In the office of Global Shipping, Lin Zhichao looked at a document and was fascinated.

Hong Kong Airlines has a total of 5 aircraft, three DC-3 and two Viscount; Among them, the DC-3 is a passenger aircraft developed by the United States in the thirties, and the Viscount passenger aircraft is a star passenger aircraft developed by the United Kingdom in 1954, both of which are the world's best-selling passenger aircraft.

For example, after the British 'Comet' jet was stopped for technical reasons, Britain shined with the 'Viscount' propeller airliner, which could carry 70 passengers, which was already a very large aircraft.

Of course, in another year's time, Pan Am will fly on a Boeing 707 and bring the world's civil aviation into the jet age.

Hong Kong Airlines' three DC-3 aircraft were built in the forties and are currently valued at US$1.5 million each. The two Viscount airliners, both of which are new, are worth nearly $3 million each.

Therefore, the value of Hong Kong Airlines' aircraft is around $10 million.

The price of a Boeing 707 is expected to be $5 million.

In addition to the aircraft, the second most expensive asset of Hong Kong Airlines is, of course, the 'license', so the valuation is 12 million ~ 15 million US dollars, which is very reasonable.

Putting down the information, Lin Zhichao was a little difficult.

What HSBC means is that it will not directly participate in the acquisition, let alone compete directly with Swire & Co., so as not to give people the impression that 'the British fight the British'.

Indeed, even in later generations, HSBC would not have directly helped the Chinese to buy up British businesses. For example, Bao Yugang in his previous life acquired Wharf, and HSBC's biggest role was to lend 2 billion to Bao Yugang; Li Jiacheng bought Hutchison Whampoa, and HSBC just sold his shares to him, but did not help him directly seize power, and Li Jiacheng gradually took the position in Hutchison Whampoa.

HSBC is not involved, and Lin Zhichao is somewhat 'lonely', which is not a joke.

After all, this kind of acquisition is different from the stock market, which can be put on a posture and 'fired', and everything is done according to the rules of the stock market, while Hong Kong Airlines is not listed, and there are only two shareholders - British Overseas Airways and Jardine Matheson.

These two shareholders have no friendship with Lin Zhichao, and they may even discriminate against the Chinese.

"You can't buy it rashly! Otherwise, it could easily become a joke. Lin Zhichao said to himself.

After all, it was only the late fifties, and the acquisition of British-funded companies by Chinese was simply fantastical and rebellious; Even if Lin Zhichao's wealth now exceeds that of British-funded foreign banks, after all, the general environment is not favorable to him.

"You can't have the mentality that you have to succeed!"

Li Jiacheng in his previous life was Lin Zhichao's idol.

For example, he fell in love with Wharf at the beginning and secretly bought 20% of it, only to be discovered; As soon as he saw that the situation was not right, he could not afford to offend Jardine Matheson and HSBC, so he 'retreated as advance' and handed over the shares to Bao Yugang.

If you are an ordinary person, I am afraid that in that case, the shares will be handed over to the British capital. But Li Jiacheng was able to find the most beneficial way for himself, that is, to hand over to Bao Yugang, who was 'prosperous and lossy' with HSBC (at that time, HSBC and Bao Yugang cooperated in shipping, which did a great job).

Bao Yugang inherited his shares, which is to inherit Li Jiacheng's favor; This is also one of the reasons why HSBC later sold its 22.5% stake in Hutchison Whampoa to Lee Kar-shing.

Because, at that time, Bao Yugang was the vice chairman of the board of directors of HSBC, and secondly, HSBC also admired Li Jiacheng.

This acquisition is very unfavorable to Lin Zhichao, mainly because of the times.

First, he and HSBC have only just cooperated, and the relationship is not very deep, and Sandash is still a few years away from becoming the chairman of HSBC.

Second, the influence of the Chinese is still insufficient, at least in the seventies, so the British still look down on the Chinese in their bones.

Throwing out the above two reasons, Lin Zhichao himself does not want the price to be too high.

After all, if the aviation industry wants to make money, it will take more than 20 years of hard work to get to the 80s.

Thinking about this, Lin Zhichao seriously thought about how to do it.

"There it is!" For a long time, Lin Zhichao's eyes were enlarged, and he said to himself energetically.

Three days later, the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration of Hong Kong, Mr Patrick, came to the office of Taipansch York, Swire & Co.

At the age of 64, he is the fourth generation of the Swire family, and he has been a 64-year-old member of the Swire & Co. since the thirties, when the Japanese army invaded Shanghai. After the war, Swire & Co. led Swire & Co. to resume business, which also developed very smoothly, and also successfully won Cathay Pacific Airways.

"Deputy Director Bai Jiashi, are you here?" Schyoke said politely.

Swire & Co. has been rooted in Hong Kong for 90 years and has a close relationship with the Hong Kong government.

Bai Jiashi said: "I heard a news that the Chinese Lin Zhichao is discussing with the Governor of Hong Kong and the Chief Secretary of the State Council to acquire Hong Kong Airlines! I don't know if this news is important to Chairman Schyork? ”

Schyoke's coffee cup was fixed in the air, and then he said in astonishment: "Chinese, want to buy Hong Kong Airlines?" ”

Bai Jiashi nodded and said, "Yes!" This Chinese is very strong, Shi York should know better than me, right? ”

Schyoke hurriedly put down the teacup and said, "Yes! He has a fleet far more than Swire & Co., and he also has a huge industry, and his financial strength should be very powerful. It's just that he doesn't understand that it is impossible for the British government in Hong Kong to hand over the aviation industry to a Chinese. Could it be that Governor Ge Lianghong supports this matter? ”

Bai Jiashi shook his head and said: "Governor Ge Lianghong may not directly support it, but he should not oppose it, maybe Lin Zhichao has also joined the British nationality." ”

Schyoke hurriedly said: "That's still a Chinese, not an Englishman!" ”

The two chatted for a while, and when Shi York enthusiastically sent Bai Jia away, it is conceivable that the two have a great relationship.

Afterward, Schyork pondered in his office.

He is not optimistic that Lin Zhichao can buy Hong Kong Airlines, of course, he wants to buy Hong Kong Airlines to Cathay Pacific.

"Lin Zhichao can't succeed! Hmph, a Chinese person is also trying to get involved in Hong Kong's aviation industry, which is really beyond his means. Schyoke said to himself.

Of course, he was confident that Schyork also had connections in British business and political circles, and he studied law, and his classmates at that time had many British parliamentarians and government officials.

Therefore, as long as he initiates the relationship, Lin Zhichao will not be able to get through the level of British Overseas Airlines.

The second is Jardine Matheson, as a foreign firm that is also rooted in Hong Kong, the two will never do anything like 'their own family fights their own family'. Although it used to be a rival in the aviation industry, the route of one south and one north did not allow the two to compete.

Thinking of this, Shi York, who was originally a little nervous, also relaxed.

Of course, because Lin Zhichao intervened in the acquisition of Hong Kong Airlines, it also happened to give Schyoke an idea, that is, to acquire Hong Kong Airlines.

He has been observing Hong Kong Airlines all along, and now that he thinks about it, it is really an opportunity!

British Overseas Airways and Jardine Matheson take turns to operate Hong Kong Airlines, which has not been ideal, and there must be plans to let go.

Thinking of this, Schyoke decided to put it into action!

Lin Zhichao's side, he deliberately leaked the news through the channels of the Hong Kong government.

Because he is convinced, many officials in the Hong Kong government have a close relationship with Swire & Co.

Subsequently, through HSBC, he sent a message to Jardine Matheson and British Overseas Airways that Universal Airlines was interested in acquiring 'Hong Kong Airlines'.

Universal Shipping, a joint venture between Universal Shipping and HSBC, has been in line with the acquisition of Hong Kong Airlines in all respects.

After doing this, Lin Zhichao stopped his actions and did not continue to really contact British Overseas Airways and Jardine Matheson.

To put it bluntly, he is now thundering and not raining.

If there is an opportunity, he acts;

If there is no opportunity, then everything is just a rumor, and Lin Zhichao has not participated in the acquisition of 'Hong Kong Airlines' at all.

This time, Lin Zhichao did not get 'good conditions', on the contrary, he got the Hong Kong government's 'active non-intervention' commitment - that is, if Lin Zhichao acquires Hong Kong Airlines, the Hong Kong government will not stop it.

In fact, a relatively fair condition has been created for Lin Zhichao.

In October, the sun is shining.

On the site of the 'Miramar Hotel' on Kimberley Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, it is bustling with activity, and a grand groundbreaking ceremony is being held.

The business model of 'shopping mall + hotel' is definitely a milestone in the world's commercial real estate.

When the Hong Kong Planning Department first received the plan, officials were very excited, believing that the project could bring a certain boost to Hong Kong's economy and tourism. Therefore, great support has been given in terms of project approval.

"The Governor is here!" I don't know who shouted among the guests, and everyone looked in one direction.

I saw Ge Lianghong take the Hong Kong government officials and shake hands with Lin Zhichao with a smile, and then Lin Zhichao introduced the project to everyone.

"Our Miramar Hotel is divided into two parts, one part is a shopping mall, one part is a five-star hotel, and the two buildings are combined into a building complex with a total investment of more than 50 million Hong Kong dollars, of which the construction cost is about 40 million Hong Kong dollars."

Hong Kong government officials gasped, they didn't expect Lin Zhichao's strength to be so strong, an investment of 50 million Hong Kong dollars, I'm afraid that Hong Kong's Jardine Matheson & Co. would not be able to come up with such a huge amount of money to invest in a real estate project. (Referring to the Ocean Terminal in the 60s of the previous life, it was funded by the Hong Kong government with an investment of 60 million Hong Kong dollars)

Ge Lianghong couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Lin, what is this shopping mall like?" ”

Lin Zhichao used very popular words to explain: "It should be an idea that we pioneered, simply put, it is an advanced version of the 'department store', the characteristics of the department store are: all stores and products are one boss, and the department store is one-on-one service to customers; After customers enter these stores, they belong to self-service shopping, they can choose as they like, 'open the cabinet and pick up' is the feature of these stores, but after the customer selects the goods, they can go to the front desk of the store to check out."

After some explanation, everyone has already understood.

Ge Lianghong praised: "Mr. Lin is worthy of being a business wizard, and he has amazing performance in many fields. ”

"Your Excellency the Governor has won the prize!"

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao brought everyone to the guest seat and arranged for Ge Lianghong to deliver a speech.

Ge Lianghong is also very face-saving, and in his speech, he also regarded today's scene as a scene of communication with Hong Kong's business community; In his speech, Ge Lianghong was also very emotional, after all, he was about to leave.

In his speech, he said proudly: "I am optimistic about the future development of Hong Kong, and many people once thought that Hong Kong's economy would collapse because . However, with their clever wisdom and diligence, Hong Kong people have made industry surpass entrepot trade and injected new vitality into Hong Kong's economy. I am proud of my 10-year career as Governor of Hong Kong, and I wish you well for the future of Hong Kong! Thank you! ”

For a time, more than 100 Chinese business people below gave applause.

When it was Lin Zhichao's turn to speak, in addition to introducing the 'Miramar Hotel' project, he also took the opportunity to express his views on the current real estate situation as a 'real estate leader'.

"After several years of brutal growth, although Hong Kong real estate is developing with each passing day, the overall aspect is also very good, such as improving the living environment of Hong Kong people; However, there are also many hidden dangers and problems, but fortunately, the Hong Kong government formulated new regulations in time to avoid a greater crisis. ”

"Although Hong Kong's real estate is in a downturn at this time, it is actually just the impact of the 'imbalance between supply and demand', and it is also the result of the brutal production in the past few years;

"In this downturn, the real estate developers who survive will definitely regain their vitality! Thank you! ”

This round of real estate decline, many small and medium-sized companies have collapsed, and even two large real estate companies have encountered crises. However, there are many who have survived, after all, only two of the ten large real estate developers are on the verge of bankruptcy, which has already explained the problem.

Lin Zhichao's speech was also very inspiring, and everyone gave warm applause.

When Schjock returned to London, he approached Manchez, the head of British Overseas Airways, and formally offered to buy Hong Kong Airlines.

British Overseas Airways, a state-owned airline that only takes long-haul routes, attached great importance to Hong Kong Airlines at the beginning, but after a few years of operation, it has gradually lost patience and does plan to sell.

"Mr. Schörk, have you heard that someone wants to buy Hong Kong Airlines, so you plan to come to the door to buy it?" Manchez said with a smile.

Although it is going to be sold, British Overseas Airways also wants to sell at a high price, so it is a good thing that there are two competing at this time; The only pity is that the other family is Chinese, although there is a British-funded component.

Schyoke nodded and said: "Indeed, we intend to buy the shares in the hands of your company, Lin Zhichao is Chinese after all, and Hong Kong's aviation falls into the hands of the Chinese, I believe this is not what the British government wants to see."

Manchez blindly emphasized that Lin Zhichao was Chinese, but did not make a sincere offer, so he frowned and said: "Others already have a letter of recommendation from Mr. Prime Minister, so it is no longer a problem about this." ”

Shi York was stunned, he didn't expect Lin Zhichao to have such a deep relationship in London, but he still didn't take it seriously.

"No, he's still Chinese! Hong Kong Airlines can only be in the hands of us British, and the Chinese are unreliable! ”

When he said this, he didn't want to get caught up in the bidding, but played the political Z card.

Manchez said impatiently: "Mr. Schyork, this is our choice, you just need to tell us your sincerity!" ”

Seeing this, Schjock still didn't take Manchez's words to heart, and he felt in his heart that neither the British government nor the top management of British Overseas Airways would allow the sale of Hong Kong Airlines to the Chinese.

And Manchez's performance at this time is just wanting to ask for a little more money.

"In that case, we at Swire & Co. are willing to bid £2.2 million (£1:16) for a 55% stake in British Overseas Airways."

Manchez was not satisfied and said: "This price is simply for nothing!" ”

Schyoke smiled and said, "No! I know the situation of Hong Kong Airlines very well."

In this way, Schyork made an insincere offer and insisted that the price should not be raised by much.

Because in his opinion, the aviation industry is not profitable at this time, and Hong Kong Airlines is an unprofitable company, if the price is too high, it is not in the interests of Swire & Co.

Swire & Co., arguably the only option for Hong Kong Airlines, can only be sold to Swire & Co.

In this way, Manchez politely sent Schyork away, and the first negotiation between the two did not reach an agreement. Manchez was not satisfied with the price, and Schyork was more concerned about the price.

To be on the safe side, Schjock also visited some government MPs to lock up his purchase.

His idea is that in politics, it will be impossible for Lin Zhichao to acquire Hong Kong Airlines!

Economically, the minimum price is to get the equity of Hong Kong Airlines.

As for Jardine Matheson, he also decided to play the emotional card, not the economic card.

(End of chapter)