reason to stop it.'

'Guangdong Province can be established first, and I will handle the rest. But I still need you to pay more attention.'

Liu Zhongfei laughed happily, 'Of course. The speed and effectiveness of reform requires the support of patriotic Hong Kong businessmen like you, Mr Xia. Now that there have been such big changes in Guangdong Province, you have made an undeniable contribution, which everyone can see.'

'Some comrades may have some opinions, but they haven't thought it through yet. I believe that with the passage of time, the path of reform will become increasingly smooth and broad.'

'In the future, we will need Mr Xia's support even more!'

'Of course, a strong motherland is the support for us overseas Chinese. If the motherland needs help, I will do my best,'

Xia Yu said with a serious expression.

'Haha...'

'Come, Mr Xia, have some tea. I still have some questions for you...'

'I'm not worthy of your advice. I just have some thoughts I'd like to discuss with the two secretaries...'

...

Next, Luo Yunfei finally broke his silence and joined in the conversation.

During the conversation, Xia Yu and Luo Yunfei mentioned the idea that the Kyushu Industrial Group would continue to expand its investment and deepen its involvement in the industrial sector.

This was highly recognised and welcomed by Liu Yunfei and Li Bin, who said that they would immediately discuss the deployment at the meeting and provide support in terms of policy implementation and other services, so that the Kyushu Industrial Group could develop with peace of mind.

At the end, as Xia Yu was about to leave, Liu Zhongfei suddenly said to Xia Yu, 'Mr Xia, I have a humble request, and I hope you can help.'

Xia Yu's eyes flashed, and he sat back down, smiling as he looked at Liu Zhongfei and said, 'Secretary Liu, please speak. I will help if I can!'

Liu Zhongfei smiled and said, 'The Miss Elena who came with you is from the Rolls-Royce Motor Group in the UK. I would like to ask you to act as an intermediary to see if Rolls-Royce Motor Group can be invited to settle in Guangdong Province, to create a pillar of the automobile industry for Guangdong Province and help with reform and opening up.'

Xia Yu lowered his eyebrows, avoiding Liu Zhongfei's burning gaze, and did not rush to answer, recalling memories from his previous life.

It seemed that in his previous life, Guangdong Province's was the Yangcheng Automobile Factory, which had established a joint venture with the French Peugeot Citroën Automobile Group – the Yangcheng Peugeot Automobile Company.

Even in 1987, at the famous Beidaihe Conference, the mainland established the 'three big and three small' pattern for the development of Chinese automobiles.

First Automotive Works, Second Automotive Works, and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation were established as the three large bases for the development of Chinese sedans.

And Guodu, Jimen, and Yangcheng became the three small automobile bases.

The development of Huaxia automobiles would revolve around them.

However, Yangcheng Peugeot Automobile Company was uncompetitive, and in 1997 it even lost nearly 3 billion yuan and had to be forced into bankruptcy.

Yangcheng Peugeot Automobile became the first company in the history of Huaxia passenger car joint ventures to fail!

This also completely changed the pattern of the three small Huaxia automobiles, affecting the layout of the mainland's automobile industry.

The mainland's layout in the automotive industry is the same as in the steel sector – top-heavy!

The bankruptcy of Yangcheng Peugeot Automobile Company was the result of a combination of factors.

But ultimately, it was the French Peugeot Citroën Automobile Group that was rubbish.

Xia Yu had known before that the Peugeot Citroën Automobile Group had been suffering heavy losses, and that losses had begun in 1980.

In fact, PSA Peugeot Citroën is on the verge of bankruptcy. Xia Yu believes that the joint venture between PSA Peugeot Citroën and Yangcheng Automobile Factory was nothing more than a way to shift the pressure, and so PSA Peugeot Citroën did not take an active approach to helping with the domestic production of automobiles.

Failure was naturally inevitable.

In Xia Yu's view, it was the selfishness and perfunctory attitude of PSA Peugeot Citroën that caused Guangdong Province to waste a great many years and excellent policy support for nothing, and in the end, it was left all alone.

This is undoubtedly a great pity.

With the foundation of Guangdong Province and the support from above, the probability of developing a large automobile group in Guangdong Province is extremely high, and the return on investment is also extremely high.

He secretly controls the Rolls-Royce Motor Group.

So there is no reason for him to refuse!

But this is how people are: they don't cherish things that come to them unsolicited, and only cherish things that they have worked hard for.

So after putting on a show for a while, Xia Yueduan said conservatively, 'Secretary Liu, I will definitely help you with this favour, but I want to know what you are thinking and what plans you have for bringing in the Rolls-Royce Motor Group.'

'I can discuss it with you in advance to help you avoid some pitfalls, so that when Guangdong Province talks to the Rolls-Royce Motor Group, it will be more smooth and there will be no waste of time and effort. As far as I know, many places are planning to bring in the Rolls-Royce Motor Group.'

Liu Zhongfei said gratefully, 'Mr Xia, thank you!'

'The best that Guangdong Province can offer is the Yangcheng Automobile Factory. My idea is to follow the example of Shanghai and use the Yangcheng Automobile Factory as the base for a joint venture with the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Group.'

'Secretary Liu, there is no problem with this direction, but there is a huge difference between Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Tiangong Motors.'

'Let me ask you the most crucial question: which models of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars do you plan to introduce as the products of the joint venture car company?'

Xia Yu asked solemnly.

Liu Zhongfei was taken aback and said immediately, 'Of course it is the models of the Rolls-Royce and Bentley brands. The technology content of these two brands is the best, right?'

Xia Yu said with certainty: 'The models of these two brands certainly have the highest technical content among commercial models, but Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will definitely not agree to this, and I know that without even having to discuss it!'

Liu Zhongfei frowned, and asked in puzzlement, 'Mr Xia, why is that?'