Chapter 88

Over the next half month, Lu Zheng joined the municipal government's negotiation team. The team was a gathering of talents, including several nationally renowned economists. Although the team was nominally organized by the municipal government, in reality, it was led by the newly formed Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, which was a merger of the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Administration of Foreign Economic Relations, the Import and Export Control Commission, and the Foreign Investment Management Commission.

Even the Party Secretary of the city, Duan Zhongcheng, could only observe from the sidelines. According to the negotiation process, the land designated for the West German investment in Wushan would certainly become a national-level high-tech development zone, and it would be the first of its kind in China.

Originally, the establishment of a national-level high-tech development zone was still under discussion by the central leadership, but the arrival of the Germans acted as a catalyst.

Since Duan Zhongcheng could only observe, there was even less for Lu Zheng to do.

However, in front of many domestic experts, Lu Zheng proposed several practical suggestions. For example, the clause that Chinese technical personnel should have access to the core technology of the joint venture and receive regular training at the parent company's American laboratory must be included in the contract. Another suggestion was that the Chinese side should contribute land to the joint venture but not at a low price, as land is a precious resource.

Most of these suggestions were adopted by the experts from Beijing, and thus, Lu Zheng also earned some recognition and respect among the local cadres.

Regarding the high-tech development zone, Lu Zheng also made several suggestions. The boldest was his proposal to relocate several prestigious science universities from Beijing to the future high-tech science park. Lu Zheng argued convincingly that without strong universities and university laboratories, the high-tech science park would be like water without a source or a tree without roots. If the goal was to develop the science park into China's Silicon Valley, it required a grand vision. In the future, the high-tech development zone and the science universities would promote each other, rather than one helping the other.

Although his arguments were logical, no one took them seriously, and they were mostly just discussed privately. However, some experts verbally expressed their agreement and praised Lu Zheng in front of the main leaders of the Wushan Municipal Committee, saying things like, "Little Lu is a promising young talent with vision and courage."

Invisibly, Lu Zheng's status in the eyes of the main leaders of the Municipal Committee had subtly changed. At least, Zhang Yugong treated him with increasing closeness.

One evening, Zhang Yugong even called to invite Lu Zheng to his home for a casual dinner. Lu Zheng knew that even Liu Baojun, who had followed him all his life, had never received such an honor.

The round dining table, known in Wushan as a "round tabletop," was set with a sumptuous dinner, including chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Zhang's wife was an excellent cook, and the aroma filled the air.

The wine was Maotai, with a fragrant aroma.

Besides the young maid, only Zhang Yugong and his wife, along with Lu Zheng, sat around the round table, chatting casually. Zhang's wife enjoyed listening to Lu Zheng's stories from all over, and she even poured herself a small glass of white wine, saying she was "accompanying Zhengzi."

At home, Zhang Yugong seemed more relaxed. Suddenly, he asked, "Zhengzi, do you know Deputy Governor Qi from the province?"

Lu Zheng was taken aback and said, "Yes." Clearly, in the political arena, there were no secrets. Previously, these big shots in Wushan had not paid much attention to him, but if they had, they would have heard about Uncle Qi's efforts to help him.

However, with so many Deputy Secretaries in the provincial committee, Uncle Qi, as a deputy governor, did not rank high and was an outsider with no deep roots. Someone like Zhang Yugong, who had strong backing in the province, would not take Uncle Qi seriously.

Seeing Lu Zheng nod, Zhang Yugong smiled and did not ask further. He sipped his wine and sighed, "Stealing a half-day of leisure, after a lifetime of revolution, I should have retired long ago. The future belongs to you young people."

Zhang's wife interjected, "Whether you retire or not, you should take care of Zhengzi. He's a good kid."

Zhang's wife wore a dark gray dress, looking very elegant. Her demeanor clearly marked her as a leader's wife.

Lu Zheng was a bit puzzled. Why did he seem to be popular among middle-aged women and above? From Pei Aihong to Ma Dajie and now Zhang's wife, they all seemed to have a good impression of him.

Zhang Yugong, hearing his wife, smiled and said, "You've always said you don't get involved in organizational matters, haven't you?"

"Zhengzi is different," Zhang's wife said, serving Lu Zheng a piece of braised pork. "If our daughter hadn't already married, I would have tried to matchmake."

Zhang Yugong laughed, "You're getting carried away. That's just a pipe dream."

Lu Zheng smiled and continued eating.

In fact, due to Liu Baojun's treatment, Lu Zheng had always been wary of Zhang Yugong. But in his home, he found that Zhang was just like any other elderly person, kind and approachable.

Zhang Yugong sipped his wine and asked Lu Zheng, "Zhengzi, you haven't been to the negotiation team these past few days, right?"

Lu Zheng nodded. After more than half a month of negotiations, the basic framework for the Sino-German joint venture, Changming Electronics Co., Ltd., was largely determined. The German side would provide capital and technology, owning 70% of the joint venture, while the Chinese side would contribute land and capital, holding 30%. The next step was to negotiate the details, such as how much land and capital the Chinese side needed to contribute to reach 30% of the shares, and the various preferential policies the state would offer to Changming Electronics. This would be a long process, and if it didn't go smoothly, it could take one or two years.

Of course, the current focus on introducing foreign investment emphasized efficiency. Often, whatever conditions the investors proposed were accepted, especially in joint ventures where the government provided the site. The fastest record was a joint factory in Shenzhen, which completed negotiations in just three days, earning the nickname "Shenzhen Speed."

However, once the detailed negotiations began, Lu Zheng was no longer involved. During this period, he did not report to the negotiation team and instead began his work at the Education Commission.

Zhang Yugong smiled, "You probably don't know, but the Germans really appreciate you. When we proposed that Chinese personnel join the management team, they refused outright, with no room for negotiation. In the end, they specifically named you, saying that if there had to be a Chinese person in the core operational team, it had to be you. Apart from you, at least for now, there will be no Chinese representatives in the operational team. Moreover, if you were to serve as the party secretary, they agreed that the company could have a party organization."

Lu Zheng was completely stunned. Whether in the special economic zones or inland, there was a strong tendency to place management personnel in joint ventures, and it was common for officials to serve as general managers of joint ventures. Many joint ventures and even foreign companies were forced to set up party committees and party branches. This was something foreign investors did not want to see and strongly opposed.

Did Schneider really have such a good impression of him? This was too unbelievable.

"Zhengzi, what do you think about this?" Zhang Yugong asked calmly.

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Director Zhang, can I speak my mind? If I say something wrong, just pretend I didn't say it. Can I speak freely?"

Zhang Yugong smiled and nodded slightly.

Lu Zheng then said, "I think that if we really want to make this company successful, our party and government departments should not interfere too much. Let them run it freely. We introduced foreign investment not only to learn technology but also to learn their management methods and operational concepts. If we force our cadres to get involved, it will only cause trouble. I would describe it with two words: chaos."

Zhang Yugong laughed but did not comment.

Lu Zheng continued, "Of course, necessary management is required. We can't let foreign companies come to China and implement their corporate culture in a way that exploits Chinese workers, turning our joint ventures into sweatshops."

Zhang Yugong smiled and nodded.

...

On the second floor of the Wushan Foreign Language College's office building, there was an office with a sign that read "Wushan Municipal Foreign Language Exchange Committee Office."

In the office, Zhou Xiaoming stood meekly in front of Lu Zheng, listening to his instructions for the next phase of work.

Although Zhou Xiaoming still mocked Lu Zheng behind his back for being a roughneck, in front of him, he followed orders without hesitation.

Moreover, Zhou Xiaoming had to admit that Lu Zheng had his own methods. In just a few days, he seemed to have a better grasp of many tasks than Zhou himself. For example, the special numbering system Lu Zheng proposed for archiving translation talent reserves made it easy for the office staff to quickly find the files they needed without having to sift through a pile of personnel records.

These small changes greatly improved daily work efficiency, and one couldn't help but admire Director Lu.

"Little Zhou, I'm probably on my last shift. I hope that after I leave, you won't think my time at the Education Commission was a laughingstock," Lu Zheng said with a smile.

Zhou Xiaoming was taken aback, his face turning red, but he couldn't find the words to respond.

At that moment, the phone on the desk rang. Lu Zheng answered it. It was Liu Baojun, "Zhengzi, shall we meet up tonight?"

Lu Zheng smiled, "Sure, Old Feng also invited me. Let's all go together."

Liu Baojun was puzzled, "Which Old Feng?"

" Feng Lianying," Lu Zheng said, a name that carried a distinct era flavor, suggesting he was likely born in the 1950s or named by his parents during that time.

Feng Lianying, around 36 or 37 years old, was currently the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Organization Department and the Director of the Municipal Labor and Personnel Bureau. He was the youngest full-section-level cadre in the municipal organization system and was known for his sharpness and competence. He was promoted by Zhang Yugong.

When Lu Zheng took up his post at the Education Commission, Feng Lianying accompanied him.

"Oh, Lianying? Sure, let's all meet up," Liu Baojun agreed happily.