Chapter 576: One of the Last Four Families Investing in the Future
Chapter 576: One of the Last Four Families Investing in the Future
The subsequent handover with officials from the Hong Kong government’s Lands Department will naturally be handled by professional legal professionals.
After Yang Wendong and Zheng Zhijie came out of the venue, they were surrounded by many reporters. However, they and the security guards at the venue were also very capable and easily pushed the reporters away.
The same was true for several other real estate developers, including those from the British consortium. There were even some Chinese reporters who went over to ask the Keswick family in English how they felt about the loss of Hutchison Whampoa to the Chinese consortium. John Keswick was so angry that his face turned even paler, but there were too many reporters present and some Hong Kong government officials behind him, so he had to maintain his composure and left without saying a word.
After returning to his car, John Keswick shouted angrily: "Fuck, is Yang Wendong crazy? He actually raised the price so high, nearly 3 million to buy a piece of land."
The assistant beside him was a little scared when he saw that his boss had such a bad temper, but he was responsible and said, "Mr. Keswick, it is public knowledge that Yang Wendong is optimistic about Hong Kong real estate. His investment in Hong Kong in the past few years has exceeded 1 billion.
It is also a good thing for us. With such strong capital, the Hong Kong real estate market will surely rise sharply. We have so many buildings in Central. Once the housing prices rise, we can easily make a profit from the land on Kang Le Street. "
"This is the only way to comfort myself now." John Keswick shook his head and said, "I originally wanted to take this land to build a landmark building in Hong Kong to highlight the strength of our Jardine Matheson Group. Unfortunately..."
The assistant consoled him, "Sir, there are so many ways to make money in this world. There is no need to stick to real estate. For example, the group's shipping business last year had profits close to those of real estate. Looking at the current situation of the shipping market, this year's profits may be even higher."
"That's right. The shipping sector is beyond my expectation. I didn't expect that the Suez Canal has been blocked until now, and there is no sign of traffic." John Keswick also nodded and said, "It's a pity that although our group has a shipping company, it is not large in scale. It is much smaller than Swire Wheelock and even smaller than Yang Wendong's Changxing Shipping."
In the early years, the Jardine Matheson Group was involved in too many industries and invested in too many countries, which resulted in that apart from real estate in Hong Kong, it was not very proficient in any of the other businesses;
Unlike Swire, they have fixed on a few core industries: aviation, beverages, shipping, and trade. Although they are also involved in other industries, they are all small businesses; even their rival, Changxing Group, has its own business plans.
The assistant said, "I think the group should invest more in shipping. Every shipping company in Hong Kong is expanding on a large scale and making a lot of money, much more than real estate."
The real estate industry in Hong Kong has indeed developed well in recent years, but it cannot compare with shipping. The global shortage of ships has existed for several years, and the problem has not been alleviated. Once the Suez Canal is stopped, the global demand for ships will increase by at least 30%. How can it be possible to meet the market demand within a few years? Even if those shipbuilding companies are busy as hell, it will not be enough.
John Keswick frowned and said, "But the problem is that it is difficult to develop. We can't buy ships at all. The shipyard's orders have been full for a long time."
The assistant said, "If you buy it second-hand, there's still a chance."
"Okay, then you can check around the world, or spread the news, to see who wants to buy it. We will also consider it." John Keswick nodded and said.
Shipping was indeed very profitable during this period, and he even thought about exchanging a building for a ship.
Outside the venue, Yang Wendong gathered with Chinese people including Li Jiacheng and Li Zhaoji for a simple meal and discussed the future development of the real estate industry.
Even though the market is optimistic, Yang Wendong may not be able to beat these people in terms of management. I don't have any suggestions. Everyone should develop on their own. Yang Wendong will provide appropriate credit assistance, and we can develop together.
By the end, only Li Ka-shing was left at the scene, and he was obviously busy.
"What's wrong?" Yang Wendong asked, "What difficulties does Sun Hung Kai have?"
Li Zhaoji smiled and said, "That's not the case. Mr. Yang should know that our Sun Hung Kai is preparing to go public, right?"
"Yes, I know." Yang Wendong nodded.
Originally, 1972 was the most important year for the Chinese real estate industry in Hong Kong, because in this year, many Chinese real estate companies went public to raise funds, and also because they obtained a lot of funds before the stock market crash, they successfully avoided the stock market crash and the real estate crisis.
But now history has changed. Yang Wendong's existence has promoted the development of real estate in Hong Kong. The real estate companies he invested in have developed more smoothly. Therefore, several of them are preparing to go public in advance, and Sun Hung Kai is one of them.
Yang Wendong doesn't care about this kind of historical change. He just lets things take their course. After all, as time goes by, his influence in Hong Kong is getting bigger and bigger. The future of Hong Kong, apart from those historical events, other aspects, especially those related to business, will inevitably change.
Li Zhaoji next to him said: "Mr. Yang, after Sun Hung Kai is listed, I plan to cash out some of my shares and then resign from Sun Hung Kai."
"Oh, why?" Yang Wendong asked, "Do you want to start your own business?"
.
In the past, Li Zhaoji and Guo Desheng also left Sun Hung Kai Properties around the time of its listing in 1972, and then founded Henderson Land Development, which eventually developed into one of the four major families in the future. Li Zhaoji said: "Yes, I also want to start my own business. In addition, Guo Sheng and I have different operating philosophies. Guo Sheng's investment tends to be stable, develop gradually, and work hard in the real estate industry;
I think we should be more aggressive when the market is good, but we also need to diversify our investments appropriately.
There is no right or wrong in these two concepts. If they are managed well, they can both help the company grow, but a company cannot have two operating philosophies, so I want to leave."
There was nothing to hide about this kind of thing. He and Guo Sheng had had many disputes over operational issues in internal company meetings, and the representatives dispatched by Changxing Group also knew about it. It was just that such a small matter might not be reported to Yang Wendong, but he would know it as long as he asked.
"The operating concepts are different, I know that a little bit." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "You are right, there is no right or wrong in operating concepts, it all depends on the people who implement them;
I think both of you have great abilities. If you have conflicts in the development of the company due to different operating philosophies, then it is really not suitable for you to be together. It would be better for you to start your own businesses separately."
A snake cannot survive without a head, but it also cannot survive with two heads. Just like in ancient armies, a useless general is better than two all-round generals. The most feared thing for any organization is to fall into internal friction.
"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Yang." Li Zhaoji continued, "Now I have two issues to discuss with Mr. Yang. The first is that I have about 20% of Sun Hung Kai's shares. If I wait until the listing to sell them, it will take a long time and may affect the stock price. So I want to sell them to you."
"If you sell it to me, I will be the largest shareholder of Sun Hung Kai. Mr. Guo probably won't be happy to see that." Yang Wendong said with a smile.
I already own 20% of Sun Hung Kai's shares, and with another 20%, even if some of my shares will be diluted after the listing, my equity will exceed 30%, making me definitely the largest shareholder.
Li Zhaoji said: "Just don't tell Mr. Guo about this. I will sell it on the stock market after it goes public. Mr. Yang can arrange someone to take it over. You can decide how much to take over.
I just hope that when I sell, it doesn’t cause a big drop in the stock price.”
"Okay, I'll consider it, but I can guarantee that I won't let the share price of Sun Hung Kai Properties plummet." Yang Wendong nodded and said.
Naturally, he would not think about competing for the management rights of Sun Hung Kai. The core of such a company has never been the property assets, but the founder and his team. Only those British rubbish have the prime land but do not know how to develop it. If he does not forcibly acquire such a company, it would be a shame to the land price in Hong Kong.
The four major families in the future will not mind having too many stocks in their hands, but too many stocks may affect the founders' sense of security and responsibility, so it is a good idea to hide some of them moderately.
"Okay, thank you Mr. Yang." Li Zhaoji said with a smile. He also hoped that the stock price would remain unchanged when he sold it, so as not to affect his relationship with Guo Desheng, nor his own interests.
Yang Wendong asked again: "The second thing is about your new company?"
"Yes, my new company has been registered, it's called Henderson Land Development." Li Zhaoji added: "Now the shares belong to me alone. I hope Mr. Yang can invest in my company. I can give up 20% of the shares, but the premise is that you need to provide appropriate guarantees for me with several banks in Hong Kong."
"Okay, guarantee is not a problem." Yang Wendong asked again: "Are there other shareholders? In the future?"
If he was guaranteeing for someone else, Yang Wendong might still consider it, but one of the four major families in the future, even if it was not self-made like him, its ability was unquestionable, and guaranteeing him moderately would basically be risk-free;
If too much money is involved, then you only need to pay attention to it before the stock market crash. Even if the stock market suffers losses due to your presence, you can still invest again and gain more equity while receiving gratitude.
Of course, according to the rules, there is also a fee for the guarantee.
Li Zhaoji smiled and said, "No, with your joining and guarantee, I think I will not be short of funds for a long time, so why should I give shares to others?"
"You're right." Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Then how much money do you need?"
Lee Shau-kee replied: "This has not been confirmed yet. I just have this idea at the moment. I need to wait until Sun Hung Kai is listed, cash out, build a team, and have target projects before estimating the company's valuation."
"That's right. If you're almost there, just come to Changxing Group to find me." Yang Wendong didn't ask for details.
He doesn't need to worry about such things. It's enough for him to be able to invest in one of the last four major families in the future.
PS: Ask for monthly ticket 6
(End of this chapter)