In mid-January, after Tianhua Mining completely separated the family, Tian's father invited Qi Zheng to the Philippines.

After the spin-off, Tianhua Mining is mainly engaged in metal mining business, including zinc ore, lead, copper and tin in China, with an approved ore reserve of about 50 million tons and an effective mining period of 15 years.

However, Tianhua Mining's metal mines in China are mostly small and medium-sized mines.

For mining companies, resources are always king. Mineral resources are the most important resource assets of mining companies, and if they control enough mineral resources, mining companies can attack and retreat, which is the royal road for international mining companies to remain invincible.

There is not much room for tossing and turning in China for a while, and Tian's father can only set his sights overseas.

In the past 30 years of reform and opening up, China's economy has developed rapidly and the rise of a great power, in this process, the current situation that the supply of resources cannot meet the demand has become unavoidable. Due to the large gap in domestic demand and the high degree of dependence on the international raw material market, China's resource security supply situation is extremely grim.

Since the second half of 2004, the purchase of resource enterprises with the participation of domestic enterprises has continued one after another, and China has become the most eye-catching buyer in the international M&A market.

Especially at the moment of the global financial crisis, with the support of huge foreign exchange reserves, Chinese people have indeed reached the level of desperation to buy resources, and even reached the realm of "people are stupid, have a lot of money, and come quickly".

The main sector of these acquisitions was natural resources, accounting for 97 per cent of all acquisitions, and capital flows were also very concentrated, with 90 per cent of the total value in Australia.

Tian's father also went abroad to buy resources, but he didn't follow the trend.

On the plane, Tian's father put his heart into Qi Zhengtui, as if he had a sense of déjà vu for cultivating a successor: "After the investment accident in the Philippines, many old friends suggested to me that I should leave the Philippines as soon as possible, even if there are good preferential conditions, even if there are good resources, don't go to such a country to buy mines." Because of the unstable political situation and uncertain rules, it is too risky to say that something will happen. ”

"But in my opinion, investing in the Philippines has a much higher chance of success than a swarm of people coming to Australia, and you know that people won't be able to watch you take all your resources into your pocket, which will inevitably provoke an unexpected backlash. I've heard that you have a successful M&A in Australia, you should have some experience, right?"

Qi Zheng nodded, the road for domestic enterprises to the world is by no means a smooth road, and the sugar company acquired by Jiagu in Australia does not involve mineral resources, and it has also experienced twists and turns. The situation of those resource companies, especially state-owned enterprises, can be imagined.

What's more, even the cautious Tian's father inevitably suffered a big loss, and once again reminded Qi Zheng that "it is not easy for children abroad": internationalization and going out are definitely trends and demands, but overseas resource mergers and acquisitions face many risks such as approval, evaluation, financing, finance, and integration, and must be cautious. The slightest negligence may "look up to the sky and laugh and go out, and come back dejected and crying".

"The minerals that my uncle invested in the Philippines are in Mindanao, right?" Qi Zheng asked.

Father Tian nodded: "Yes, but let's go to Manila first, and I'll take you to meet your partner in the Philippines." ”

......

The Philippines, once regarded by the United States as a "model" for emerging countries, at least in the capital Manila, has a thriving financial district with high-rise buildings, and it looks absolutely indistinguishable from the financial districts of developed countries.

But beneath Manila's glamorous exterior lies a poignant slum.

From the distance of the hotel where Qi Zheng and Tian Father stayed, you can see that there is a sharp contrast between the nearby high-rise buildings and the slums in the distance.

Father Tian is no longer surprised.

"Behind the country's drunkenness is the struggle of tens of millions of people below the poverty line, and more than 4 million people live in slums in Manila alone. ”

"Don't look at the miserable life in the slums, it's not bad, many people don't even have a shed, they can only live in cement pipes, spread some mats and rags, even if there is a place to sleep. ”

"You know, the most famous thing about the slums in the Philippines is the cemetery dwellers. Many poor people who had no choice ended up taking a place in the cemetery and 'living together' with the dead every day, eating, sleeping, and playing on top of the mausoleum. ”

"I've been so close to the slums of the Philippines that I can't bear to look at it, and even the river is full of garbage. Speaking of this, Father Tian seemed to remember something, and said to Qi Zheng seriously: "In the Philippines, when you go out to eat, you must not look for those small restaurants, otherwise you may eat pagpag food." ”

"Pagpag?" Qi Zheng had heard of this word for the first time.

"To put it simply, it's the leftover food waste that the rich eat and can be picked up by the poor. Filipinos call this satisfying food found in garbage heaps pagpag. As far as I know, many of the local poor people will pick up edible meat from the garbage dump and sell it in bags, and even an industrial chain has been formed. ”

"For the poor who live in the present, these are already rare foods. Even many scavengers and restaurateurs are willing to collect waste meat from collectors at a low price and then wash or disinfect it. After a simple process, cheap vegetables and a thick sauce are added to hide the original appearance and make a pot of 'delicacies' for guests to eat......"

Qi Zheng was a little sick to his stomach when he heard it.

Father Tian raised his eyebrows and said calmly: "The longer you stay in the Philippines, the more you will find that there is no hope for this country! But this has nothing to do with us, and it does not prevent us from getting what we want." ”

I have to say that in this regard, the cognition of the two is extremely compatible. If they are not compatriots, where can they have the heart to manage so much? As long as it does not prevent them from making money.

......

After arriving in Manila, Tianhua Mining's local office compiled the latest news from the Philippines so that the two could understand the situation.

As an agriculturalist, Qi Zheng subconsciously paid attention to the conditions for agricultural development in the Philippines.

The Philippines is rich in agricultural resources, mainly growing typical low-value-added, non-perishable crops such as rice, corn and coconut, as well as growing high-value-added fruits and exporting them abroad, and is one of the world's major fruit producers, rich in bananas, pineapples, mangoes, etc.

However, the infrastructure is too backward, coupled with too many overlapping land management departments, and the cost of agriculture is high, if the Philippine government does not provide more preferential policies and ensure the implementation, agricultural investment in the Philippines is definitely not a good choice.

In this regard, Tian's father is not surprised: "Whether it is the exploitation of resources or the development of agriculture, the lack of infrastructure is the biggest shackle. In contrast, the exploitation of mineral resources with higher value is naturally more favored by the government and provides more convenience for it. Therefore, in the Philippines, mining is more profitable. ”

Qi Zheng could only smile bitterly.

After getting a basic understanding of the latest situation in the Philippines, the two went to visit Tian's father's collaborator in the Philippines, Samos.

Saying that the Philippines has no future is evident from the rule of these big families.

"Benefiting" from the "democratic system" that the United States gave to the Philippines after World War II, the Philippines is now the weakest country of the same size in the whole of Southeast Asia, without any systematic national industry and pillar industries, and more than 300 members of Congress, representing hundreds of different hereditary political families and separatist forces ruling the Philippines.

Basically, in the Philippines, each family has its own territory. For example, the Samos family, Tian's father's partner, is entrenched in the political and business circles of Surigao Province, and no one has been able to shake it so far.

It is said that in last year's election of provincial councillors and mayors in Surigao Province, his family ran for 11 people, and 10 people were elected in a very "democratic" manner.

This is the "democracy" that many people dream of, and they are "democracy".

This is also the "aristocratic spirit" that many people strive for, and they are "nobles".

......