After sending Chen Qing away, Simon just returned to his office when Girl A sent a document.
Regarding the technology cooperation agreement that the AOL team in New York just signed today with a delegation from China Telecom, this can be regarded as a continuation of the overall investment plan announced in Hong Kong last Wednesday.
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In the previous core agreement, with a US$3 billion investment, AOL, Quantum Fund and the Hong Kong consortium received a total of 17% of the shares of China Telecom that was divested again, of which AOL invested US$1 billion in cash and technology, acquiring 7%. The other two companies each have only 5%.
Frankly speaking, unlike the mobile communications assets that were IPOed last time, since this time it will inject a very core fixed-line phone business and will also develop popular network broadband, the three parties can be said to have received a considerable discount. If a public IPO is conducted, it is not impossible for the 17% shares to double in valuation.
Of course, this was an exchange, and no party suffered.
It can even be said that by keeping Hong Kong this time, China has gained more, and it is far from just the economic level.
Simon glanced through the document briefly, without making any comments, and put it aside casually. Instead, he checked the stock price of America Online on the computer next to him.
Since last Wednesday, it has experienced sharp increases for four consecutive trading days. Counting the 2.1% single-day increase on the East Coast that has closed today, AOL's market value has increased by more than 10% in recent days, and its market value has once again returned to more than 200 billion US dollars. Reaching US$214.9 billion.
This is the dividend brought by investing in China Telecom.
After browsing some more documents, at 1:30 p.m., Girl A came over to remind me that everyone in Ukraine was already online.
Simon moved to the small conference room next door to start another video conference today.
Regarding the subsequent layout of Rivne Oblast.
The impact of the Asian financial crisis has begun to spread. In Ukraine, although the Westeros system is taking the lead, capital from Western Europe, Asia and North America has subconsciously begun to shrink their front lines, which will inevitably lead to a significant reduction in investment in the Rivne Oblast. , there will definitely be cuts in the short term.
Of course, not everyone bucked the trend.
Soros has invested part of the capital he recently withdrawn from Russia into Rivni, and more than US$70 million has been received so far. This is also an important topic in this video conference.
The Westeros system will definitely not let go of Ukraine, or Rivne Oblast to be precise.
Not only that, but taking advantage of the opportunity for another industrial transfer caused by the economic crisis that the Western European economy will inevitably encounter, Simon also plans to go further and build Rivni and even the entire Rivne Oblast into a light industry center and OEM center in Eastern Europe. After all, if the economy is bad, everyone will only further move factories to lower-cost areas.
If it were historically true, the core of this great shift was China.
Now, the Rivne State, which is fully operated by the Westeros system, can get a good piece of the pie. Of course, it cannot be compared with the size of China, but it is enough to support a city or even a state or county until it is drained.
To do this, Simon must ensure absolute control over Rivne Oblast.
This is the premise.
Otherwise, that area would just be like so many other areas in Eastern Europe.
In fact, speaking of it, with the economic changes derived from the Asian financial crisis, Eastern Europe, which had just emerged from the Soviet Union and was in an economic downturn with very low costs in all aspects, should have been the best target for industrial transfer in Western Europe.
It's a pity that Eastern Europe is so disappointing.
One of the most critical issues is the poor business environment. When people go to your country to do business, not to mention other things, even the most basic personal safety cannot be guaranteed. They may be shot directly in the head by a gunman who appears out of nowhere for some reason at any time. This is a big deal.
In comparison, the Rivne State, which has been under the strong control of the Westeros system in recent years as if it were almost ceding territory and becoming independent, is completely an outlier in Eastern Europe.
Not only is the business environment smooth and harmonious, but even the underworld in this area belongs to the Westeros system.
From top to bottom, from black to white, everyone worked together, which naturally attracted the attention of all parties. In addition, Rivni successfully became Ukraine’s first duty-free free trade zone this year, and the Westeros system In addition to many companies, many other well-known international brands around the world, such as IKEA, ZARA, etc., have also established their own factories in the Rivne region.
On the projection screen in the small conference room, Rivne Region Governor Andrei Smirnov, Oldek Company head Sergey Komorov, UFMS President Klim Derevyanko, etc. The meeting was attended by many core members of the Rivne Gang, as well as Celia Miller, who happened to be in Ukraine recently.
The time there should be late at night, but, again, everyone has to adapt to Simon's schedule.
Not a lot of nonsense.
After a brief greeting, everyone started the topic of this video conference.
The core is how to face the impact of this financial crisis.
It can be basically judged that after this financial crisis spreads to the world, the Ukrainian economy, which was already in a very sluggish state, will fall into a deeper trough again. The impact on Rivne Oblast is inevitable, but with the towering tree of the Westeros system behind it, the impact is also limited.
It happens to be an opportunity for the Westeros system and the affiliated Rovno Gang to further consolidate their control over this area.
The question is how to respond.
Simon didn't hesitate much and took it at his fingertips.
Work on infrastructure!
How did the United States get out of the Great Depression
Also, how did China regain its growth vitality at previous economic turning points
The answer is always one, infrastructure.
Of course, Simon is not patting his head on his head. Large-scale infrastructure construction is not only a good solution to the economic downturn, but it is also a very urgent matter for the Rivne Oblast itself.
Such as energy.
Although it has been increasing in recent years, due to power shortages caused by the settlement of a large number of factories, the Rivne region is still in a situation where residents are often subject to power cuts in order to ensure the energy supply of enterprises. Therefore, if the Rivne region wants to go further, it must solve the problem of power supply.
In addition to electricity, oil, gas, etc., due to the continued increase in regional demand, related infrastructure also needs to be significantly transformed.
Plus, there's transportation.
Putting aside the road network, the foundation left by the former Soviet Union is pretty good. This time the focus will be on railways and aviation, while focusing on the railway network from Rivne to Western Europe. Not to mention after the collapse of the Soviet Union, even in the years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, due to the economic downturn, the railway network from Ukraine to Western Europe could only be described as in disrepair.
If you want to build the Rivne region into a light industry center and OEM center in Eastern Europe, you must first ensure that the materials produced in this area can be shipped out.
Aviation costs are too high and road transport capacity is too small, so it is inevitable to update the railway network.
In the two-hour meeting that followed, everyone mainly discussed this.
Now that the foundation has been established, there is no need to be as cautious as before. This time, the Westeros System's investment in the Rivne region will reach the level of US$1 billion. At the same time, the Rivne State Government will also issue government infrastructure bonds with the assistance of the Westeros System.
These two measures, in addition to further improving the hardware environment in the Rivno region, will also strengthen the Westeros system's control over this region.
Just like the power grid.
Ukraine's power grid is still mainly state-run, but in recent years, the Rivne region, through the continuous operation of the Westerosi system, has opened up a private gap.
Next, the Westeros System's comprehensive transformation and takeover of the power grid in Rivne and even several surrounding states is basically equivalent to the expansion of the Westeros System's influence from Rivne to the entire Western Ukraine region.
In addition, the planned issuance of state government bonds will have the same effect due to its heavy reliance on the financing channels of the Westeros system, which will inevitably strengthen the dependence of the Rivne regional authorities on the Westeros system. Moreover, borrowed debts need to be repaid. Rivne Oblast spends money in advance, which is equivalent to keeping the dividends of future economic growth at home, and does not need to hand over too much to the Kiev authorities.