The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

Hutchison Whampoa.

Lin Zhichao and senior executives were having a meeting. Lin Ruihuan was still not involved in Hutchison Whampoa's affairs, so he did not attend the meeting.

On the left and right sides of Lin Zhichao are CEO Ma Shimin, Vice President Huo Jianning, and the rest are British senior executives.

In fact, Hutchison Whampoa's British capital (shareholders) is not much anymore, accounting for about 25%; after all, Cheung Kong Group has been increasing its holdings, holding a full 55.5%.

Ma Shimin said in the conference room: "Nova Group can no longer bear it and is willing to sell 43% of their shares for HK$1.76 billion!"

There was also some unconfidence in his words, wondering if this investment would be too risky if it continued like this.

In fact, Ma Shimin understands that Lin Zhichao seems to be delegating power, but in fact he is very reluctant to decentralize power. He will firmly grasp large projects; for example, last year, their team focused on a US$3 billion junk bond investment (high interest rate and high risk). Their team imposed a lot of restrictions - for example, once it fell by 10%, the company originally had to buy it back at a 20% discount, but Lin Zhichao still refused the investment without hesitation.

Although Lin Zhichao analyzed that the United States has entered a stage of economic malaise, junk bonds will become "worthless", and the government will even need to come forward to solve these junk bonds, which will eventually convince all senior officials (it will be decided if they are not convinced).

But it also makes the management understand who is the real boss of Hutchison Whampoa!

Lin Zhichao said: "Arrange Hutchison Whampoa to take over, no need to hesitate!"

Under the leadership of Hutchison Whampoa, Husky's pace of buying Canadian oil and gas resources was far more brutal than that of Li Jiacheng in the previous life. Because of this, Husky's debt situation was not optimistic. Nova Group knew that something was not going well, so it obediently paid a low price. to sell the remaining 43% equity.

Originally, the total price of 57% of Husky's shares was HK$2.9 billion; now, the total price of 43% of Husky's shares is only HK$1.76 billion, which is a very good deal.

Ma Shimin said: "Well, Husky's current situation may require us to inject capital immediately!"

Lin Zhichao nodded and said: "This is no problem. Didn't Hutchison Whampoa withdraw US$800 million from Japan? The cash flow should be very sufficient."

Huo Jianning immediately said: "Yes, the current cash flow on our account has reached more than 9 billion Hong Kong dollars, and the debt situation is very low, so the scale that can be invested exceeds 1.5 to 2 billion US dollars."

Ma Shimin said: "The acquisition of Philidus Port, the UK's largest container port, has been initially completed and requires an expenditure of HK$1.15 billion."

Yes, good news comes in waves.

Next, Lin Zhichao said: "Injecting a sum of money into Husky is not to stabilize the current scale, but to continue to develop energy resources. I recently inspected a situation, that is, the emphasis on environmental protection in Europe and the United States in the 1990s may have Big boom. Therefore, natural gas in the United States is a very good investment project. Of course, this is my personal opinion. I need you to give a professional plan as soon as possible. Jason, in one month, I will see a complete investment plan. Move quickly!”

He directly named a British senior executive, Jason, who was responsible for energy. Ma Shimin and Huo Jianning are responsible for the management and finance of the entire company.

Jason was restrained by Lin Zhichao's momentum and did not dare to show any slightness. He immediately nodded and said, "Okay, Sir Lin!"

Lin Zhichao's decision to invest heavily in American natural gas was not a simple decision.

First of all, Europe and the United States really attached great importance to natural gas in the 1990s, mainly because they paid attention to environmental protection; secondly, as far as Lin Zhichao knew, Exxon Petroleum Company was selling oil fields and natural gas wells, so it was the time for Husky to go hunting for bargains.

At this time, no one pays much attention to natural gas wells. It is a great opportunity.

In the years since it was acquired, Husky, in addition to acquiring a large number of oil and gas wells (and also acquired two oil companies), has also made innovations in equipment and technology. Because of this, Husky has huge debts at this time, and people are afraid that it will go bankrupt if they are not careful.

Today, investing in American natural gas will inevitably make Husky even bigger.

In early April, AsiaSat 1 was successfully launched in Xichang. This was the first time China launched a foreign satellite, and it was actually the first commercial satellite launched.

The satellite launched in 1970 was not considered a commercial satellite because it only operated for 28 days.

AsiaSat 1 is a commercial satellite produced by the United States. After the launch failed, it was recovered by the insurance company and eventually sold to AsiaSat Corporation. This company has three shareholders, namely Hutchison Whampoa, CITIC, and Cable \u0026 Telegraph.

Although the purchase had been negotiated in 1987, when the United States and China were in a honeymoon period; and in 1988, it was a technical honeymoon period for both parties. However, in 1989, the deal was almost vetoed by the U.S. government. Fortunately, Bush finally Agree to the deal.

In fact, the Bush family is relatively friendly to China!

The successful launch of AsiaSat-1 has brought joy to the whole country, and Hong Kong is also full of joy.

It is not only a major national event, but also one-third of the equity of this satellite is an authentic Hong Kong company; and the subsequent operation of this commercial satellite is actually based on Hutchison Communications, of course, the initiative Only for this one satellite.

In the future, AsiaSat will continue to launch satellites, and the leadership will be handed over to CITIC.

at the same time.

The media group immediately announced that it would invest US$400 million in Asia Satellite TV.

An investment of US$400 million is only HK$3.2 billion, which is nothing compared to the HK$5.5 billion required for cable TV.

The reason why cable TV is expensive is because the ‘royalty fee’ charged by the Hong Kong government is really high.

As the head of Asia Satellite TV, Lin Ruikai has been very busy recently. Although he is the president of the media group, he has recently transferred more of his work focus to Asia Satellite TV.

Mainly, Oriental Publishing House, Oriental Newspaper, Asia Television, and Golden Harvest Films have all become formal, and the four presidents are all independent figures; now only SM Entertainment and Asia Satellite TV are still in the preparation stage. From the perspective of outsiders, These two companies are also equivalent to being founded by Lin Ruikai.

Whether these two companies can succeed is related to Lin Ruikai's future prestige!

In fact, many people are not optimistic about the success of Asia Satellite TV (operating independently from Asia Television). Public opinions from all parties agree that running satellite TV in Hong Kong is a career with no future and cannot succeed.

Because of this, Lin Ruikai wanted to show his achievements to everyone.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Lin Ruikai was meeting with his colleagues in the ATV conference room. Sitting on the left and right sides are CEO Chen Qingxiang and Vice President Shi Nansheng, both of whom are experts in the media field.

Lin Ruikai said: "Asia Satellite TV has a total of five channels. If they all use self-made programs, the return on investment cycle will be long. The operation method of many TV stations in North America is to focus on news programs and purchase the remaining programs. ATV can learn this model, five Among the channels, two are English channels and three are Chinese channels. The three Chinese channels are: entertainment channel, news channel, and film and television channel. The three Chinese channels mainly have self-made programs and purchased programs from Asia Television; two When purchasing programs, English stations should try their best to select outdated popular dramas in the UK and the United States. Although they are outdated in the UK and the United States (they were once popular dramas), they have never been seen in Asia."

The three Chinese channels mainly promote Hong Kong culture, but Hong Kong culture is still in its infancy, so you can only buy programs from Asia Television. If you make your own, you won't be able to invest a lot at once.

The two English stations choose those "popular programs" that have been broadcast many times and are outdated. The prices are cheap, but the ratings will not be affected.

Shi Nansheng continued: "For example, "San Barbara" has been rerun many times in the United States, as well as the American field soap opera "Hill Street Blues", etc. These programs are all very good."

Lin Ruikai nodded and said, "Well, it's this kind of program."

Lin Ruikai attaches great importance to the vice president his father chose for him. In the future, Shi Nansheng's help will be indispensable for purchasing TV programs, overseas marketing, attracting advertisers, etc.

Although Shi Nansheng is now a senior member of the media group, she is more helpful to Tsui Hark. After all, her contacts are at a higher level.

Chen Qingxiang prefers internal management and content production. Of course, as the president, he is equivalent to the real power leader, but now Lin Ruikai, the group president, is directly involved in Asia Satellite TV.

But no matter what, Lin Ruikai will soon delegate power to him. After all, how can the group president keep an eye on a company? The six first-level subsidiaries of the media group can be described as majestic.

At the end of the meeting, Lin Ruikai said confidently: "Okay, let's try to start broadcasting in August and officially launch it at the end of the year! Time is very tight, so please work hard!"

"Yes, Lin Sheng!"

All of his subordinates were also very impressed by Lin Ruikai. After all, the reputation of the "Lin's Five Tigers" was far and wide. None of them were mediocre. Instead, they all inherited their father's skills in the business field and showed their talents in all walks of life.

Lin Ruikai is 36 years old this year, but he has been the president of the media group for five years. All the senior executives admire him very much.

The unveiling ceremony of the Bank of China Building was held, and Lin Zhichao was invited to attend.

This building has been put into use in March, and the unveiling ceremony was only held in May. Some powerful figures in the mainland and some political and business celebrities at home and abroad were invited.

Of course, Lin Zhichao is the most distinguished guest. After all, he usually deals with the president and prime minister of a country. Even when he goes to the mainland, he still has private phone calls from many people.

The ‘Seventh Hall’ on the 70th floor of the Bank of China Building is a place where large-scale banquets are held. It is also an observation deck floor, where banquets are held.

"Lin Sheng, our two families will be neighbors from now on. As the saying goes, distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. We will cooperate more in the future!" Liu Zubin, President of BOC Hong Kong, came over with a wine glass and toasted.

Everyone here is paying attention!

The Yangtze River Group Center will also be put into use this year. At this time, the appearance has been completely completed. You can see the majestic Yangtze River Group Center through the windows.

In Hong Kong today, the three buildings that attract the most attention are the HSBC Tower, the Bank of China Tower, and the Cheung Kong Group Center. Some people regard these three buildings as representatives of the three parties: British capital, Chinese capital, and Hong Kong capital. They even "make a big fuss" from the buildings and arrange the story with gusto.

The HSBC Building has a high construction cost of HK$5 billion and is listed as a world famous building. It looks like an oil drilling platform. It is not poured with concrete and is made entirely of huge steel pipes. The exterior is entirely made of aluminum plates and glass. The materials are all made in the UK. After it is made, it will be brought back to Hong Kong for assembly.

The appearance of the Bank of China Building is like a rising bamboo, which symbolizes strength, vitality, robustness and enterprising spirit. The granite exterior wall of the base represents the Great Wall, symbolizing China; further analysis shows that the entire building presents a "sharp edge", Full of murderous intent, more like a sword thrust into the sky.

The Cheung Kong Group Center is also known as the "Freedom Tower". The whole building has a square base and an eight-sided triangular shape with an iron tower on top. The "Freedom Tower" symbolizes Hong Kong's earliest free trade. Hong Kong has developed into a model of free economy in the world today. The 'square' base symbolizes the 'strong foundation' of the Cheung Kong Industrial Group, and the 'octagonal triangle shape' above symbolizes the Cheung Kong Group's attacks from all directions, forming a formation that can advance or retreat. defensive situation.

Among the three buildings, in terms of appearance, the one that the American media appreciates the most is the Yangtze River Group Center; many Americans believe that this building is a typical American-style building.

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "BoC and I have always had good cooperation, and I look forward to more cooperation in the future!"

If he can invest 10% in infrastructure projects in the Mainland, Lin Zhichao will certainly not invest 20% (down payment); using loans for the rest is the best way.

For project loans in the Mainland, they seek loans from major banking syndicates in Hong Kong; although Lin Zhichao also opens a bank, he also needs to make loans in combination. There may be more than a dozen or even dozens of lenders involved in a project.

Liu Zubin said: "Mr. Lin is right!"

He did not stir up trouble in front of Lin Zhichao, and there was no insinuation in his words. After all, with Lin Zhichao's status, he is not the president of a local branch who can mess around. Lin Zhichao can reach heaven directly with a phone call.

At this time, someone said curiously: "Mr. Lin, I heard that the Yangtze River Group Building is one meter lower than the Bank of China Building. Is it true?"

Lin Zhichao smiled and said: "It's true! If we build it higher than the Bank of China Tower, it would be unfair to the Bank of China in Hong Kong. After all, they come up with the plan first. If we build it one meter higher, it will obviously be unfair. Therefore, adding an observation tower will also It’s just one meter shorter, if you don’t add it, it will be a lot lower.”

Everyone suddenly realized it and praised Lin Zhichao for his good character!

The Bank of China Tower was the first to come up with the plan, and it would be easy for the Cheung Kong Group Center to surpass it. Now that the sightseeing tower is one meter shorter, it can only be because Lin Zhichao is particular about what he does, not because Lin Zhichao is afraid of Bank of China.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao built the "Yangtze River Group Center" in the 1980s, which seemed to outsiders to be a "competition". After all, Lin Zhichao's family is as rich as the country, so how can they be afraid of HSBC and Bank of China?

Everyone in Hong Kong knows that when HSBC sold Hutchison Whampoa, it was not a favor to Lin Zhichao. It is said that Lin Zhichao helped HSBC break into the United States in exchange.

As for Bank of China, Lin Zhichao need not be afraid. At that time, he criticized some people in newspapers and almost received death threats. However, in the late 1970s, Lin Zhichao was one of the first people to return to the mainland, and he was very courageous. Therefore, in the eyes of many people, Lin Zhichao is ‘upright’ and ‘unique’.