Chapter 96

The Investment Promotion Office seemed to suddenly become busy, with business delegations from Japan, Hong Kong, the United States, Germany, France, and other regions booking one after another. Clearly, when the news of the German investment of $100 million in Wushan and the Chinese government's ambitious vow to build a "Chinese Silicon Valley" in Wushan was published and verified, countries with intentions to expand their overseas markets, especially those already interested in investing in China, finally turned their attention to this emerging city in northern China.

Among them, besides Hong Kong (British) businessmen, the Japanese companies eager to open the Chinese market were the most interested in Wushan. Compared to the southern special economic zones, Wushan was closer to Japan, with a well-developed maritime infrastructure. Additionally, Wushan's proximity to the capital, which might have been a coveted location for the Japanese, now had the substantial German capital as a pioneer and the Chinese government's ambitious development plan. Naturally, the new generation of Japanese business delegations flocked to Wushan like flies to a cracked egg.

Around three in the afternoon, Lu Zheng had just returned to his office when the director of the Investment Promotion Office, Chen San Shui, came to Lu Zheng's office. This Peking University graduate of the 1977 class had been extremely busy lately. A month ago, he was still running around for a $70,000 investment from a Hong Kong eyewear company, and a few days ago, he proudly reported his success to Director Lu Zheng. Now, the business delegations he received were clearly of a much higher caliber, including many world-renowned multinational corporations.

Today, Chen San Shui was meeting with a representative of one of Japan's most important conglomerates. The business card Chen San Shui handed to Lu Zheng read, "Chief Representative of Mitsubishi Bank China Wushan Representative Office, Yamamoto Taro."

"Director, the representative from Mitsubishi has been waiting in my office for a long time, hoping to meet you. Secretary Qin Huailiang from the Municipal Party Committee has called, asking us to give them a good reception."

Lu Zheng nodded slightly. He had interacted with Qin Huailiang a few times and found him oily and pretentious, with a shiny, slicked-back hairstyle that he disliked. However, Secretary Qin was very favored by the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee, Duan Zhongcheng. Although the current Secretary of the Committee (Office Director) was not yet a standing member, his attendance at the Standing Committee meetings highlighted his political status. Qin Huailiang, recently promoted to a full departmental level, was perhaps the most influential full departmental level official in Wushan.

"Bring him in," Lu Zheng said casually, getting up to make a cup of tea.

A short while later, the office door was gently knocked on, and a middle-aged man with a large head and a mustache, a typical feature of Japanese middle-aged men, followed Chen San Shui in. This must be Yamamoto Taro.

When Chen San Shui introduced Lu Zheng, "This is our Director Lu," Yamamoto Taro bowed deeply, handed over his business card, and spoke a long string of Japanese. The glasses-wearing interpreter beside him translated, saying something like, "Please take good care of us, Director Lu."

In his previous life, Lu Zheng had dealt with many Japanese people and was familiar with the characteristics of some Japanese businessmen. They appeared humble but were actually arrogant. No matter how polite they seemed on the surface, few of them truly respected the Chinese.

Lu Zheng smiled and stood up, shaking his hand. Yamamoto Taro's hand was thick and solid, and the handshake felt quite comfortable.

"Mr. Yamamoto, has Mitsubishi set up a representative office in Wushan? I didn't know about it," Lu Zheng asked curiously, gesturing for Yamamoto Taro to sit on the sofa opposite the coffee table.

Yamamoto Taro bowed his head and said, "Hai," as if to apologize, then spoke a long string of Japanese.

The tall, thin, and gentle interpreter beside him said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Yamamoto says it was his oversight."

"Our request to set up a representative office in your city has been approved by your People's Bank, but the relevant procedures have just been obtained from your city's People's Bank and have not yet been approved by your city government. We printed the business cards in advance, causing you to misunderstand. We are deeply sorry!"

Lu Zheng nodded slightly.

According to the "Management Measures for Representative Offices of Foreign Financial Institutions in China" issued by the People's Bank of China, foreign financial institutions applying to set up an office in China must apply to the People's Bank of China. For representative offices in provincial capitals, the application materials should be submitted to the local provincial branch of the People's Bank of China; for representative offices in other cities, the application materials should be submitted to the local city branch of the People's Bank of China. After the application materials are reviewed by the local branch of the People's Bank of China, they are forwarded to the headquarters of the People's Bank of China for review and approval.

The application materials submitted to the People's Bank of China include six items: (1) an application letter signed by the chairman or general manager to the governor of the People's Bank of China; (2) a business license (copy) or proof of legal operation (copy) issued by the relevant authority in the home country or region; (3) articles of association, list of board members or major partners; (4) annual reports for the past three years; (5) a letter of approval from the financial regulatory authority in the home country or region for the establishment of a representative office in China, or a recommendation letter from the relevant industry association; (6) other materials required by the People's Bank of China.

After approval by the headquarters or relevant branch of the People's Bank of China, the applicant must register with the relevant government department in the city where the representative office is located within thirty days. In Wushan, this relevant department is the Planning and Economy Commission, which reviews the documents and issues an approval certificate according to government regulations.

Now, Lu Zheng understood why Yamamoto Taro had come to see him. It was to complete the final procedures for establishing the representative office, which was now under the jurisdiction of the Investment Promotion Office, and specifically required his final signature.

However, to be honest, he did not have the final decision-making power. He would definitely have to sign, or else neither Party Secretary Duan nor Mayor Huang Mingtai would let him off the hook.

But to conduct business in Wushan, it was necessary to build good relationships with local officials responsible for investment promotion. In terms of interpersonal relationships, East Asian countries are similar, with a certain degree of official-business sentiment. Businessmen must build good relationships with the government and officials to maximize their benefits.

This was also the reason why Yamamoto Taro had come to visit him.

"Director Lu Zheng, these are some materials from Mitsubishi Bank," the interpreter said, handing a small paper bag to Lu Zheng on the coffee table in front of him at Yamamoto Taro's instruction.

Lu Zheng smiled and nodded.

In fact, Lu Zheng was well aware of the history of Mitsubishi Bank.

Mitsubishi, the largest conglomerate in Japan, was founded during the Meiji Restoration. Thereafter, Mitsubishi and its controllers, the Iwasaki family, gradually developed into one of Japan's major financial conglomerates.

With Japan's continuous military expansion, the demand for military products increased, and Mitsubishi, with its focus on heavy industry, experienced unprecedented growth.

During World War II, "Mitsubishi" produced various bombs, artillery, aircraft carriers, and large warships for the military, contributing significantly to Japan's aggression in China, Southeast Asia, and the United States. In the several battles for Shanghai, the eight aircraft carriers and over thirty warships used by the Japanese army were all manufactured by Mitsubishi.

After World War II, under the requirement of the Allied forces, all Japanese financial conglomerates, including Mitsubishi, were dissolved.

However, the various companies of the Mitsubishi conglomerate remained loosely connected. In the 1950s, the presidents and chairmen of the main companies of the Mitsubishi conglomerate began to form informal organizations such as the Mitsubishi Friday Club to exchange information and maintain relationships.

Unlike the pre-war Mitsubishi conglomerate, which was centered around the Mitsubishi headquarters, the post-war Mitsubishi group was formed by the various companies on an equal footing. However, the cohesion of the group was stronger than that of other conglomerates. The core companies of the Mitsubishi group made significant contributions to the development of Japan's heavy chemical industry.

Some say that if the restrictions of the Peace Constitution were lifted, Mitsubishi could quickly arm Japan into a super military power. This is not an exaggeration.

Facing the representative from Mitsubishi, Lu Zheng felt a surge of emotions and a deep sense of reflection.

If it were just after his discharge, before his rebirth, seeing these Japanese from Mitsubishi, Lu Zheng might have slapped them and kicked them, and if he had a gun, he might have even hit them with the butt of the gun.

But now, Lu Zheng understood the importance of patience and learning. There were aspects of the Japanese that were worth learning from, and the current environment did not allow him to act rashly.

As for the claim that most Japanese people are friendly to China, that was simply a lie. In the 1980s, it was still relatively good, as China was seen as poor and backward by the Japanese, and as a "stronger" country, Japan provided a large amount of interest-free loans to China, partly due to the political need to avoid war reparations. However, if China further developed, the insular mentality of Japan would resurface, and they would not tolerate China growing to a point where it could challenge them. In Japan, those who are friendly to China are a very small minority, and the claim that the general public was misled during World War II is just self-deception.

"Director Lu Zheng, Mr. Yamamoto says that a banquet is being held at the Five Continents Hotel tonight, and he hopes you will attend. Secretary Qin Huailiang from the Municipal Party Committee will also be there," the interpreter translated after Yamamoto Taro spoke a long string of Japanese.

Lu Zheng smiled. The Japanese way of thinking is often similar to that of the Chinese. Mentioning Qin Huailiang was a way to ensure he did not refuse.

"Alright, I will definitely attend," Lu Zheng smiled and nodded. Mitsubishi Bank? He should pay more attention to it.

Yamamoto Taro, upon hearing the interpreter's translation of Lu Zheng's words, finally showed a satisfied smile on his plump face.

Lu Zheng had already picked up the materials from Mitsubishi Bank on the coffee table and started flipping through them.

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