After a meal, the matter of the approval was settled. After Feng Yu returned, he remembered that Sino-Soviet trade was expected to reach a peak this year, and the higher-ups had already given the green light. Even if he followed the normal procedures, he should be able to obtain the approval.
In fact, even during the time when relations with the Soviet Union were strained, trade between Heilongjiang and the Soviet Union never stopped. Official trade might have ceased, but there was a lot of smuggling.
Once winter set in and the river froze, trucks could drive directly across the ice. With the right connections, the inspectors would turn a blind eye, and goods would flow freely.
For example, Lada and Volga cars were most numerous in Heilongjiang, even exceeding the number of imported vehicles.
The next morning, Feng Yu drove to the Foreign Economic and Trade Department. The department shared an office building with several other departments, but while there were long queues at the other departments, the entrance to the Foreign Economic and Trade Department was deserted, indicating that Director Li's situation was not good.
Feng Yu knocked on the door, and a secretary-like person came out. After Feng Yu explained his purpose, he was invited in.
Director Li was reading a newspaper, seemingly ignoring Feng Yu. This tactic of making people wait might work on others, but it had no effect on Feng Yu.
Director Li secretly glanced up and saw Feng Yu leaning back on the sofa, legs crossed, looking completely at ease. This kid doesn't seem to be in a hurry.
"Cough, cough... Xiao Feng, when did you come in?"
"Just now, I'm sorry to disturb Director Li's work," Feng Yu said politely, though he thought to himself, "I don't believe your secretary didn't report to you when I came in!"
"Right, you said yesterday that you have a company with export procedures and now you need import procedures, right?"
"We discussed it, and we can process the procedures for you, but you need to limit what you import."
"We will absolutely not import anything that is not allowed by the higher-ups." Feng Yu was clear: as long as the goods were permitted, he would do them. Why would he need to deal with contraband when he could make a fortune with normal goods?
"How much in value of goods can you import and export in a year?"
Feng Yu thought for a moment and held up a hand: "This year, it should be five million."
Five million in half a year, that's over ten million in a year. Even if there's some exaggeration, it's still around seven to eight million. This young man is doing quite a big business.
"Whoa..." Director Li took a deep breath. Rubles? That's about thirty to forty million RMB a year. This isn't a small business. Some large state-owned factories might not even have such a high trade volume in a year. The Foreign Economic and Trade Department's import target for this year is only one hundred million rubles, and this kid can complete one-tenth of it?
Although surprised, Director Li maintained a calm demeanor. He responded with a casual "Oh" to show he understood.
Feng Yu had checked; a trade volume of over ten million rubles a year was not the highest in Heilongjiang, but it was definitely the highest among private companies. Now that Director Li knew the strength of Feng Yu's company, Feng Yu could start to request some conveniences from the Foreign Economic and Trade Department.
"Director Li, whatever our province lacks, as long as the Soviet Union allows it to be exported, just tell me, and I can buy it. Our province might become the largest in Sino-Soviet trade in a couple of years, with more import and export companies and higher tax revenue. Of course, all of this will be accomplished under your leadership."
"Ah... All of this will be accomplished under the leadership of Secretary Zhao and Governor Wang." Director Li was delighted but pretended to be modest.
If this company can earn foreign exchange and increase tax revenue, and if it develops under the encouragement of the Foreign Economic and Trade Department, it would be a solid achievement for him. He might even get a promotion before retirement. Of course, this is on the condition that the company is as good as Feng Yu says.
He had already checked with the business registration office today; the registered capital was only 200,000 RMB, yet they claimed a trade volume of ten million rubles a year. This kid must be looking for loopholes!
In this era, various laws were not yet complete, leaving many loopholes. For example, Li Shiqiang's current practice of trading treasury bills across regions was exploiting a loophole. If it were like the future, with a nationwide network and uniform prices, this business wouldn't be possible.
But now, not only is it possible, it's also very profitable, tax-free, and legal, though very few people know about it.
Director Li didn't care how Feng Yu was exploiting loopholes; as long as he could help the department meet its targets, he didn't want to interfere. If Feng Yu got caught exploiting loopholes, it would be even better. His property would be confiscated, and Director Li was confident he could turn Taihua Company into a subordinate unit of the Foreign Economic and Trade Department.
The important thing is that with the first private company, he could report to his superiors and get more attention for his department.
Look at the other departments, bustling with people, while the Foreign Economic and Trade Department was deserted!
"Here, take this note and go to Deputy Director Zhang. He will tell you how to proceed with the relevant procedures."
Feng Yu looked at the note. There didn't seem to be any obvious marks. It was said that leaders' signatures had hidden meanings, even the punctuation marks, but Feng Yu couldn't see anything.
"Thank you, Director Li. Once the approval is processed, let me know a place, and we can gather. I also want to hear your guidance."
Director Li was very satisfied with Feng Yu's attitude, but he declined the dinner invitation. The higher-ups were investigating strictly, and he was afraid that if Feng Yu got caught exploiting loopholes, it would implicate him.
With Director Li's note, Feng Yu found Deputy Director Zhang's office.
When he entered and saw Deputy Director Zhang, Feng Yu felt a sense of familiarity. Looking at the rules and regulations on the wall, and the name Zhang Ruiqiang, Feng Yu finally remembered.
This Deputy Director Zhang, wasn't he the future mayor of Bingcheng? And during the 1997 state-owned enterprise reform, he was heavily criticized by the citizens. But later, many people said he did the right thing. If not for the tough decisions, those people would still be on welfare, and there wouldn't be the good life they have now.
This is a powerful connection. He would eventually enter the ministry, and if he could establish a relationship now, it would be very beneficial in the future. However, he didn't expect that he would be in the Foreign Economic and Trade Department, a relatively quiet department. It would take some effort to build a relationship with him.
He didn't expect much help from this person in the future, just that he would be fair and not cause trouble for Feng Yu. In a few years, Feng Yu's company would grow, and if others didn't cause trouble, trouble would find him.
"Deputy Director Zhang, I'm here to process the import procedures for my company." Feng Yu omitted the "Deputy" to make it sound better.
Deputy Director Zhang looked up: "Do you have all the materials? Bring them over for me to see."