Chapter 1 Because of Su Yehao's Involvement, Providing a Large Amount of Funding, the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway Started Early in February This Year

Due to Su Yehao's involvement, providing a large amount of funding, the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway started early in February this year.

There are usually only so many orders for large-scale international infrastructure projects. Other countries do not have the need to build high-speed railways on a large scale. Companies with technology in this area are fiercely competitive, all thinking that it is better to earn a little less than to return empty-handed, so they are relatively easy to talk to.

The technology transfer and whatnot have already been negotiated.

The domestic low- to mid-end manufacturing and processing industries are very competitive, and foreign companies are actually the same.

It is probably only high-end companies like ASML, which have core technology patents, that can lie down and make money by monopolizing the market.

Others are not clear about how terrifying the high-speed rail map that the mainland will build in the future will be, but Su Yehao knows it very well.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the second phase of the Pengcheng Metro Line 1.

The next day, Su Yehao met again with the local old acquaintances. Someone invited him to a restaurant in the city to taste Hunan cuisine.

At this moment.

A middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a white shirt and with gray hair, poured wine for Su Yehao while tentatively asking:

"In addition to the signature dishes of blood duck, Andong chicken, and chopped pepper fish head, this restaurant also has a ginger spicy snake, which is stir-fried snake meat with dried chili peppers. I wonder if Mr. Su is interested?"

Many people eat snake meat, but more people don't. It's better to ask before serving.

Su Yehao said with a smile:

"I'm afraid of live snakes, but I don't care if they are cooked into dishes. There is an old restaurant in Hong Kong called Ser Wong Fun. You can try it next time you have the opportunity. My parents occasionally go there to eat. It's a very old small restaurant."

Learning that Su's father likes to eat snake meat, many people silently remembered this.

Another slightly fat middle-aged man with dyed black hair said bluntly at this time:

"To be honest, the main reason for inviting Mr. Su to dinner today is that after inspecting the Guangpeng High-Speed Railway project last week, everyone was envious. We hope to extend the line and invest in building a high-speed railway that runs through the province, connecting several major cities with Hong Kong and Casino, 1997. There are no major problems in other aspects, the key is that there is a shortage of funds. The annual infrastructure budget is not enough to go around, so we are thinking of asking you for help."

"That's right, many places don't have airports, and it's too far to take a bus. If there is a high-speed railway, it will be much more convenient."

"Looking around, it seems that only Mr. Su has the strength to invest in building a high-speed railway..."

People at the dinner table were talking at once.

Hearing this, Su Yehao smiled bitterly and said:

"I have invested in a lot of big projects in the past two years, and I am not very well-off now. If I had known that you wanted to talk about this kind of plan, I wouldn't have dared to walk right into your trap today."

"Hey, what are you talking about? President Sun of Construction Bank is also here today. As long as Mr. Su nods, funding will definitely not be a problem."

"The key is that the investment is too large and the ticket price is low. The subway also has the profit of developing land to make up for the shortfall, unless you take a large amount of land around the high-speed rail station, otherwise this deal will definitely lose money."

Su Yehao raised his glass and took a sip of white wine, eating cold dishes and said:

"There are airports all over Europe and the United States, and they also have the manufacturing technology of large passenger planes. In addition, there is private land everywhere, and there are nails everywhere, so it is indeed troublesome to build high-speed railways. Our situation is different. The mainland has not yet mastered the manufacturing technology of large passenger planes, and the demand for passenger planes is extremely high. In 2006 alone, it cost more than 10 billion US dollars to purchase more than 300 passenger planes."

"Instead of turning the hard-earned foreign exchange into passenger planes that are constantly depreciating, have high maintenance costs, and consume a lot of fuel, it is better to invest the money in high-speed rail infrastructure. On the one hand, it alleviates traffic pressure, on the other hand, it stimulates the economy, facilitates people's lives, and drives employment and urban development."

"From a global perspective, this deal is particularly cost-effective. But in the final analysis, it is still a public welfare project similar to the subway. Everything is good, but it just doesn't make money..."

Simply calculate the bill.

It will be found that it is undoubtedly more in line with the needs of the mainland to spend a lot of money to purchase passenger planes, and a high-speed railway that can be used for a hundred years once and for all.

I still remember that on the day when the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway started construction in February this year, after the news spread to Europe and the United States, the stock prices of Boeing and Airbus both plummeted by more than three points. The root cause is that the mainland has begun to build high-speed railways, which may reduce the number of orders for large passenger planes.

In terms of short- and medium-distance travel, high-speed rail EMUs have great advantages, mainly because of their safety.

It's not to say that airplanes are bad, the key is that the mainland cannot produce large passenger planes, making the cost performance extremely low. After all the airlines have worked so hard to make some money, after calculating the accounts, they find that they are all working for banks and Boeing, Airbus and other companies, providing many high-paying employment opportunities for foreign countries.

The high-speed railway is beneficial to the domestic economy and employment, even if the investment is larger in the short term, it is worth it, and the meat can be rotten in its own pot.

Just as Su Yehao said.

Building high-speed railways is a good project that benefits the country and the people. Everything else is good, but it just doesn't make money.

No one present was a fool.

A middle-aged woman keenly grasped the key point in Su Yehao's words and asked:

"Then, if we use the land around the high-speed rail station as shares, just like the subway? I have seen the station planning of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. It is generally located in the core of the new urban area. The surrounding land should still be very promising, right?"

Su Yehao nodded readily, only answering: "It is indeed very promising, but selling land to raise money is the same, right? There is no need to pull me in."

Someone next to him answered:

"The meaning is different. Projects with Mr. Su's participation are easier to pass the approval. If we set up our own projects, it will be another matter. If the two parties jointly establish a real estate company, maybe we can create another pilot project and use the profits of the real estate company to fill the expenses. By then, we may be able to speed up the construction of high-speed railways across the country."

Su Yehao smiled and said:

"Not every place is as rich as here. The appreciation space for land in many places is too small to fill the funding gap for the construction and operation of high-speed railways. You are asking me now, and I am not prepared at all. I need to study and discuss before I can give you an answer, but I guess it is a bit hanging. If the amount of funds is too high, it will affect my plans in clean energy, semiconductors, and Internet companies."

There were no outsiders present.

Su Yehao drank two glasses of wine and added:

"To put it arrogantly, in a few years, the amount of taxes I pay in half a year will be enough to build a high-speed railway from Guangzhou to Pengcheng. I feel that the next time the financial crisis comes, the large-scale infrastructure construction of high-speed railways will start comprehensively. The docks, highways, and urban infrastructure have basically been completed, and the funds will most likely be invested in high-speed rail projects. There is no need to rush."

He didn't say anything definitive.

In 2007, hoarding land is still very promising.

If a large amount of land around each high-speed rail station is acquired, it is estimated that the income from selling houses and collecting rent will be able to easily make up for the expenses of investing in high-speed railways, and there will be a lot more.

The reason why Su Yehao hesitated was mainly because he did not understand the detailed situation, and he did not dare to agree too readily.

Lest other places follow suit and come to him...