The destination is a 37-story red brick-style building at the intersection of 63rd Street and Second Avenue on the Upper East Side.
Two months ago, the two plans of 'Solvay' and 'Troy' were finalized. Sofia was responsible for building a network of contacts related to private clubs, and quickly finalized the first one because someone happened to transfer this failed business club, so she took advantage of the trend. Take over.
The naming is very low-key.
Since it's on East 63rd Street, it's called Club 63.
Simon was not satisfied with this. Although it occupied the top three floors of the building, it was not private enough because it was a public office building with many companies stationed there. It was also quite old and it was impossible to retrofit a dedicated elevator. Therefore, it will only be used as a peripheral club for executives of various New York subsidiaries of the Westeros system to entertain distinguished guests or hold small-scale business receptions.
The original business club had this function, so no major changes were needed.
By using it this time, Simon could also avoid entertaining guests in a private residence. He had always been resistant to this. It was still the territorial instinct of a lion as Janet said a long time ago.
At six o'clock, Mickey Kanter, who just took office last Friday, arrived on time.
This is a short, brown-haired man in his fifties who looks older. He has deep nasolabial folds when he smiles, and a pair of big ears, making him look a bit like Mr. Bean.
When he met a certain young tycoon for the first time, Mickey Kanter was very warm. He originally wanted to give him a hug in a familiar manner, but as soon as he raised his arm, Simon held his hand, and he changed his movements accordingly. , there was nothing strange in his expression: "Simon, nice to see you."
Simon smiled: "Me too, Mickey. Although Ron's departure is regrettable, I still want to congratulate you on your promotion."
"Thanks."
After a few simple greetings, Simon made an invitation gesture, and the two of them were led by the other two Weijia waitresses to the restaurant on the first floor of the club. As they walked through the corridor in parallel, Mickey Kanter noticed that he was beside him. The young man has an obvious feminine scent, which is relatively strong. It is obviously not a simple touch. Looking at the two slim young girls in front of him, it is inevitable to envy him.
However, Mickey Kanter knows very well that being the Secretary of Commerce is already the pinnacle of his career.
Due to his unsatisfactory performance in the U.S.-Japan auto trade negotiations, Clinton gave him this position as a pre-resignation reward, allowing him to accumulate some resources and contacts in this position so that he could engage in related personal duties after leaving.
Therefore, even though he was envious or even a little jealous, Mickey Kanter did not dare to have any objections in front of Simon.
The gap in power and status is too great.
In Mickey Kanter's opinion, it is the most correct approach to help the other party coordinate this trip to China as much as possible. In this way, he can gain a lot of favors from the Westeros system, and he can easily rely on one or two people after leaving his job in the future. There is definitely no problem with being a director of a core company in the Westeros system.
During this period, Simon Westeros made frequent moves in this regard, such as supporting former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to take charge of a pharmaceutical company.
The benefits are many.
Very generous young man.
The two of them entered the restaurant and sat down. This was a window seat located in the southwest corner of the building with a great view. In the setting sun, you could see the towering Westeros Building under construction not far away in the sunset.
The dinner dishes had been arranged in advance, and the waitresses served appetizers and red wine before leaving quietly without stopping.
The dinner conversation will last for an hour, and there is no rush to get to the point. Mickey Kanter picked up the tableware and gestured towards the Westeros Building in the sunset outside the window: "Simon, this building should be topped out soon, right?"
This is the 35th floor of the building where they are located, about 150 meters, and the Westeros Building a few blocks away has a designed ceiling height of 622 meters. At this time, the installation of the helipad located at a height of about 560 meters in the design drawings has begun.
Since the beginning of construction, due to Simon's strict requirements for construction quality and his increasingly rich personal fortune, the construction of the Westeros Tower can be described as extravagant, and has already exceeded the original budget of US$1 billion.
I just want to imitate the high-altitude helicopter landing pad of the Avengers Tower in my memory. Initially, due to cost considerations, it was planned to use a high-strength lightweight aluminum alloy material.
Regardless of the cost, the Westeros Building construction team made several selections and obtained the latest titanium alloy material from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory directly under the U.S. Department of Energy. It is 20% harder than common structural titanium alloys in the aviation field and is more durable. It is more than twice as strong as the aluminum alloy material originally considered, and has excellent toughness and ductility, fully suitable for the construction environment above 500 meters high.
The Westeros Tower construction team invested US$20 million just to obtain the production license for this material and transform a smelting workshop in a factory in Tennessee that can produce this titanium alloy material. The cost of the complete apron structure exceeds US$200 million. Dollar.
In order to avoid Simon's accusation of excessive luxury after the information was leaked, everyone involved in the project signed a strict confidentiality agreement, and very few people really knew the cost of building the tarmac.
Inside the restaurant.
Simon also looked up and said with a smile: "It will be capped at the end of this year, but it will take two to three years to move in."
"I really hope I can go up and have a look then."
"Then I'm sending this invitation now, Mickey. I hope you won't forget it then."
"Oh, this is such an honor. By the way, how high is the building?"
"2040 feet."
"It's amazing. I don't think there will be another building like it in the next 50 years."
"The world is always changing, you can't say for sure," Simon smiled and changed the topic appropriately: "I heard that there is a lot of chaos in Washington recently?"
Mickey Kanter immediately sighed again: "Yes, Bill has just obtained the single-item veto power. Everyone is opposing it. I also think that this power will be difficult to last for too long. And Ken Starr, He's completely crazy now. The special court only gave him the authority to investigate the Paula Jones case, but he has now extended it to everyone associated with Bill, which is totally ****."
"Actually, the key to the problem is Paula Jones. Why doesn't the White House try to reconcile?"
"Now even Paula Jones wants to get out, but you also know that the Republican Party will not allow this to happen."
Simon could only shrug slightly with regret.
I quietly checked in private and found that the White House still had an intern named Monica Lewinsky last year, and it was recommended by Ron Perelman. It is now 1996, and everything that should have happened has already happened. happened, there is a high chance that the zipper door will happen again.
Now Simon actually has the ability to interfere in this matter a little.
Just didn't do it.
In the final analysis, this is an internal struggle within Washington circles and has little direct interest in the Westeros system. If Simon intervenes, he will not get any benefits, but will cause a lot of trouble.
The two chatted about various recent topics until the waitress appeared again to serve the meal. Mickey Kanter took a sip of red wine and finally said: "Simon, I must be honest, even if you are optimistic about the Chinese market, there is no need at all. By leading a large number of high-level officials from the Westeros system to visit China, you should understand the significance of this incident and its subsequent impact. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, China has become the most important strategic rival of the United States. I don’t think that helping China will be beneficial to us. What’s the benefit?”
Simon was not angry at all because of Mickey Kanter's straightforward opinion, and still smiled: "Mickey, I think since the emergence of nuclear weapons, it has been difficult for major powers to have conflicts like the two world wars half a century ago. Confrontation, think about the Soviet Union and how it collapsed, is not war.”
Mickey Kanter couldn't react for a moment.
Simon pointed out directly: "In my opinion, the real confrontation between major powers in the future will be a confrontation at the economic level."
In fact, given Simon's pessimistic attitude towards human society, he did not believe what he said. Since the birth of nuclear weapons, nuclear war will inevitably occur. Human reason has never been reliable.
Of course you don't say these things to people casually.
Just like in front of you.
What to say when meeting someone.
Mickey Kanter heard this and said: "Then, Simon, it seems that you should not do this."
Simon was still very patient: "Mickey, do you still remember how the United States controlled the political and economic structure of Western Europe after World War II?"
With such a reminder, Mickey Kanter finally reacted.
If it relied solely on its status as a victorious nation, the United States would never be able to have the strong influence it had in Western Europe at this time. The key to the matter was called the Marshall Plan.
Simon looked at Mickey Kanter's understanding expression and said: "So, sometimes, when others help you, they are not really helping you. The helper may get more benefits. In China, we are actually quite backward. Yes, Japan has been strengthening investment in China in the past two decades, and it has penetrated into all aspects. The simple truth is, Mickey, if a person owes you money or favors, his children will still Working in your department, do you think he has the confidence to become your enemy?"
Mickey Kanter did not forget that he came to the Core this time to establish a good relationship with Simon Westeros, so he just mentioned it casually to express his attitude as a top executive of the American Core, and did not mean to dissuade Simon. However, after listening to what Simon said, he thought he understood what the other person was thinking.
Of course, I still don’t really agree with it.
Instead of continuing the argument, we talked about a more specific issue: "In that case, Simon, what are your expectations for this negotiation with the Chinese government?"
Simon has always understood one thing.
If you give too much, you will often not cherish it and even take it for granted.
Therefore, in the upcoming trip to China, the Westeros system is playing a red face, and the Washington authorities represented by Mickey Kanter are naturally a bad side. This time, they will be closely related to the Westeros system. The company has launched consultations with the Chinese government in the three major fields of technology, entertainment and finance, covering many aspects such as further opening up the film market and protecting intellectual property rights.
In fact, the actual benefits that the Westeros system should get have been obtained from various cooperation agreements previously reached.
Just like the large-scale commercial center that is about to be built in the Chinese capital, in the finalized agreement, the price of the land approved by the Chinese side is basically half sale and half free. Moreover, for an investment of 1 billion US dollars, the Chinese government still promised to give out part of it even if it is financially strapped. A low-interest loan of US$300 million, and the remaining US$700 million, Levison Group can also obtain from overseas banks that are quite optimistic about this project.
Before and after, they are all empty-handed white wolves.
The current Westeros system has a large amount of cash reserves, and it is easy to spend 1 billion US dollars, but Simon understands better that this is how the real estate industry should really be played. Only by being able to spend other people's money on real estate can we become bigger and stronger.
These things are not a secret to Mickey Kanter. Simon did not hide it: "Mickey, you should know that the benefits that can be obtained from the Westeros system have been agreed with the Chinese government in advance. So, you Let’s go together this time, we just need to be strong enough.”
Mickey Kanter understood and said with a smile: "I understand, I am the bad cop."
Simon then smiled: "Actually, none of us are good police officers."
While the two were talking, there was the sound of high heels clicking at the entrance of the restaurant. Girl A brought a tray over. Mickey Kanter looked over and saw that in the tray... well, it was probably a glass of milk, and he suddenly felt a little confused.
There was no flaw in Girl A's expression. She walked closer, picked up the cup on the tray and put it in Simon's hand: "Boss, this is what you want."
After speaking, he nodded slightly to Mickey Kanter in a formulaic manner, turned around and left.
Mickey Kanter listened to the clicking sound of Girl A's high heels and walked away, then looked at Simon opposite who had a strange look on his face. He was even more confused, but it was inconvenient to ask more questions.
Simon held the glass, caressing it with his fingertips and gently turning it on the table, but did not pick it up. He also said to Mickey Canter: "Sorry, the woman is ignorant, I will teach her a lesson later."
The cup of milk opposite was obviously warm and had a faint fragrance when I glanced at it.
Mickey Kanter couldn't help but sniff his nose slightly. He felt that it wasn't milk, and he couldn't tell what it was. Hearing what Simon said, he shook his head and smiled: "It doesn't matter."
"Then, let's continue." Simon seemed no longer in a hurry to eat. His palm was still wrapped around the glass, as if he was feeling some residual warmth: "Mickey, although your task is to show your attitude, you can't gain nothing. I I’d like you to talk about the next three things, all about movies.”
Mickey Kanter nodded and motioned for Simon to continue.
Simon said: "First, China is required to develop restrictions on foreign investment in building movie theaters in mainland China."
Mickey Kanter heard this and immediately felt a little embarrassed: "Simon, this doesn't seem to be easy to handle. You should understand the situation in China. When it comes to the cultural industry, they have always been more conservative than other aspects."
"Ten years ago, this was definitely the case," Simon said. "Now the chances of negotiation are very high, because the Chinese government has agreed to the construction of cinemas in the mainland with Hong Kong and Macao capital. We just need equal treatment."
Mickey Kanter doesn't know much about this.
However, since Westeros said this, it should be true. At first, someone said that he only needed to express an attitude in the past, thinking that this trip would be easy, but he did not expect that the first request would be so difficult.
"So, Simon, I can only say try your best." Mickey Kanter nodded and asked: "Then what?"
"Secondly, we require China to reform its theater system."
Mickey Kanter was suddenly confused again.
Theater chains are commonplace in the United States. However, just like ordinary people have heard the names of many government departments but do not know what their functions are and how they operate, Mickey Kanter only has an ordinary person's understanding of theater chains. The vague concept is probably a movie broadcasting consortium composed of many theaters.
At this time, in front of Westeros, of course, I couldn't show such ignorance. I thought for a while and said: "Simon, this kind of film industry reform should have nothing to do with us?"
"Of course it is related. This involves the third item. While reforming the theater chain system, you need to convince China to network theater ticket sales." At this point, Simon took the initiative to explain: "Mickey, in the past year, Hollywood movies have Five of China's top ten box office movies are in the box office. However, according to our investigation, due to the backward projection system and serious management loopholes, a large part of the box office of our movies has been concealed. Reform of the theater chain system and at the same time Requiring theaters to be renovated online is to make the market feedback of Hollywood movies in China more transparent."
"Simon, if I remember correctly, both the box office volume and the share ratio of Chinese movies are so low that they are almost negligible."
"Mickey, do you know how many landline phones China has now?"
"Um?"
"I happened to pay attention to this matter recently, so I was very touched. Now it is 50 million, but only five years ago in 1990, this number was only 10 million. This is the potential. China is a huge market with a population of 1 billion , as long as the industry can become formal and the market potential of 1 billion people explodes, nothing is impossible."
Mickey Kanter nodded and remembered another thing: "In this case, Simon, I think you should be more concerned about the piracy problem in China. In fact, the American Software and Information Industry Association contacted me the day before yesterday, hoping that I can China is discussing this issue in this consultation, and they are also lobbying the White House and Congress. If China continues to allow piracy, corresponding sanctions should be imposed."
Saying this, Mickey Kanter's face that looked a bit like Mr. Bean showed some less obvious amusement.
If we talk about piracy, in the past year, the music piracy problem of Tinco Bayer iPlayer has been the most criticized. In the first year of its release, sales exceeded 20 million. Colleagues who created miracles, in the same year, the iPlayer catalyzed the development of music piracy. Coupled with the proliferation of online pirated music due to the popularity of the Internet, global record sales plummeted by 23%, which is considered a 'first'.
In addition, there are VCD players that are quickly becoming popular in China.
This is also considered unique.
When this machine first appeared a few years ago, all Western electronics giants were not optimistic about it, so they did not pay too much attention to it.
I didn't expect it to break out in China.
Then, after some research, everyone quickly understood that the reason was piracy.
Simon also noticed Mickey Kanter's expression, and continued to smile and slowly rub the cup in his hand: "Mickey, I know what you are thinking. Whether it is iPlayer here in the United States or VCD in China, they are all a kind of It is an inevitable trend in the digital age. Even if I don't do it, similar products will still appear. In this case, I can only try to make it develop in a controllable direction."