In mid-January 1988, the special trade team arrived in Tokyo, Japan.

This time I came back to Japan to buy iron filings. Although on the surface it was the first time for both parties to contact each other, because of the special relationship between Ning Weimin and Hanhe Industrial, the necessary preparations had been made and there was a dedicated receptionist to assist. The two parties talked very smoothly.

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When the two parties finally approved the contract, even when it came to determining the appropriate currency, Hanwa Industrial did not insist on using Japanese yen and was willing to accept US dollars.

It can be said that it gives enough face, which eliminates all the exchange rate risks in this transaction.

Therefore, even the old people in the team who already have rich experience in foreign trade say behind their backs that they have never signed such a smooth contract.

However, this is nothing, just because Hanwa Kogye is at the bottom, and then the trade group contacts Japan's Iron Source Association, they fully occupy the initiative.

Originally, the representatives of the Iron Source Association had some evil intentions towards this buyer who came to their doorstep and had a huge demand.

They take it for granted that the Republic's trade group may not know much about the actual situation of Japanese steel companies, and treats the trade group as a fat sheep delivered to their door.

Therefore, on behalf of the sixty-nine small steel mills in Kanto, they quoted a high price of 3,000 yen per ton of iron filings, hoping to use these "waste materials" that they were eager to get rid of to severely rip off the trade group.

But the contract just signed with Hanwa Industrial was right in front of us, and the 500 tons of iron filings had already begun to be transported from Hanwa Industrial's warehouse.

How could the trade group, which has fully understood the backlog of iron filings in Japan, accept such unreasonable conditions?

Therefore, under our strong arguments, the Japanese side retreated steadily.

In the end, with the insistence of the trade group that they could only accept the price of 1,200 yen per ton, the Japan Iron Source Association could only recognize the reality and give up its original unrealistic fantasy.

After explaining the situation and communicating with sixty-nine small steel companies in Kanto, they finally signed a contract with the trade group.

The Iron Source Association decided to export 16,000 tons of iron scraps and scrap iron to the Republic based on the quotation quoted by the trade group.

Although in terms of currency, the Iron Source Association is more insistent and only agrees to trade in Japanese yen.

But there is no doubt that this transaction can still be said to be an overall victory for us in the field of foreign trade.

According to the plan, this batch of iron filings will go to sea from Osaka, land at the Shanghai port, and be sent directly to domestic steel plants far away from the mining areas.

Although it cannot completely solve the problem of shortage of production resources, it should at least be a useful supplement.

What's more, at this point, the trade team still did not return to the DPRK. Instead, they reported to the leadership and chose to pursue the victory.

Next, they plan to continue looking for steel plants in the Kansai region of Japan and come to negotiate individually.

If we could buy tens of thousands more tons of iron filings, we could at least fill the gap in iron ore by 30%.

This will undoubtedly greatly alleviate the tight domestic supply and demand situation and will be of great benefit to stabilizing the domestic production and construction environment.

For this reason, not only the leaders of the three major ministries and commissions leading the matter breathed a sigh of relief after learning the good news.

Huo Yanping even received special commendation from above because of the key information provided by Ning Weimin in this matter.

Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you be victorious in every battle. Everyone understands this truth.

Needless to say, Ning Weimin's role in this matter is the key.

So the real hero Ning Weimin was quickly praised by Huo Yanping in person.

As for gratitude, what better way to thank Ning Weimin than to reward him based on his merits and realize his long-cherished wish?

This time Huo Yanping clearly told Ning Weimin that his contribution in this matter and his request to develop rouge rice had been mentioned to the person who sent him the letter last time.

The person's original words were, "It is not good to interfere in local government affairs, but there should be room for discussion on the designation of hundreds of acres of rice fields at the foot of Yuquan Mountain, but procedures must be followed." Ning Weimin was asked to wait patiently.

In addition, Huo Yanping also paid extra attention to Ning Weimin's "spiritual pursuit."

He is very dissatisfied with the fact that he has never joined the student union in school and has never been an activist at work. Until now, his personal attributes are still blank.

Therefore, Huo Yanping made a special request to Ning Weimin, asking him to be strict with himself in the future and to have the courage to make progress.

He also told him that if he submitted an application to the organization, he could be his introducer.

It should be said that Ning Weimin was very lucky to get this opportunity for advancement, not to mention that Huo Yanping was willing to be his introducer in person. How honorable was that?

Absolutely no comparison.

A fish leaps over a dragon's gate, nothing more than that.

…………

He is different from Ning Weimin, who is willing to be the unsung hero behind the scenes and likes to be "boring".

Generally speaking, most people in this era do not understand the benefits of living in harmony with the world. They prefer to become famous as early as possible and stand in the spotlight in front of the stage.

However, this month, the loss of a well-known reform star made everyone rethink this concept.

In late January 1988, people across the country suddenly learned the news from newspapers that the former reform star Bu Xinsheng had been dismissed from office.

And like him, the sock factory he led fell into operating difficulties again after experiencing the treatment and glory of a star company for several years.

A few days after the news of Bu Xinsheng's dismissal was released, the People's Daily published an article entitled "One man's ups and downs, a thousand people's comments", which also reflected on the report of "reform model".

At this time, everyone was shocked to discover that entrepreneur is a very special idol.

They are different from those who do good things to others, scientists and artists.

Once established, it will never be once and for all, and you will not make mistakes again and become an idol forever.

It turns out that entrepreneurship is a very utilitarian profession.

When your company is doing well, you are an idol, but once your company is not doing well, the meaning of all your idols will be subverted.

This understanding not only refreshes people's understanding of idols, but also makes many people who are in the limelight, or people who are gradually declining, re-examine their situation and consider their future.

In fact, this phenomenon and the results are not surprising.

Don’t forget that the Republic’s infrastructure and industrial level have been developing rapidly since the reform and opening up.

The GDP of the country and the living standards of the people are also improving simultaneously.

These are all tangible changes that can be seen and touched.

As the carrier of the economy, it is natural that the living conditions and development conditions of various domestic industries are constantly changing.

So as we explore the way forward in the planned economy, when commodities are abundant to a certain extent, it is no longer a complete seller's market.

As a carrier of business, each enterprise follows certain market rules, so it is inevitable to eliminate the bad and retain the good.

Therefore, some companies are now unable to make ends meet and are on the verge of bankruptcy.

Some companies have developed rapidly, continuously expanded production capacity and production lines, and received government support and commendations.

Even on the same track and in the same industry, strong contrasts from one place to another are not uncommon.

Even this gap is gradually widening, showing an intensifying trend.

This is true not only for companies, but also for people.

Some new models are established and some old idols are replaced.

In fact, this kind of expelling the old and bringing in the new is as natural as human breathing and the metabolism of the human body. There is nothing to say about it.

To put it bluntly, the Eight Immortals cross the sea and each show their abilities, and everything is judged by success or failure.

Whether you are an enterprise or the person who leads the enterprise, in the tide of reform, the moment you can ride the wave and go ahead, you will be a hero that attracts much attention.

But as long as you are overturned by the big waves of the times, no one will pay attention to you anymore, or even change their tone to laugh at you, and soon forget you. This is the cruelty of the market.

This is not only true for domestic people and things, but also for foreign-funded enterprises and joint ventures.

As for the year 1988 that has just arrived, their road ahead is also full of challenges.

Despite the Republic's huge market and preferential policies, it is becoming more and more attractive.

Even when Japan's economic bubble is desperately trying to attract money, more and more foreign-funded companies are still coming to China to test the waters.

Motorola, Procter & Gamble, IBM, General Electric, Best Company, Valentino... these are all new brands that just settled in China last year.

However, what complements this is definitely more intense market competition.

Needless to say, for foreign brands and joint ventures that have already settled in the mainland in advance, the influx of more foreign companies into China must be handled with caution.

Not only does this mean that they have more competitors, but also more powerful people to share the cake. The Chinese market may no longer be a blue ocean for them to roam with peace of mind.

At the same time, they are also forced to further improve the quality of their employees and improve internal management.

They need to work harder, spend more money on advertising, and use more channels to win the favor of officials and people in mainland China in order to continue to grow and develop while maintaining the current foundation.

And there is no doubt that this kind of pressure must also come from top to bottom. Not only the top managers of the company bear the pressure, but the middle-level cadres and the people below also feel uncomfortable.

This is true even for Pierre Cardin China Corporation, the clothing giant now known as the "number one foreign company" in mainland China.

Since the company's headquarters has been moved from Chongwenmen to Pierre Cardon Building this year, Pierre Cardon China's office space has increased a lot.

Although the entire building has been renovated into a four-star hotel and started operating, the entire third and fourth floors were designated by Song Huagui as private land for Pierre Cardon Company, exclusively for the company's offices.

Needless to say, what complements this is that the size of the company’s office staff has almost doubled.

The headquarters in Jingcheng alone has expanded to nearly 230 people, not counting the branches in Shanghai and Huacheng.

Moreover, almost all of the newly hired personnel are fresh undergraduates, and one-fifth of them even have graduate degrees.

It can be said that today's foreign companies have completed the first step 2.0 upgrade in personnel recruitment because of their high salaries and good benefits, and they have generally become the favorites of young people.

Many new recruits were willing to give up the iron rice bowl assigned to them by the school despite family objections. They also came for interviews and went through layers of screening and rigorous interviews before finally joining.
To be continued...