The fight against Vietnam in southern Xinjiang is in a fierce stalemate.

The capital of the northern kingdom did not feel the slightest tension.

Perhaps the most intuitive impact on ministry officials is the country's decision to withdraw troops to control the scale of the war, and the decentralization of some hawkish personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to other foreign affairs departments.

On Chang'an-Street, in the office building of the First Machinery Department, the office of the director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau.

Comrade Director sat at his desk with black-rimmed glasses and read a report that Minister Zhou asked his secretary to forward.

The unit that made the report was the Qiantang Oxygen Concentrator Factory, and the content was exactly what Gu Biao pointed out and Chen Sicong wrote.

Before Minister Zhou forwarded it, he circled two sentences: "In the difficult period when the country is concentrating on economic construction and reducing military orders." Foreign affairs units should actively assist enterprises, seek foreign technical cooperation, and apply scenarios for military-to-civilian conversion. On the premise of not violating the export of national sensitive technologies, we will maximize the creation of economic benefits and foreign exchange earnings through exports. ”

This circle reading shows that Minister Zhou has combined the spirit of the central government and is ready to set a model in this area.

Minister Zhou is deeply rooted in the ministry, when the country established the ministry in 1952, he was a director of the ministry, and has been working in the ministry for nearly 30 years, and has also worked in the ministerial position for more than ten years. So everyone is used to never questioning Minister Zhou's decision.

In the early years of the reform, all kinds of waste are waiting to be revived, specifically in the field of the country's machinery industry, there are two main achievements:

The first is the gradual development of traditional civilian science and technology to achieve more product localization/self-sufficiency/export foreign exchange earnings.

This work is very complicated and large, and it is difficult to count as a breakthrough at the level of a national ministry and commission to produce hundreds of millions of dollars in additional exports. (At that time, the country's annual foreign exchange reserves were less than $1 billion, and the annual foreign trade income was about $2 or 3 billion.) By the end of the 80s, this figure could probably rise by more than 10 times. ）

The second piece is the transfer of military orders to civilian use, and the search for foreign export cooperation after desensitization. If it is left in the Ministry of Ordnance Industry (called the Ministry of the Third Machine in the 60s), this work is the absolute top priority and the mainstream. However, the First Aircraft Department does not have so much military-related technology, its volume is relatively small, and its work tasks are lighter. But if you want to be typical, it is still very interesting, and it is a good place to make political achievements.

The director felt Minister Zhou's determination, and he himself was full of energy.

"Let the little bag come and see me. He asked the secretary to make an internal call.

After a while, Bao Chengcheng arrived.

"Director, are you looking for me?"

The director asked casually: "What do you think of the feasibility of Qian Yang's reports?" You should be familiar with this factory, I took you there back then. ”

Director Bao obviously knew in advance that Chen Sicong would write the book, so he studied it in advance and understood it thoroughly: "I think the feasibility is very good, but some risks cannot be ignored, and we should pay attention to avoid them when operating them." ”

The director took the opportunity to ask: "What do you say?"

Director Bao shook his spirit: "The helium-making machine can be built by the United States, the Soviet Union, Germany and France, and if the Soviets are removed and do not enter the Western market, my country can only be regarded as the fifth." Because we do not know the technical secrets of foreigners, we cannot accurately assess whether Qian Yang's new 'membrane helium-based helium' technology is 'filling the domestic gap' or 'international leading level'.

However, patent application is expensive, and properly protecting a new set of process inventions requires about tens of thousands of dollars in legal costs in mainstream Western countries. Once the application is successful, there are thousands of dollars in annual fees per year.

At the same time, capital pays attention to the country's patent system, which is a national protection system, that is, it is applied in one country and protected only in this country. I calculated with Comrade Qian Yang a little that even if I only apply in the United States, France, Germany, and Japan, the legal cost may be 200,000 US dollars in the early stage, and about 30,000 yuan per year in the future.

If 20 years are completed, the total legal expenses in the future will be 800,000 yuan. If the eventual prospect of earning foreign exchange from this technology does not exceed $800,000, there is a risk that the ministry will run a foreign exchange deficit. ”

The director frowned, pondered in his mind for a few seconds, and asked, "What is the price of the helium machine currently sold to the memorial hall?"

Bao Chengcheng replied pertinently: "That one was only sold for more than 2 million, RMB." However, this price can't be counted, not only the R&D cost has not been amortized at all, but even the labor and management have not been calculated, and it is basically a material money-

This kind of project is half sold and half donated, and no one dares to make money. If there are equal units in China, and if you want to buy it in business, I think it's okay to sell it for five or six million yuan. ”

(PS: This industry is far away from life, and everyone has a concept of price.) Let me give you an example, in the 80s, if the municipal hospital in Hangzhou-Zhou had its own small oxygen station, it was about 400,000 yuan a set. The energy consumption is not cost-effective, and the oxygen production is enough for the hospital to use itself, but fortunately, it can also provide the liquid nitrogen that the hospital needs.

If it is a steel plant to blow oxygen, at least a few million. The same size of helium generator is ten times more expensive than oxygen production, and air separation equipment is roughly at this price. ）

"A medium-sized helium machine is 6 million yuan, and if it is calculated according to the black market exchange rate, it is 700,000 US dollars. According to the gross profit of 25%, at least 4 sets must be sold in order to achieve RMB settlement without loss and net foreign exchange of 3 million US dollars. ”

The director secretly calculated in his heart, but did not say it.

Nowadays, for the sake of the country's face, the official compulsory foreign exchange settlement exchange rate is very high, and 1 US dollar is less than 2 yuan.

However, foreigners will never exchange at this exchange rate, and the actual exchange rate on the black market fluctuates between 1:8~10.

"Xiaobao, have you ever thought of a way to avoid risks?" asked the director with a frown.

Director Bao's adrenaline secretion increased slightly, took a breath, and said: "There is a way, but I don't know the policy ......."

"Let's hear it first. "The director was very encouraging and encouraging.

"It's to send someone to Xiangjiang first, find out if there is a law firm/intellectual property agency that provides international legal representation, and let them risk representation——

Let's start the application first, and we will only give a small part of the advance payment. As long as it is confirmed that our technology is indeed advanced and can be patented, then the follow-up legal fees will be paid by them for the time being, and we will not pay for it.

At the same time, we can subcontract the liaison work between technology buyers and overseas customers, and as long as our technology is exported in the future, we will share a certain percentage of the sales to the agency. In this way, the more we sell, the more money the agency makes, and some wealthy and discerning agents are willing to take it. ”

The director pondered for a while: "Then what is the proportion of similar cases and risk agents that you have seen?"

"I've seen 25% of future sales, or 50% of direct technology licensing fees. ”

The director gasped.

This is equivalent to that, according to this plan, it is indeed possible for the final ministry to spend almost no money and take no risks at the beginning. But in the future, if it is really a big sale, for every four sets of equipment sold, there will be a set of money to the Xiangjiang agency.

Lack of confidence in products and technology, and want to do business without capital, is the price.

If Gu Biao was present at this moment, he would definitely feel incredible: the country would be so poor in foreign exchange that it was unwilling to even bear the risk of lawyer's fees/agency fees?

This kind of difficulty, which was unimaginable to the technicians of later generations, is a real gain and loss today.

It's a pity that even if Gu Biao is present, he doesn't have $200,000, and it is impossible to take this risk personally.

Even if he has money, the technology is not completely provided by him - he just gave the core ideas and directions, and the real landing is still achieved by so many technicians in his father's factory who have worked hard for a year or two, and he has no position to make profits based on it at all.

"It's better to be safer with this method, at least you can't sell it, and you won't lose foreign exchange on the lawyer's fees first...... If you really sell it, it's nothing more than making less money in the future. ”

The director of the bureau thought about it again and again, but he had no choice but to go to the meeting and ask the minister to make a decision and then ask the central government about its policy in this regard.

The issue of foreign intellectual property rights related to exports is now smeared by everyone, and it will take two or three months for the great man to officially announce the mention that "intellectuals are part of the working class".

In such a tense period of foreign exchange, it is absolutely impossible to spend dollars before making money.

……

A few days later, I don't know how many times I asked for instructions from top to bottom, and finally I heard that the plan was even stabbed to the top, and the top level still had the courage to finally decide.

The director hurriedly found Bao Chengcheng as soon as possible:

"Xiaobao, this matter will be left to you - the proportion of equipment exports, risk agents, can not exceed 20% of sales. If the technology licensing fee is directly collected from the external party, the agency fee shall not exceed 35%. If you can talk lower, you will be credited.

This time, we will do a special thing, and if the effect is good, we will explore other ways of cooperation in the future. What resources do you need, what cooperation, tell me now. ”

"I'll just bring a few staff members who usually work with me, and in addition, bring an intern transferred from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, okay?"

"Interns? Why do you have to be interns? "In his heart, the director is very reluctant to this unsafe arrangement.

Bao Chengcheng also had no other choice, so he explained: "The intern's name is Gu Biao, he himself is the son of Qian Yang's technical cadre, and he has made a lot of technical contributions in the research and development of the helium machine.

I think having someone who knows a lot about technology is also good for negotiation – otherwise it's hard for me to brag to those Heung Kong lawyers about how promising this technology is and how worthy of their risk representation ......."

"There is such a capable intern in the bureau? Xiao Song, transfer his information and resume to me. The director was still talking to Bao Chengcheng in the first half of the sentence, and turned to his secretary in the second half of the sentence.

It doesn't matter if you look at this, many glorious achievements about Gu Biao were laid out in an instant.

"It turned out to be a contribution to 'poverty is not socialism', which is rare. I thought he was a philosophical talent, but I didn't expect to have a hand in technology, which I really didn't expect. ”

The director's surprise was beyond words.

"And I did well in school, and I was very accurate in judging the international situation. Whether it is the expansion process of the war between Vietnam and Cambodia at the beginning, or the current offensive of our army, it has been decently deduced......"

After reading all of Gu Ao's performance in school, the director decided to give him more opportunities.

"Xiaobao, then you will take him to Xiangjiang first this time, if things are really done well, I think you can also take him to Iraq next time." Young people do have a specialization in the arts, and we can't stop them because of our age. ”

The director's decision is still relatively prudent.

Compared with the new technology of membrane helium machine, 60,000 cubic meters of oxygen production is a mature technology that has been developed in China for seven or eight years, so even if the Foreign Affairs Bureau wants to find technical comrades to go on business trips and go to foreign countries to promote in the future, it should not be Gu Biao's turn.

Instead, you should go to Qian Yang to find a technical backbone with old qualifications - such as Gu Yong, Gu Biao's father, and his qualifications must be enough. It's a pity that Daddy's culture is not enough, and he will only bury his head in hard work and don't know how to brag about his technology, so he actually has to change his eloquence to "technical blowing".

Just like the "scientists" who are responsible for making reports in the scientific research project teams of later generations.

But now, since Chen Sicong's two proposals were mentioned in the ministry together, with the former one as a touchstone for Gu Wei's ability, the director didn't mind giving him a chance to observe.

Bao Chengcheng got a clear order, and he didn't hesitate at the moment. I went back to the office first, explained my assistant, and discharged the itinerary, and then pedaled my bicycle and went straight to the Foreign Affairs University to inform Gu Biao that he was going to Xiangjiang.