Chapter 184 Is This the Foundation of a Great Family?
Li Mingze frowned slightly, caught off guard by the sudden question, but he quickly responded, "Mr. Lin, I truly have no intention of selling my shares in China Gas Company. If I ever consider selling, I would prioritize selling to you."
"Good, Mr. Li. Deals are deals, but kindness remains. You are a senior figure among Chinese businessmen, and I have much to learn from you. By the way, there's something else I need to inform you about. Jardines Matheson is once again setting its sights on China Gas Company. They approached me with a proposal to buy our shares, but I refused. I hope Mr. Li will be cautious and, importantly, not mention this to anyone else. If this information reaches Jardines Matheson, it could cause them to view me unfavorably. Since China Gas Company bears the 'China' name, I hope it can remain under Chinese control and not fall into British hands. That would be a great humiliation for Chinese businessmen," Lin Haoran said solemnly.
Lin Haoran never really had high expectations of persuading a senior business figure like Li Mingze in just one meeting. Not everything would go as smoothly as acquiring the Oriental Daily News. Especially with a major family like the Li family, persuasion would be difficult.
His main goal today was to establish a connection with Li Mingze—building a network for future needs.
Since Jardines Matheson seemed very confident about winning against Hong Kong Electric Group, it indicated they already held a significant portion of shares. It was only a matter of time before they launched an attack on China Gas Company, and it wouldn't be long.
Given Jardines Matheson's strength, Li Mingze and the other shareholders of China Gas Company might not be able to resist their offensive and could lose control.
At that time, external assistance would be necessary.
Considering Li Mingze's emphasis on Chinese business and his past actions, he surely wouldn't want China Gas Company to once again become a British-owned enterprise.
Today, Lin Haoran made a strong impression and showed his intention to acquire China Gas Company, signaling that he had the ability to compete with Jardines Matheson.
When the time came, Li Mingze would naturally seek help from Lin Haoran.
Furthermore, building a relationship with Li Mingze was connected to another plan.
In four months, Li Mingze's younger brother, Li Xiaohu, chairman of TVB, would pass away due to heart disease. His family would not have the will to continue managing TVB.
If Lin Haoran could use his connection with Li Mingze to reach Li Xiaohu's family, there was a high probability he could acquire the Li family's shares in TVB and become a major shareholder.
Thus, whether or not today's meeting led to an agreement didn't matter much. What mattered was laying a solid foundation for the future.
Hearing Lin Haoran's words, Li Mingze's expression became serious, and he murmured, "Jardines Matheson still hasn't given up?"
Back in 1975, Jardines Matheson, together with Hong Kong Electric Group, had launched an acquisition attempt against China Gas Company. They had almost succeeded, but thanks to the backing of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and other influential figures, Li Mingze and the other shareholders managed to resist and the joint action by Jardines Matheson and Hong Kong Electric ultimately failed.
Since then, although Jardines Matheson and Hong Kong Electric Group retained some shares in China Gas Company, they seemed to have given up on the idea of acquiring it. Li Mingze thought the matter was long over.
He didn't expect them to make another move now.
"Recently, a major shareholder sold their shares, right? That's what Jardines Matheson told us," Lin Haoran said.
"That's true. We thought we had handled the matter discreetly and didn't plan to announce it. I didn't expect the information would leak so quickly," Li Mingze said with a wry smile.
"Mr. Li, if that shareholder was exiting, why didn't you acquire those shares yourself? That way, Jardines Matheson wouldn't have had a chance to take advantage," Lin Haoran asked curiously.
He had wondered about this ever since hearing the news. The Li family was a top-tier wealthy family in Hong Kong. Raising a few tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars shouldn't have been a problem.
"Mr. Lin, to be honest, although the Li family appears wealthy, we have a lot of investments. Our company, Lixin Industrial Co., has invested in nearly a hundred enterprises, and the family's structure is complicated.
These investments include companies like Steel Pipe Co., Jia Hua Petroleum, East Asia Bank, and the Miramar Hotel. I alone hold more than ninety titles across these companies—director, supervisor, vice-chairman, or chairman.
As a result, our liquidity is tied up in investments, and the cash on hand is limited. Although we could take out loans, every investment must be voted on by the family council, not decided solely by me.
Furthermore, although China Gas Company has stable profits, its returns are not as high as those from real estate and other highly profitable industries. Some family members opposed increasing our stake.
At the time, I thought if we kept the matter hidden and didn't announce it publicly, Jardines Matheson wouldn't catch wind of it. I didn't expect the information would still leak. Regardless, I am very grateful to you, Mr. Lin, for providing me with such crucial information. I owe you a favor," Li Mingze sighed.
Holding over ninety corporate titles?
Even Lin Haoran was shocked upon hearing this.
Up until now, he himself only held six corporate positions: Hong Kong Electric Group, Cheung Chau Cement Company, Wan An Group, Oriental Press Group, Hongkong Land, and Huanyu Investment Company.
Except for Hongkong Land, where he was only a board director, he was the actual controller of the other five companies.
The Li family likely only had controlling stakes in a small portion of those companies, serving mostly as significant shareholders elsewhere.
Still, holding more than ninety titles was astonishing.
Was this the foundation of a great family?
By comparison, although Lin Haoran was financially powerful, he was still too young and involved in too few enterprises.
However, if he wanted, with the capital he had, he could easily control a thousand small and medium-sized companies, but he simply saw no need to do so. He had no plans to make random investments.
Clearly, the Li family didn't invest recklessly either.
"Sorry for disturbing you so late today, Mr. Li. Since it's getting late, we'll take our leave now. Hopefully, we'll have more opportunities to talk in the future. Your business experience is incredibly valuable, and I look forward to learning more from you," Lin Haoran said, checking the time—nearly 7 PM—and stood up.
"By the way, Mr. Lin, you're not yet a member of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, are you? On behalf of the Chamber, I would like to invite you to join. Being part of the Chamber offers shared resources, mutual support, and development opportunities. It would certainly benefit your career, and I hope your joining will strengthen Chinese entrepreneurs!" Li Mingze invited sincerely.
Although Lin Wanan was a member of the Chamber, that membership only represented Lin Wanan personally, not Lin Haoran.
Now, Lin Haoran was a new titan in Hong Kong's business world. Though young, no one dared to underestimate him.
Recruiting him would boost the Chamber's strength, giving Chinese businesses a better chance against British interests.
"Joining the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce?" Lin Haoran pondered.
Until now, he had relied on his foresight and capital accumulation. He didn't necessarily need to join any associations to succeed.
But after some thought, a smile appeared on his face, and he said, "Alright, I'll join."
Joining had no downside. Even if it didn't seem immediately useful, it would help him connect with more major Chinese entrepreneurs, making future collaborations easier.
Making money through the Chamber wasn't the point—connections were priceless.
"Excellent! Mr. Lin is refreshingly straightforward. That's enough for me!" Li Mingze smiled warmly.
"Joining the Chamber requires some procedures. Every member undergoes strict vetting. However, given your achievements, Mr. Lin, the process will be very smooth. We'll handle it internally, and then contact you. It won't take much of your time," he added.
"Alright, then I'll trouble you with it, Mr. Li. We'll take our leave now and visit again when we have time," Lin Haoran said.
"Mr. Lin, would you like to stay for dinner?" Li Mingze asked politely.
"No need, thank you for your kind invitation. We still have some matters to handle. Goodbye!" Lin Haoran said with a smile, declining the invitation.
With Chen Shoulin, Li Weiguo, and Li Weidong, the four left China Gas Company's headquarters. It was already dark outside.
"Chairman Chen, let's grab dinner before taking you home," Lin Haoran said once inside the Rolls-Royce.
"Sure," Chen Shoulin readily agreed.
"Weiguo, drive to Joy Lai Restaurant," Lin Haoran instructed Li Weiguo.
"Yes, boss," Li Weiguo replied, starting the car and heading to the familiar restaurant.
"Boss, since Mr. Li refused to sell, why did you still reveal Jardines Matheson's plan? Wouldn't that alert him and prevent both Hong Kong Electric and Jardines Matheson from acquiring China Gas Company?" Chen Shoulin asked curiously.
"From what Nobby Jamieson said, it's clear Jardines Matheson is determined to acquire China Gas Company. They must hold more shares than us and might already be confident of success. If we competed head-on, we'd likely lose.
However, Mr. Li and the other Chinese shareholders obviously don't want Jardines Matheson taking over and turning China Gas back into a British enterprise. This gives us an opportunity.
Also, I sensed Mr. Li wasn't very keen on increasing his stake. When the pressure becomes too much, he'll probably turn to us for help—and that will be our opportunity," Lin Haoran explained.
In fact, in Lin Haoran's previous world, the Chinese shareholders of China Gas eventually couldn't resist Jardines Matheson's assault either.
They had to seek help from real estate tycoon Li Zhaoji, who ultimately helped them fend off Jardines Matheson and took control of China Gas for his family.
But in this world, thanks to Lin Haoran's advance preparations, Mr. Li Zhaoji would not have the chance to take over China Gas Company.
(This chapter ends.)
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