Chapter 426: One Hundred Ninety-Five!
After spending a fortune to order special jade pieces at the China Pavilion at the World Expo, Baichuan Feng finally left feeling satisfied.
It is the famous Hetian mutton-fat jade in later generations, and it is also personally processed by a master-level figure.
400,000 US dollars is about 100 million yen, which is actually not expensive.
Sprinkle some water~, a leisurely nouveau riche said that this is small money and not worth mentioning.
"Xiao Feng, is the Hetian jade as good as you said? I think jadeite looks better."
Seiko Matsuda, who was unwilling to be lonely, couldn't understand why Shirakawa Kaede spent so much money to buy Hetian jade, which has little reputation internationally.
You should know that among all jades, Japanese prefer jadeite, and it can even be said that jadeite is more valuable internationally.
The best proof of this is the jadeite auctions that often fetch millions or tens of millions of dollars.
Not only her, but even Tanaka Yuko and Matsusaka Keiko, who were silent, were somewhat puzzled as to why Shirakawa Kaede loved this kind of jade from China.
“The value of jade and other things mostly depends on market speculation, which is irrational in itself.
So in terms of viewing experience, just choose what you like.
I like the whiteness of white jade, just like the whiteness of Shirakawa.
In addition, Hetian mutton-fat jade was loved by the royal family in ancient China and was once used as the raw material for making jade seals.
The jade seal is similar to the seal of a country, representing the highest point of power, identity and status.
So it’s not just about liking it, its value will definitely rise rapidly in the future.
Of course, if you like jade, that's fine too. I'll take you to the next jewelry auction."
Baichuan Feng walked in front with his hands behind his back and talked, looking just like a teacher giving science lessons to elementary school students.
Tanaka Yuko and the others looked at each other inconspicuously, and then said in unison, "That's not necessary, Hetian jade is also very good."
A joke that Baichuan Feng treats so seriously must have extraordinary significance, not to mention that it is related to the word "family heirloom".
When it comes to the future of your own children, jade is nothing. At worst, you can just buy it yourself.
So without exception, the three women were extremely rational at this moment.
As for the saying that women can't walk when they see sparkling jewels, that's not true.
Seeing that they all agreed with his decision, Baichuan Feng nodded with satisfaction. His woman was still very sensible.
In fact, the reason why Baichuan Feng was willing to spend a lot of money to buy the little-known Hetian jade was partly because he liked it, and also because he wanted to help his hometown.
He is not stupid. He has been doing business for so many years, how could he not know how to negotiate prices?
It is obvious that $400,000 is definitely an overestimation of the price of Hetian jade.
But there is no way, because of his special status now, he cannot send it openly.
Otherwise, it would not be a good thing for a chaebol leader to be overly pro-China.
Neon’s extreme right wing and the American father will teach him a lesson in the future.
Maybe one day the scene of "Heaven punishing traitors" will be staged again.
Moreover, the price of jade cannot be too high, otherwise it will be too conspicuous.
So all in all we can only offer warmth through these small means, at least any help we can provide is good.
He can spend tens of billions for deer and antlers, so what is $400,000 for his first hometown?
He knows that his hometown is short of foreign exchange. To what extent?
Many exported commodities are actually sold at a loss, with the purpose of exchanging RMB for US dollars.
In 1985, the official exchange rate between RMB and USD was approximately 3:1, but in order to exchange for USD, this ratio would be pulled to 5:1 or 6:1.
In the black market, the proportion is even higher. The reason is that my hometown is short of foreign exchange and there are not many US dollars circulating in the market.
So Shirakawa Feng's 400,000 US dollars is not too much for his hometown on the other side of the sea, but it is not too little either.
However, since this is your first contact, just keep it at this level.
The future is long, so why fear the long road ahead?
Baichuan Feng walked around the Expo Park and finally he found a flower-growing snack bar.
There are all kinds of noodles with soybean paste, Guangling fried rice, pancakes and so on. Baichuan Feng asked around and found out that this store was also opened by the Chinese American Gu Shangying.
Not only that, all the chefs are from China and will return to China after the World Expo.
Tsk, Baichuan Feng couldn't help but sigh, what a great business acumen.
Since it is an authentic flower-growing snack, there is no reason for him to miss it.
He ordered a serving of pancakes and noodles with soybean paste, and also invited Tanaka Yuko and the others to sit down with him.
Shirakawa Kaede was in tears while eating this meal. Yes, this is the taste~
"Invincible ~ How lonely ~"
At this moment, Baichuan Feng understood why Deng Chao was so excited after eating the chicken in "The Mermaid".
However, the days of relaxation were too short after all. Although the World Expo would not end until September, Shirakawa Feng could only enjoy one day of leisure time.
After the opening of the World Expo in March, Japan became bustling with activity and the whole nation was excited.
However, there are undercurrents in the international community, and a tsunami or a storm is quietly brewing.
…
1986 was destined to be an extraordinary year. It began in January when Reagan was sworn in as the U.S. President for his second term.
The Reagan era was the 1980s in the United States. At that time, the United States had long lost its post-war vigor and vitality, and was no longer the representative of the American dream that everyone yearned for.
Due to a series of problems such as the appreciation of the US dollar, deflation, and fiscal deficits, the export manufacturing industry has declined significantly.
General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have all been defeated by Toyota and Nissan both in the domestic and international markets.
As of this year, even 60% of its own domestic market has been occupied by Japanese cars.
In the semiconductor field, NEC , Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toshiba and others have also brought Intel, Motorola and Texas Instruments down from their pedestal.
In 1986, Japan's enterprises had already captured 68% of the global DRAM chip business, and their expansion speed was terrifying.
It can be said that since the 1970s, the United States has gradually given up its share of the global trade market to Japan and West Germany.
Of course, all this is not voluntary on the part of the United States. Looking at the gradually expanding trade deficit and fiscal deficit, the U.S. government is anxious and trying hard to find a breakthrough.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, just as Shirakawa Kaede analyzed to the Minister of International Trade and Industry, there were constant trade frictions and bargaining between the United States and Japan.
It’s actually the same in the US. The trade conflict between the US and the US has spread from agricultural products such as wheat to the current automobile industry.
North America, Japan, and the United States have been in a trade war for several rounds. You raise tariffs, then I do, then they do, and the trade barriers are getting higher and higher.
So up to the 1980s, from a global perspective, trade between countries is decreasing.
After decades of trade wars , globalization has turned into de-globalization.
So after the United States hit Japan, Germany, and beat up its smaller brothers around it, has its trade deficit been resolved?
It turns out that not only has this not happened, but there is now a trend of further expansion.
Because in terms of product quality and price, Neon and Deutsche's products are really great.
Ordinary people don’t care about your trade deficit, they only buy cheap and high-quality products.
So nowadays, life in the United States is really not easy.
Because of anti-globalization, other developing countries in the world are also having a hard time.
Many international economists believe that if the trade system is not overhauled, it is likely to collapse.
That is why Li Gen specifically mentioned in his speech when he took office as Prime Minister: "Reduce the deficit, pass tax cuts, and open up closed overseas markets.
And let them cut taxes to strengthen their economy so they can buy more American products.”
The last sentence is the key point. What is the ultimate goal of the trade war? It is to sell American products.
Only by selling products and earning money from other countries can the United States’ problems such as trade deficit and fiscal deficit be solved.
Also in January, the United States launched a market-oriented, multi-sector negotiation program with Japan, namely the MOSS agreement.
The content of the agreement is mainly to carry out a market-oriented multi-field negotiation plan for Neon in four areas, including electrical appliances, electrical communication products, medical devices and pharmaceuticals, and forest products. The electrical appliance field includes semiconductor products.
This is a negotiation investigation conducted by the US government on Japanese officials, but the power of public opinion is also not idle.
The U.S. magazine Fortune published a report titled "Neotenic Spies in Silicon Valley", which immediately aroused the American people's vigilance and disgust towards Neon.
At the same time, Business Week also published a special report "Chip War: The Japanese Threat", which detailed the threat posed by Japanese semiconductors. This was the first time that the United States used the word "war" to describe semiconductor competition.
The government, public opinion and the people are a trinity.
What is this doing? This is to justify yourself!
What's the name? The teacher has a legitimate reason!
That’s right, in ancient times, this would be like a manifesto to fight against !
Some countries with a keen sense of smell or companies with strong backgrounds in the world have already smelled the coming storm.
In a time of great contention, disputes will arise.
Looking back at Neon, people are enthusiastically participating in the World Expo.
The government also maintains considerable self-confidence and is immersed in the dream of "powerful Neon".
But after Baichuan Feng returned from the World Expo, he became nervous again .
From April to June, he held frequent secret meetings with the decision-makers of Kitato Bank headed by Hiroshi Arai in the Shirakawa Building.
What do they discuss? Mostly about currency and exchange rates.
After the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1970, central banks of various countries basically handed over the pricing power of currency entirely to the market in the more than ten years from 1971 to 1985.
This gave rise to an extremely large currency speculation market, and because there was no supervision, many strange things happened in this strange market.
For example, in 1986, the U.S. trade deficit was more than 100 billion U.S. dollars. According to normal market rules, the U.S. dollar should depreciate as the U.S. economy is in a downturn.
But even in a year like this, the US dollar continues to appreciate due to the crazy speculation in the currency market.
Therefore, it can also be said that the currency speculation market has fueled the appreciation of the US dollar and reduced the competitiveness of US export products.
At the same time, it has further led to an imbalance in the trade system and plunged the global trade market into chaos.
The current situation is the result of the combined effect of multiple factors, so solving the problem requires full consideration of each factor.
The MOSS agreement between the United States and Japan in January was aimed at trade itself, while monetary and exchange rate factors were also brewing at this time.
Especially in the currency speculation market, neither the United States nor Japan has focused its attention here for the time being.
This window period is the best opportunity for Shirakawa Holdings and Kitato Bank to quietly enter the market.
During these few months, Baichuan Holdings has been frantically opening branches under banks all over the world.
Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, Reisbank, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Bank, etc., all well-known markets supporting foreign exchange transactions have a large number of accounts belonging to Shirakawa Holdings.
The purpose of doing this is, firstly, to put on a vest to conceal one's tracks, and secondly, to break up into small pieces and sneak under the surface.
While Baichuan Feng was secretly building a warehouse here, the United States was also busy during the spring of 1985.
In addition to starting negotiations with Japan in January, in order to exert pressure, the US Senate officially listed Japan as an "unfair trading country" in April.
At the same time, the media began to further criticize Japan, and newspapers were filled with all kinds of negative news about Japan.
In the two months until June, the Senate and the House of Representatives continued to propose hundreds of proposals for retaliation against Japan.
The fact that both the Senate and the House of Representatives were able to work together to achieve the same goal shows that Japan had indeed aroused public outrage across the United States at that time.
So what is Japan doing about the turbulent public opinion situation in the United States?
