From the establishment of the industrial investment company to the present, the "Vietnam Commodity Fair" has been held for a total of 6 sessions.

Unlike the **** "Canton Fair", it is not fixed to be held in a certain city, but takes New York as the first stop like a tour. Rent stadiums or exhibition halls, set up many booths, advertise in advance and send invitations, and beg businessmen from all walks of life to come to visit and negotiate.

Spend seven days in New York, then continue in Chicago, San Francisco, and other cities.

After that, he moved to Canada, Australia, France, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, West Germany, South Africa and other countries.

The Overseas Department has set up a team for this purpose, and has even invested in the construction of two convention and exhibition centers in Hong Kong and Singapore, which integrate business, exhibition and hotel. It can be said that the promotion of Vietnamese products and the assistance of "industrial investment" enterprises to open up the international market have become part of the main work of the industrial investment company.

It has been held for so many sessions, and the exhibition team and the staff of the New York Representative Office have long been handy, from the layout of the venue to the opening ceremony, Li Weimin has never asked.

"Yesterday was the most, winning 8.27 million orders, an average of more than 6 million a day, nearly one million more than last year!"

No matter what contradictions there are at home, they are still very united abroad.

The seven-day annual trade fair is the most beautiful time for the Ambassador of the Republic of Vietnam to the United States and Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. and Mrs. Tran Van Vong. Submitting yesterday's transaction volume, he was so excited that he couldn't wait to take a tour of the United States with the group.

A few days ago, I accompanied my wife to Chinatown for a walk, and found that the actions of the "industrial investment department" had the greatest impact on the compatriots in Chinatown.

Many garment workshops cannot compete with the "industrial investment system" garment enterprises in terms of cost and quality. Closed their doors one after another. A Chinese boss working hard in the United States. I had to switch to a Chinese restaurant. Or scrape together money to go back to Hong Kong and Vietnam, and then sell the products back to the United States.

After reading the statistics, Li Weimin sighed while beckoning him to sit down: "The turnover is unsatisfactory, and there are too few high value-added products." The industrial structure has been adjusted, but the exhibition is still dominated by clothing, bags, shoes and hats, toys, bedding, small hardware and agricultural products. ”

Chen Wenwen took the cup from Wu Lijun's hand, and laughed: "Mr. Li doesn't need to be presumptuous, we are poor and white." However, in just seven or eight years, it has changed from an importing country to an exporting country, and international trade has changed from a deficit to a surplus, which is already very good. ”

"Yes, Chairman."

Han Zi'an, the head of the overseas department, said with a smile: "It's not that we don't have high value-added products, but those products have not been brought to the trade fair for various reasons. Electronic products such as televisions, tape recorders, and radios have general agents or general distributors, and chemical products are in short supply. ”

No one thought that the chemical industry, which had only developed in the past two years, would become one of the pillar industries of the "industrial investment system".

Jinou Industrial Park is a huge chemical park, relying on offshore oil fields, and has successively launched several large projects. The output of important chemical raw materials PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene) and PX (xylene) has surpassed that of Japan and become the largest in Southeast Asia. Not only export to earn foreign exchange. Moreover, it can drive the development of downstream enterprises.

The newly established Jinou Chemical Group uses PX (xylene) as raw material to produce PTA (purified terephthalic acid), and then esterifies with ethylene glycol, and polymerizes under the action of antimony catalyst to produce PET (polyester). The amount of PET is huge, as long as it is melted, spinnereted, drafted, heated, dried, cut and other processes, it can be made into fibers for textile, which is often referred to as "polyester".

At present, Jinou Industrial Park not only has four major chemical groups, but also nearly 100 enterprises that produce various dyes, anti-aging agents, neutralizers and stabilizers. More than 80% of the products are exported, and almost no overseas departments of industrial investment companies are used to help promote.

Speaking of these, Li Weimin shook his head and said with a wry smile: "The development of the chemical industry is too fast, talent training and production management can't keep up, either there is an explosion here or a leak there, from the Spring Festival to the present, there have been 6 accidents, killing and injuring more than 70 people." The pollution problem is even more serious, and the sewage is discharged into the sea regardless of whether it is toxic or not, and if this continues, fishermen will not have to go out to sea to fish in a few years. ”

Chen Wenwen waved his hand and said casually: "Mr. Li, how can the development of industry be pollution-free?" As for safety incidents, just pay attention. The most pressing task at the moment is to develop industry and boost the economy, and only in this way can we no longer be controlled by others. ”

The investment in environmental protection is too large, and it is really not so much for the time being. Li Weimin nodded slightly and didn't say anything more.

I spent seven days in New York and attended the celebration party.

Li Weimin finally took a helicopter with his wife to his sister's new home in New Jersey.

It's not so much a farm as a manor.

Located between New York and Philadelphia, in the heart of central New Jersey, about 20 minutes from Princeton, the area is not only beautiful, but also full of yearning because of the proximity of prestigious schools and famous private schools.

A three-storey building, secluded and secluded, with a modest colonial style, a simple and bright decoration style, and the previous owner even placed some animal ornaments in an ingenious way, which is very suitable for the surrounding environment.

On the east and west sides are uninhabited cornfields, where the former owner mainly raised horses and cows, and behind the house there were cattle pens, stables and racetracks.

The airport is on the south side, and there was originally only an improvised runway for small planes that farmed pesticides to take off and land. After Qingqing took over, he asked the contractor to widen and reinforce according to the pilot's suggestion, and now he can take off and land small jets, and even built a steel hangar.

The sister-in-law made such an exaggeration, Wu Lijun felt very funny.

After visiting the house, he took Li Weimin to see the horses with great interest, and walked around the stable, and couldn't help but cover his nose for the strong breath inside.

Back in the living room, Wu Lijun asked curiously, "Qingqing, how many workers are used here." ”

Li Weiqing blinked, put down the fruit plate and said, "You have seen the housekeeper and the cook, and there is also a cleaner." A gardener and a groom. When the farm work was busy, the housekeeper went to the town to hire people. Basically, I don't have to worry about it. ”

There is no homely atmosphere at all. The whole of an American "farmhouse".

In fact, she rarely lives here, but uses it as a place for leisure and entertainment, often to entertain business partners.

Li Weimin raised his arm and glanced at his watch, and said to himself: "Calculate the time, the guests are almost here, where is the car parked, I will pick it up at the airport." ”

Qingqing snorted and said, "You don't need to drive, just walk through the cornfield." ”

I came by helicopter and landed directly on the tarmac in front of the house. I didn't have much impression of the runway, but when I walked out of a low cornfield, I found that the runway was very wide and long, and there was more than one hangar on the side, and there was even a second-story control tower.

The old housekeeper had never seen Li Weimin, but he had heard of it I don't know how many times, and he knew that the master's brother was not only as rich, but also a talented musician, and seeing him with a puzzled expression, he quickly explained: "Sir." Cherry Town is located next to Princeton, and the town is populated by wealthy people. Mr. Henry, like Mr. Bruce, owns airplanes. They use our runway and hangar and share the maintenance costs with us. ”

"Brother, old George is very capable, and he takes care of this place impeccably."

"Thank you."

The suit is straight, the hair is meticulously combed, and he wears a pair of white gloves on his hands, and if he holds an umbrella, he can speak fluently in the London dialect, and the whole British aristocracy.

Such a stylish housekeeper, I really don't know where my sister got it.

Li Weimin secretly praised one, and said sincerely and sincerely: "Mr. George, thank you for taking care of my sister, with you, my father and I can rest assured." ”

The old butler owed a very gentlemanly debt, and said with a smile that was neither humble nor arrogant: "Sir, it is an honor to serve your sister, she is the most outstanding Oriental girl I have ever met, and the most astute investors on Wall Street will be overshadowed in front of her." ”

Qingqing pursed her lips and muttered unhappily, "Old George, am I just capable?" ”

The old butler's face was straight: "And beautiful and charming." ”

"That's pretty much it."

Wu Lijun leaned back with a smile, shook her arm and said breathlessly: "Qingqing, women age quickly, if you don't hurry up, you will become a yellow-faced woman like me." ”

"Sister-in-law, you're not old at all, you look younger than me."

It is difficult for a woman to find a suitable partner if she is too capable, and her sister's personal problems are indeed a troublesome matter.

Just when Li Weimin was about to urge her, the old housekeeper betrayed the master without hesitation, and said quietly: "You are the most beautiful and charming Oriental girl I have ever seen, and Lawyer Jin is the most handsome and capable Oriental young man I have ever seen." ”

"Lawyer Jin, Qingqing, what the hell is going on?"

"George!"

"Sorry, the guests will be here soon, I'll go prepare the food."

The old housekeeper slipped away, Qingqing gritted his teeth in anger, and in the face of the expectant eyes of his brother and sister-in-law, he could only explain in a mosquito-like voice with a red face: "Jin Ruoyi, a native of Shanghai, a lawyer at Lubo Law Firm, was introduced by Mrs. Chennault. ”

She often runs to Washington, D.C., often participates in various activities, and it is normal for her to know Chen Xiangmei.

Li Weimin couldn't help but laugh, and said matter-of-factly: "The character introduced by Ms. Chen Xiangmei should not be bad, Jin Ruoyi, this name is not bad." ”

"And he's a lawyer."

Wu Lijun said with a smile: "Let's talk about it, when will we meet?" ”

"If you have a chance, you are not in a hurry to go back, there is time."

As he spoke, a Clipper-3 jet produced by the French Southeastern Airlines roared towards the runway, and after a while, it taxied in front of the three of them.

This is not a small plane, but a regional airliner that can seat 60 people, and after being converted into a business jet, it naturally can't seat 60 people, but the appearance has not changed in any way, and it looks very large and magnificent.

The hatch opened, and a burly middle-aged man walked down and greeted him from afar: "Li, we meet again, this place is good, you should stay for a while." ”

Qingqing smiled and explained, "The former owner is a friend of Mr. Senator, and Mr. Senator came here during the transaction. ”

No wonder he said this, Li Weimin reacted, greeted him and said with a smile: "Mr. Senator, tomorrow is the weekend, why don't you let Madame come along." ”

Mansfield shrugged his shoulders and pretended to be exaggerated, "She has a Foundation to her name, and she's busier than I am." ”

His voice had just fallen. A familiar face appeared again. Li Weimin hurriedly said, "Your Excellency. Welcome, welcome, welcome. ”

"Thank you for the invitation, child, God bless you."

Bishop Spearman, Professor Wesleyan Fisher, Professor Anderson, former ambassadorial representative to Vietnam General Lawton Collins, former U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam De Brow, current Senator McCain and current White House security adviser General Taylor, are all big names and all members of the "Association of Friends of Vietnam".

When old friends met, they were so lively, they greeted each other one by one, and they exchanged pleasantries for a while before leaving the runway.

So many dignitaries came at once. Old George was accustomed to it, and knew that they were going to talk about big things, and drove the cleaners, cooks, and gardeners far away, and personally entertained the hostess.

Senator Mansfield, who had been a full supporter, was now in jeopardy, and as soon as he sat down, he said regretfully: "Lee, you are Vietnamese, and you are most familiar with Vietnam." It should be very clear in terms of preventing the complete collapse of South Vietnam and the introduction of a new order, as well as in stopping unrest and intrigue. Ngo Dinh Diem's personal courage, integrity, decisiveness and genuine nationalism played a crucial role. ”

"There's no doubt about it."

Gatherings like this have been held many times, and it is normal to get straight to the point, and Li Weimin emphasized: "He has accomplished extraordinary achievements, overcoming the great differences in religious and political beliefs, and striving to build a nation, and all this has been done under the pressure of the North Vietnamese." It can be said that without President Yan, there would be no South Vietnam today. ”

Washington is increasingly dissatisfied with Ngo Dinh Diem, and it is said that the State Council is considering a "change" of the South Vietnamese government and is looking for a replacement.

The Bishop did not want to see Ngo Dinh Diem ousted from power, and said with great seriousness: "Gentlemen, I admit that Mr. Dim Dinh Diem has many shortcomings, even very obvious, but I and others believe that even if a more outstanding person is appointed, the prospects may not be very promising. ”

Professor Wesley-Fischer asked, not without concern, "General, what is Mr. President's opinion and what is his opinion on this?" ”

Taylor shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Mr. President has been hesitating, but in my opinion, he is more inclined to support the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, and there are not many people who really want to promote regime change, as far as I know, Assistant Secretary of State Roger Hilsman, Deputy Secretary of State Averiel Harriman and George Power." ”

Senator Mansfield added: "Roger Shears was a commando in Burma during World War II and considered himself an expert on politics and counterinsurgency in Indochina, when in fact he had never been to Indochina and knew nothing about it. ”

Debro, the former US ambassador to Vietnam, was not as emotional as they were, and bluntly stated: "Gentlemen, it seems to me that the continued existence of the current government depends entirely on Saigon, not on Washington." ”

Li Weimin sighed lightly: "Mr. Yan is too stubborn, he is not willing to make any compromises. ”

"Then no one can save him."

"Are we going to start looking for a replacement, just like the State Council?"

"I think it's necessary because we know Saigon better than they do, and we know better what is happening there."

Seeing that everyone looked at him in unison, Li Weimin shook his head again and again and said, "Gentlemen, don't look at me, we discussed this possibility last year. I'm not suitable, and Mr. Chen Shiguo is not suitable. ”

Fisher smiled helplessly: "Lee's concerns have some reason, if you want to control the situation, you must get the support of the military, and the South Vietnamese government army has always had prejudices against the Industrial Investment Company and the Golden Ou Peninsula. For the sake of the overall situation, the Fourth Army and the Industrial Village Security Corps can cooperate with the military, but in my opinion, the military will not take into account the overall situation, and they will not be willing to pledge allegiance to any politician from the industrial investment company. ”

More on the future, the most urgent task at the moment is to strengthen the forces of the six lower provinces.

Li Weimin took out a list of weapons and equipment from his bag and said with a smile: "Gentlemen, the situation is not so bad that it is out of control, as long as the industrial villages and the Jinou Peninsula can continue to maintain stability, as long as the last line of defense is held, as long as there is enough power to influence the situation, then no matter what happens in Saigon, North Vietnam will not be able to occupy the whole of Vietnam." ”

Two EC-121 AWACS aircraft, 60 CH-34 helicopters, 5 CH-37 transport helicopters, 80 A-1 Sky Raider attack aircraft, 30 C-47 transport aircraft, 20 B-26 bombers, 15 O-1 observers, 15 universal liaison aircraft, 120 LVT amphibious combat vehicles, 20 155-mm howitzers, 50 105 howitzers......

General Taylor took the list and looked at it, and found that except for the EC-121 AWACS, all the equipment was made during World War II or the Korean War.

The matter of forming an air force and an army air force in the fourth tactical region had been communicated beforehand, and although President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense McNamara did not agree to it, they did not flatly refuse.

Taylor pondered for a moment, put down the list and said, "Lee, except for the AWACS, I don't think anything else should be a problem. ”

"General, AWACS aircraft are very important to us, and intelligence shows that the Soviet Union has just provided North Vietnam with a batch of advanced missile boats, which seriously threatens the safety of our offshore oil fields and oil tankers. And we do not have corresponding combat ships, so we can only use AWACS aircraft to monitor the oil field waters and the long coastline. ”

AWACS aircraft and air forces are not enough, and they belong to the most advanced equipment, not to mention that the president will not agree, even if he agrees to Congress, he will not be able to pass the hurdle.

Taylor asked thoughtfully: "How about replacing it with destroyers, the Navy has a batch of Keeling-class destroyers to mothball, and we can help you fight for two." ”

The Americans were too ungenerous, Li Weimin sighed secretly, shook his head and said: "General, it's okay to change to destroyers, but two is definitely not enough, at least four are needed." ”

The difficulty of the four ships is not small, Taylor pondered for a moment, and suddenly smiled: "Li, if you are willing to squeeze out a sum of money to entrust the Navy Shipyard to modernize it, I think it will be a little bigger." ”

In the end, I still don't want to give it away for free, I still want to make money.

He is a White House security adviser, in a sense on behalf of Kennedy, and will serve as ambassador to Vietnam in the future, Li Weimin does not want to leave a bad impression because of bargaining, so he agreed: "No problem, but the total budget cannot exceed 5 million US dollars, and I will send people to participate in the whole process during the transformation, otherwise I don't know how to maintain it in the future." ”

"You have to talk to the Navy Shipyard about the budget, and I think there should be no problem in sending people to participate in the transformation."

Li Weimin was completely convinced, and quipped: "General, you are really good at business, where is you like a soldier, a whole businessman." ”

"Dear friend, you should know very well that I have at most a little power to advise on this matter, and I have no right to make any commitments at all." (To be continued.) )