Liao Chengde's face changed dramatically. He repeated the words several times in his mouth before finally asking in a low voice, "I wonder what the country needs me to do?"
He was a man who came from the mainland in the 1960s and was well aware of the terrifying nature of the political era. Although he had been in Hong Kong for many years, being in this special place, surrounded by media that constantly vilified the mainland, he remained highly cautious about political matters.
However, he also knew that the current mainland government was very different from the past. The era of political dominance and arbitrary accusations had passed. The current focus of the mainland government was on economic development, and its attitude towards foreign investors was vastly different from before.
Now, people from the mainland had come to him, asking him to help the country, which left him at a loss for a moment.
After all, he was just an ordinary businessman in Hong Kong, always adhering to the principle of keeping a low profile and making a fortune quietly, with no grand ambitions, just hoping to earn more money.
He couldn't understand why the relevant departments of the country would come to him.
What Liao Chengde didn't know was that he had left a very good impression in the central government. He was one of the first Hong Kong businessmen to invest in the mainland and later became the initiator of the "Hope Project," directly sponsoring many children who had dropped out of school due to poverty.
After the incident last year, Western countries, led by the United States, imposed a comprehensive blockade on China, from military to economic and cultural aspects. The comprehensive cooperation between China and the United States, which began in the 1980s, came to an abrupt end, and Sino-U.S. relations fell to their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
This blockade caused significant trouble for the Chinese government at the time. Many large-scale projects jointly built by domestic and foreign entities were forced to halt, and aid from some countries was also suspended. The most troublesome issue was that many urgently needed materials and supplies could no longer be obtained through normal channels.
In this situation, many high-precision machines and weapons imported from abroad could not be used due to a lack of parts, causing significant harm to the defense industry.
Before the reform and opening up, China had a few countries with very close ties, one of which could often import weapons from advanced Western countries and then smuggle them into China. However, in this blockade, even these countries were on the list.
With this route blocked, the only option was smuggling.
And the best choice for smuggling was Hong Kong, the free port.
Hong Kong's prosperity was rooted in its status as a free port. A free port is a port or region where most or all foreign goods can enter and exit duty-free. Located at the mouth of the Pearl River and at the heart of the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong had the advantage of both time and location. Establishing a free port could expand transshipment trade and generate various trade fees, increasing foreign exchange earnings.
The Asia-Pacific region has six of the world's top ten ports, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Kaohsiung, Kobe, Busan, and Keelung. Hong Kong and Singapore have been competing for the top spot in global port throughput. (1990 data)
Last year, the total throughput of all Hong Kong ports approached five million standard containers, with an average of over ten thousand standard containers passing through each day. In this situation, the specialized maritime bureau could not inspect every container, providing conditions for the smuggling of certain prohibited items.
In fact, some ship tycoons in Hong Kong, who made their fortunes through shipping, had previously transported urgently needed supplies to the mainland.
Originally, the mainland government could have approached these traditional tycoons, but this time the sanctions were unprecedented, and many overseas companies were hesitant to have excessive contact with these people, as everyone at a certain level understood the nature of these private transactions.
In this situation, the wealthy and previously clean "famous patriotic businessman" Liao Chengde came into the sights of the relevant departments.
"If you have any financial difficulties, we can provide support, or even get Macau to contribute a portion," Luo Dengtang added after explaining his purpose.
"What do I need to do?" Liao Chengde thought for a long time with his head down before cautiously asking. The matter was significant, and he couldn't agree immediately; he needed to understand the entire process.
"Actually, you don't need to do much. You just need to register a trading company and do business properly. We have already arranged the sources and the receiving end. We just need to get through Hong Kong," Luo Dengtang smiled, giving Liao Chengde a sense of reassurance.
He didn't mention that Liao Chengde was about to obtain Australian residency, which would alleviate some countries' concerns.
"I need to think about this. Can you give me some time?" After half an hour of silence, Liao Chengde still couldn't make up his mind.
"No problem. I know this is sudden. Mr. Liao, if you have any ideas, you can call me anytime." Luo Dengtang made a gesture of calling, stood up, and said, "Actually, you don't need to feel any pressure. It's fine if you don't agree. We might have other opportunities to cooperate in the future."
In a subtle way, he added a sentence that sounded like a courtesy but also a threat.
Liao Chengde's heart tightened again.
"Can I ask, are there other people like me in Hong Kong who are involved in this?" Liao Chengde frowned, knowing that his question was abrupt and childish, but the matter was significant, and he had to ask more.
"Mr. Liao, your question puts me in a difficult position. You should know that this violates our organizational principles. However, I can privately tell you that among your fellow collectors, there is a very famous gentleman who is helping the country within his capabilities. We are very grateful to him. I understand that he will soon be elected as a member of the CPPCC Standing Committee."
The CPPCC, or the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, is a patriotic united front organization, with members mostly from various democratic parties and non-partisan patriotic individuals. Its status is equivalent to the U.S. House of Representatives or the British House of Commons.
A member of the CPPCC Standing Committee is at the level of a minister in the Chinese administrative system, one of the highest levels that members of other parties can achieve. With this identity, one doesn't need to worry about political issues.
Liao Chengde understood who Luo Dengtang was referring to. This gentleman was indeed a big shot in the Hong Kong collecting community and was well-known in the world of collecting, even being called one of the world's top five collectors.
Carefully concealing his shock, Liao Chengde stood up, shook hands with Luo Dengtang, and respectfully saw him out. He continued to wave goodbye until the car disappeared from sight.
Back home, Liao Chengde was in a state of turmoil. He knew this was a great opportunity that could multiply his family's wealth several times over, but deep down, he still wanted to keep a distance from politics.
After a week of deliberation, Liao Chengde still couldn't make up his mind and was constantly preoccupied. This was all seen by his reborn son, Liao Xiaohua, who was eager to help but couldn't do much. However, he knew that Zhong Shi held a significant place in Liao Chengde's heart and might be able to help.
So he approached Zhong Yi, and the two discussed the situation in private, detailing it to Zhong Shi, leading to this phone call.
"Mr. Zhong, is something wrong?"
Liao Chengde was very surprised by Zhong Shi's call. In his memory, Zhong Shi rarely initiated calls, but when he did, it usually meant a business opportunity.
"Old Liao, do you want to make money?" Zhong Shi laughed and threw out a temptation.
"..." Liao Chengde was silent. If it were the old him, he would have eagerly asked for more details, but now he had no heart for such things.
"Uh... It seems they were right. Has something happened to you recently?" Zhong Shi rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful.
This call was instigated by Zhong Yi and Liao Xiaohua. Liao Xiaohua had seen his father's recent behavior and was worried, but he couldn't help much. However, he knew that Zhong Shi was highly regarded by his father and might be able to help.
So he approached Zhong Yi, and the two discussed the situation in private, detailing it to Zhong Shi, leading to this call.
"It's hard to explain in a few words. Mr. Zhong, can you come to Hong Kong soon?" Liao Chengde hesitated for a long time on the phone, his voice tinged with a pleading tone.
"No problem!" Zhong Shi became serious and immediately agreed.
...
Three days later, at the Liao family mansion, the study door was tightly closed. Liao Xiaohua and Zhong Yi stood outside, their ears pressed against the door, trying to eavesdrop on Zhong Shi and Liao Chengde's conversation. However, the door was too thick, and the soundproofing was excellent. They listened for a long time but couldn't hear a word, so they gave up in disappointment.
"This is a good thing! Agree to it quickly!"
In the study, after listening to Liao Chengde's account, Zhong Shi suddenly slammed the table, his face showing uncontrollable joy. He loudly said, "I've been looking forward to this moment for a long time."
Zhong Shi had long planned to use Liao Chengde's status to establish connections with the mainland authorities. With the identity of a Hong Kong businessman, future activities in the mainland would be much easier.
He was very clear that after Hong Kong's return, having the identity of a Hong Kong businessman provided unparalleled advantages in certain areas and fields.
"Ah?" Liao Chengde was stunned. He didn't expect Zhong Shi to have such an attitude towards the issue that had troubled him for so long. Before he could react, Zhong Shi dropped another bomb.
"If you can handle the trading company issue, I'll write off all of Xiaohua's gambling debts, but I need ten one-way permits!"
Three billion Hong Kong dollars for ten one-way permits, averaging 300 million Hong Kong dollars per permit, or about 7 million RMB, which was enough to buy a hundred permits in the mainland. This was a severely loss-making deal.
However, Zhong Shi didn't care. He had no connections in the mainland to obtain one-way permits, and more importantly, using three billion Hong Kong dollars to establish connections with the authorities was a very good deal for him.
Money, Zhong Shi had plenty of, and he didn't care about it. The connections were the most important part of this deal. (Thank you very much to the editor and all the readers for your support. The author will continue to work hard and hopes more friends will pay attention to this book.) PS: While looking up information about Barings Bank online today, I found a statement: "The 100 September futures contracts he sold were all bought by him, with a value of 80 million pounds." This is ridiculous. Whether in Singapore, CME, or the Osaka Exchange, one Nikkei index futures contract is worth about 800,000 pounds, so the index should be around 160,000 points, which is absurd!