Chapter 86

Several West German guests were staying at the Wuzhou Grand Hotel. On the way to the Wuzhou Grand Hotel, Lu Zheng and several comrades from the Foreign Economic Relations Commission were in the car. Deputy Director Yang Baimao of the Foreign Economic Relations Commission was extremely restless, just like Zhou Xiaoming, worried that Lu Zheng, this rough man, would "dishonor the country." However, Lu Zheng was the deputy director of the Education Commission, personally coming out to do translation work. Out of respect and reason, he could not have the slightest doubt.

The Foreign Economic Relations Commission, due to work needs, had several good cars to pick up and drop off foreign guests. Lu Zheng, Yang Baimao, and others were in a Mitsubishi minivan, which was very fast and smooth. In less than half an hour, they arrived at the Wuzhou Grand Hotel.

The Wuzhou Grand Hotel was newly built last year, with complete facilities and a modern business meeting room equipped with typewriters, photocopiers, tape recorders, and other office facilities.

At the oval conference table, the Chinese and German sides sat on opposite sides. Among the several West Germans, the leader was named John Schröder, Gerhard Schröder, about forty years old, with a hooked nose, deep-set eyes, and a sharp gaze. His face was marked by the typical German rigor, making him seem difficult to deal with.

Yang Baimao's opening remarks were naturally a series of warm welcomes. However, he had serious doubts about Lu Zheng's abilities, so his words were all simple Chinese. Even so, he spoke at length.

Who knew that Lu Zheng simply spouted a few German words to Schröder and the others. Yang Baimao felt a headache coming on again. Fortunately, today's guests were not important. They had heard that the guests were from Beijing, just looking around casually, with no instructions from the central ministries. It seemed they were just small businessmen.

"Welcome to Wushan for your inspection," Lu Zheng said in German.

Schröder gave Lu Zheng a deep look, perhaps feeling that the young man in front of him was very different from the Chinese he had previously encountered. In China, what he heard most often were long-winded welcome speeches.

Yang Baimao then introduced himself and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, you are our guests in China. Friendship comes first, business second. We have opened our doors to work together with friends from all over the world. If you have any matters, feel free to contact me or the Foreign Economic Relations Commission. We will do our best to assist you." Although they were small businessmen, the Chinese have always been hospitable, and attracting investment required a good reputation. Yang Baimao had been in foreign trade for over a decade, initially dealing with socialist countries and Afro-Asian-Latin American countries, and now gradually with developed Western countries. He had a lot of experience.

This time, Lu Zheng spoke a lot of gibberish.

Although he didn't know what Lu Zheng was saying, Yang Baimao felt somewhat reassured. Seeing Schröder nod and smile, this director of the Education Commission must not be a fake. Westerners, especially Germans, are very rigorous and wouldn't pretend to understand if they didn't. If they didn't understand the translation, they would have said so.

Schröder then spoke a lot of gibberish. His Chinese translator said, "Mr. Yang, you don't need to be so polite. We have done our homework. In Wushan, we intend to invest 100 million US dollars to jointly establish a microcomputer company with your country, producing various electronic products. We just want to understand your specific policies in Wushan, as well as any special policies for the technology development zone. What conditions does your government plan to offer for the joint venture, or can we invest independently?"

"What? What did you say? 100 million US dollars?" Yang Baimao was stunned, almost not believing his ears. 100 million US dollars? What does that mean? Last year, the total foreign investment in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was only 5.1 billion Hong Kong dollars, and most of it came from Hong Kong merchants due to its proximity to Hong Kong.

At the beginning of this year, the first Sino-foreign joint computer company in Guangzhou, Ailv Greenfield Computer Co., Ltd., was established with Singaporean investment of only a few million US dollars.

100 million US dollars, at the official exchange rate of 1:2.80 this year, would be nearly 300 million RMB. In a society where the average monthly salary in first-tier cities was less than 100 yuan, what did that mean?

So Yang Baimao felt he must have heard wrong or misunderstood the meaning of the words.

Lu Zheng, however, frowned and asked, "A computer company? May I ask, what is your parent company?" German computer technology wasn't great, so why were they investing in a computer company? And 100 million US dollars? Could they be foreign scammers?

Schröder smiled and said, "Mr. Lu, right? Our company was established at the beginning of this year, but rest assured, we have substantial funds. We have just successfully acquired the personal computer development department of IBM in the United States, so you don't need to worry about our technical capabilities."

What? Lu Zheng was even more surprised than Yang Baimao. Germans acquiring IBM's microcomputer technology and business department, how did this happen? This world was completely out of order!

IBM's microcomputer department was currently insignificant, and Apple had just introduced a graphical operating system, which many conservative forces did not see as promising.

But Lu Zheng clearly knew that in the near future, microcomputers would bring profound changes to the world.

However, who were the Germans who acquired IBM's personal computer business? This strategic vision was so sharp as to be terrifying.

How did this world suddenly become different from the one he knew? Had he done something to change it?

Lu Zheng was at a loss. He had only changed the fate of some people in Guangning, including himself. How could the butterfly effect reach Germany?

Wait a minute? Germany. Lu Zheng suddenly remembered that he had indeed met some German children when he visited his uncle in the United States, but how could that have such a significant impact on the world?

The Germans in front of him didn't seem to be lying. Although the acquisition of IBM's personal computer business wasn't big news now, he could look up the information to verify it. Moreover, for most people, this news wasn't worth boasting about.

IBM, focused on mainframe business and, like the recently dissolved Bell Telephone Company, deeply involved in antitrust litigation, selling some of its business units to reduce public pressure was not surprising.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, "Alright, Mr. Schröder, I want to know your investment objectives."

"Making money," Schröder smiled, "There's no doubt about that." Then he patiently explained to Lu Zheng, "Our president is very confident in the future of personal computers and has absolute confidence in the Chinese market. He believes that in the foreseeable future, mainland China will become the largest consumer market in the world, including electronic products."

"Our investment this time, in your Chinese terms, is to be the first to eat the crab. We also hope that your government will reward our bold attempt with the most favorable policies."

"Wushan has convenient transportation and is surrounded by the best universities in China. It is not as congested as Beijing and Tianjin, making it the best area for developing high-tech industries. We hope to set up a factory here and that your municipal government will plan a high-tech development zone. We hope that the policies of this high-tech development zone will attract electronic chip, integrated circuit, and other electronic enterprises, as well as various venture capital investments, to form a thriving industrial area in the future."

"China's Silicon Valley?" Lu Zheng was taken aback.

Schröder laughed, "Mr. Lu, you know about it."

Lu Zheng nodded silently. The Germans were indeed straightforward. They came to make money, and the huge investment required special policy support.

If this really happened, the prospects for the industrial zone would be very optimistic. Early start, huge foreign investment, and taking advantage of the current Sino-Western honeymoon period, even non-sensitive or sensitive technologies could be introduced through the Germans, far surpassing the future development of Zhongguancun.

However, if this continued, the largest high-tech industrial zone in China might be dominated by German companies, which could pose a potential threat to national security in the future.

Schröder then picked up a thick document and said, "This is our preliminary investment plan and the assistance we need from your side. We hope you will consider it seriously and start formal negotiations as soon as possible."

Clearly, the other party was well-prepared.

After leaving the meeting room and saying goodbye to Schröder and the others, Yang Baimao wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and said, "I need to report to Secretary Duan."

He had no time to inquire about what Lu Zheng and Schröder had discussed. Such a huge investment, especially in high-tech, would soon alarm the central government. He had to report to his superiors as soon as possible.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly and shook hands with him in farewell.

...

That afternoon, at the end of the workday, Lu Zheng suddenly drove to the city bureau, picked up Wei Xiangxiu, and then sped off.

"How can you do this?" In the car, Wei Xiangxiu's face was slightly red. Some colleagues might have seen them. But Lu Zheng's car was waiting not far from the entrance of the city bureau. If she didn't get in quickly, it would attract more attention.

"What's wrong? Can't a friend pick you up? You're thinking too dirty," Lu Zheng said confidently.

Wei Xiangxiu was taken aback. Yes, what was so wrong with a friend picking her up? Why did she feel so guilty?

"Then what do you want to do? Eating is fine, but no movies. I'm on duty tonight," Wei Xiangxiu said firmly.

"Movies? Don't worry, I won't watch them with you anymore. Too much trouble," Lu Zheng said casually.

Wei Xiangxiu glared at him but said nothing.

"I'll show you something," Lu Zheng said simply.

Wei Xiangxiu didn't ask any more questions. They got out of the car at Lu Zheng's building and followed him upstairs.