Rebirth of the Official Business Route

Although the development of the domestic iron and steel industry in the 1990s was not as crazy as it was in 2002, and the dependence on iron ore resources in Western Australia, Australia was not high, but this does not mean that the domestic iron and steel industry has nothing to do with the iron ore resources in Western Australia. It's entangled.

As early as 1988, China Metallurgical Import and Export Corporation jointly opened China's first overseas Resource investment project - Channar Iron Mine, China's equity in Channar Iron Ore.

Almost all of the more than 3 million tons of iron ore imported from Western Australia to China each year is provided by Channar Iron Mine. For this reason, China Metallurgical Import and Export Corporation has set up a branch in Perth, Zhongzhi Australia Company, to be responsible for related matters. . Novel chapters are updated the fastest

It is a pity that China Metallurgical Corporation's expansion of overseas iron ore resources took this valuable first step in 1988, but it has stagnated for nearly two decades, until a few years later, when it reached the neck of the domestic iron and steel industry It was only after the international miners were strangled quickly that they thought of the next step of overseas resource layout.

Zhang Ke looked at Jia Zhiyi with piercing eyes. He had obtained Jia Zhiyi's detailed materials before. The 46-year-old Jia Zhiyi was considered a capable official in the context of China, even if the Zhongzhi Headquarters did not further expand in Western Australia He is also actively promoting the increase of the annual output of Channar Iron Mine from the current 3 million tons to 10 million tons. Fiction novel chapters are updated the fastest

Huang Mingsheng, Economic Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in Perth, saw that Jia Zhiyi, the general manager of China Metallurgical Corporation in Australia, had an expression of admiration for Zhang Ke, and Zhang Ke accepted it calmly. He was very surprised, but it was inconvenient to ask on the spot.

Jia Zhiyi seemed to guess the confusion in Huang Mingsheng's heart, and said with a smile: Counselor Huang just told me about the various advantages of Huaxi Mining after its establishment. Do you know that Huaxi Mining is the founder?

Isn't it you MCC? Huang Mingsheng asked.

... Jia Zhiyi laughed, and said to Zhang Ke and Ye Jianbin, China Metallurgical Corporation has really been honored by Kumho, and outsiders don't know that you Kumho are the real risers of Huaxi.

Zhang Ke smiled and said: The one who can enjoy the benefits is the real one. We don't care much about the obvious things.

Jia Zhiyi said to Huang Mingsheng: There are some things. The media did not publicize them. In fact, Kumho is also one of the main shareholders of Huaxi Mining. The establishment of Huaxi Mining was first advocated by Kumho. The passes and assists are all Kumho Completed. China Metallurgical Corporation just kicked the door at the end...

Finishing is the most eye-catching thing. Ye Jianbin said with a smile. Mr. Jia also likes football?

Zhang Ke touched his nose.

Ye Jianbin is considered half a football fan. There was even an offer to sponsor a football team. Zhang Ke told him that he would rather sponsor the women's football than the men's football. Ye Jianbin thought about it before giving up.

Huang Mingsheng's news in Perth is indeed a bit blocked. In 1994, he came to Perth as an economic counselor and has never returned to China. And the economic affairs in China and Perth are really serious. His most frequent job right now is to participate in the activities of the local Chinese and overseas Chinese associations. In addition to self-cultivation. There will inevitably be some slack in business. They don't even know as much about the domestic economy as foreign company executives. He even thought that the famous Aida Group and the two companies were completely unrelated.

As for the size of Kumho Commercial Land. Huang Mingsheng didn't know it intuitively either. It is enough to know that Ye Jianbin is the nephew of Ye Zhenmin, deputy secretary of the party group and deputy minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, his immediate boss.

Of course. Work in Huaxi Mining. Huang Mingsheng also knew it. Xinhua Internal Reference has reported on the full-page report on the integration of Huaxi Mining's domestic rare earth industry.

The 516 case and Zhangzhou, the central and local governments strengthened the rectification of the rare earth industry, coupled with the establishment of Huaxi and strict foreign investment in the rare earth smelting industry, the price of light rare earth in the international market has more than doubled in a year , The increase in the price of heavy rare earths is even more bizarre, and it has increased by nearly three times. This is the first increase after China liberalized the export of rare earths in 1996 and the international rare earth prices continued to decline, but it has risen to a surprising level as soon as it rose. In the case of the actual export of rare earths being cut by nearly half, the foreign exchange income increased instead of falling.

After the establishment of Huaxi Mining, the central government designated China Metallurgical Corporation to cooperate with the local government to integrate the upper and middle reaches of the rare earth industry, planning to form two major rare earth industry groups in the south and the north to complete the monopoly layout of the entire rare earth industry.

In the caliber of internal and external publicity, Kumho is deliberately ignored.

Domestic basic resources and energy industries are either completely closed and only state-owned capital is allowed to enter, or they are restricted to non-public capital. There is no reason why Kumho can participate in the management of Huaxi Mining. The process is very tortuous and the situation is very special, so of course it cannot be announced to give the public an inappropriate illusion.

Huang Mingsheng also knew that the nature of Huaxi Mining was unusual, and he thought that Kumho was both a start-up and a shareholder, and the relationship behind this was really not ordinary. He habitually thinks about his connections, thinking in his heart, can this be done with the ability of Minister Ye Zhenmin? But I didn't think about how much Kumho played in the establishment of Huaxi. In fact, although Kumho only holds 12% of Huaxi's equity, it has to pass Huaxi's name to China Metallurgical Corporation.

Zhang Shuhe, the consul general in Perth, is at the deputy bureau level. He is an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although he knows more about Kumho, he is not overly enthusiastic about running to the gate of the consulate general to pick up Zhang Ke. Ye Jianbin et al.

In addition to representatives of local Chinese and overseas Chinese, representatives of some Chinese-funded institutions or traders in Perth attended the banquet. These people were very enthusiastic when they saw Jia Zhiyi.

Although the domestic iron and steel industry is not yet highly dependent on iron ore resources in Western Australia, domestic steel mills and iron ore traders with a little foresight have successively set up offices in Perth to engage in iron ore trading business. Chinese businessmen in Perth are not uncommon, but they cannot be compared with the grand occasion when Perth was full of Chinese iron ore traders after 2003.

Since the domestic iron ore imported from Western Australia mainly comes from the Channar Iron Mine in which MCC Australia is a joint venture, these traders naturally regard Jia Zhiyi, the general manager of MCC Australia, as a reborn parent.

In a large number of mining areas and logistics channels such as railways and seaports, the two major ore merchants BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto as well as the Japanese chaebol

Under such circumstances, it is impossible to obtain a certain amount of profit and bear certain risks simply by engaging in iron ore trade, but it is better than nothing. It is always a good thing that the domestic subway ore procurement can be extended to Western Australia.

At the noon banquet, although Zhang Ke and Ye Jianbin were the guests of honor, Jia Zhiyi became the protagonist when he stopped in the restaurant.

Zhang Ke and Ye Jianbin also had a headache dealing with too many people, so they sat down with Zhang Shu and the Consul General to discuss some serious matters. Jia Zhiyi and Huang Mingsheng dealt with it for a while before returning to the main table.

Thank you Consul Zhang for organizing such a luncheon so that Kumho has the opportunity to meet and talk with the overseas Chinese in Perth and representatives of Chinese-funded institutions. Zhang Ke introduced the people on his side to Zhang Shuhe, except Ye Jianbin, In addition to Sun Jingxiang and Zhai Danqing, Kumho Commercial and others have already set up offices in Perth, and the relevant persons in charge attended the banquet together. He straightforwardly told Zhang Shuhe, Jia Zhiyi, and Huang Mingsheng the initial intention of their trip We came here this time to conduct business inspections in Western Australia. The main reason is that after the technical transformation of Dongshan Iron and Steel Plant, Kumho's current holding company, we need to import 1.8 million tons of high-quality iron ore from Western Australia every year, and Xinting 10 million tons of steel. After the completion of the industrial base and the complete integration of Dongshan Iron and Steel and Donghai Iron and Steel, the demand for high-quality iron ore raw materials will increase to 25 million tons, and we hope that Western Australia can provide at least 10 million tons...

Of course, Zhang Ke is far more than 10 million tons, but in 1999, when the total annual output of iron ore in Western Australia was less than 100 million tons, premature exposure of the grand ambitions of the goal will not only make Chinese officials hostage, but also overwhelm It caused a resolute counterattack by BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Japanese chaebols early on.

Even a target of 10 million tons is enough to widen the eyes of Chinese officials on the table.

Jia Zhiyi's eyes are only bright. China Metallurgical Corporation has been operating in Western Australia for eleven years, and the annual output of the Channar Iron Mine is only 3 million tons. 10 million tons, the head office hesitated for more than a year, and did not make a final decision happily. Kumho quoted 10 million tons of land when he first came to Perth. This appetite is really amazing. what.

Jia Zhiyi is well aware of the domestic steel industry. At least for now, the raw material import rights of Donghai United Steel and the future 10-million-ton steel industry base have not been assigned to Kumho Corporation; in fact, Kumho Corporation’s iron ore The import quota of stone is only 1.8 million tons of Dongshan Iron and Steel Works.

Jia Zhiyi asked: Kumho really wants to import 10 million tons of iron ore from Western Australia every year. It seems that we should go to Rio Tinto or BHP Billiton to talk... Even if the annual output of Channar Iron Mine increases to 10 million tons, I don’t think anyone in China Metallurgical Corporation can make the decision to provide all the 10 million tons to Kumho.”

The traders sitting on the table next to them all stood up. The iron ore from the Channar Iron Mine was going to be rounded up by others. If they stayed in Perth, they could only drink the northwest wind, and they had to go back to China.

Zhang Ke smiled slightly and said: The 10 million tons we need does not account for the amount of Channar Iron Mine, nor does it share with Rio Tinto or BHP Billiton. We want to invest in building our own supply base...

Zhang Ke's words were like a boulder thrown into the lake, which immediately stirred up waves.

Consul General Zhang Shuhe, Economic Counselor Huang Mingsheng, General Manager of China Metallurgical Corporation Australia Jia Zhiyi and others did not speak, but turned their eyes to other places in unison. , Some people even chuckled disdainfully, thinking that Zhang Ke was bragging.

Jia Zhiyi also suspects that Zhang Ke is not clear about the concept of independently investing in the construction of a 10 million-ton iron ore supply base in Western Australia, but it is inconvenient to discuss it face to face. For the goal, everyone should join in the fun. There are too many people in China who like to talk empty words, and there are not many Kumhos.

Jia Zhiyi would never tell the truth in public, but not all the guests at the banquet would take care of other people's face, and immediately someone stood up and said, Do you know the annual throughput capacity of Western Australia's seaport? Do you know how much is the annual railway transportation capacity from the mining area of ​​Western Australia to the seaport? The iron ore production capacity of the subsidiaries of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto in Western Australia has almost occupied the seaport and railway transportation capacity of Western Australia. Except yours The workers are all strong men, and they can throw ore from the mines in Western Australia across the sea to China with bare hands, otherwise...

What he said is really funny, Jia Zhiyi smiled, trying to help Zhang Wang out of his embarrassment, and explained, China Metallurgical Corporation has always wanted to increase the annual output of Chana Iron Ore from 3 million tons to 10 million tons. But this is not just a question of increasing investment in the mining area, but a question of how to coordinate and solve the additional 7 million tons of transport capacity. Even if the Channar Iron Mine has 60% of Rio Tinto's equity, it will need to increase another 7 million tons Tons of transport capacity, the difficulty is still very large.

Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton, and the chaebols behind these two miners are almost under the control of the existing mining area railways and iron ore deep-water terminals in Western Australia, unless Kumho’s demand for 10 million tons of iron ore is purchased from them Otherwise, it will be difficult to transport out of the railway lines and terminals controlled by them. Western Australia's subways and ports are all privately invested.

A middle-aged man with a more honest face also came over and explained: We businessmen mainly rely on MCC to live. There are so many mining companies in Western Australia and South Australia. Why don't we go directly to the mining area to purchase directly? The main reason is that the transportation problem cannot be solved. The two major miners have extremely strict control over the logistics system. As long as their transportation needs are just met, the railway network and ports will not be expanded. The Channar Iron Mine plans to increase production by 7 million tons, and an additional 10 million tons. The current capacity load is about to pass. The problem is not as simple as you think. We have also heard that Kumho Trading has a large domestic investment layout. Dongshan Iron and Steel Company and Kumho Trading have invested 200 million US dollars... But in the Australia, with 200 million US dollars, can only be a big trader... No, the middle-aged man pointed to the middle-aged man sitting in the corner of the restaurant, he is the representative of Chenggang, and Chenggang is a private enterprise in China. The scale is also very large, and the asset scale is tens of billions. Last year, I sent representatives to Western Australia and wanted to build an iron and stone supply base...

Zhang Ke glanced at Ye Jianbin. When they came in, everyone in the restaurant surrounded Jia Zhiyi. At this time, they thought they were just ordinary representatives sent by Kumho to Perth.

Of course, these iron ore traders, in addition to state-owned

A trade representative, with a lot of money, and a lot of billionaires are there, and he will scare Kumho's name when he speaks. In fact, Kumho's name is not very famous. In the eyes of some people who know the inside story, There's still a lot of mystery involved.

Zhang Ke stood up and said to the middle-aged man who helped explain Neizhongqu: We also know that it is very difficult to invest in the Iron Stone Base, and the Consulate General is also very enthusiastic to invite everyone here. Going one step further, we will work together to make this happen. We plan to spend 10 to 1.5 billion US dollars to invest in this 10-million-ton iron ore supply base. Of course, it is not accurate to say that the supply base is Supply bag...

Uh... The middle-aged man was slightly stunned. He wanted to organize some words to teach the representative of Kumho Commercial, who didn't know the heights of heaven and earth. He just thought that Kumho Commercial did not fully consider the difficulty of investing in iron ore. At that time, he looked at Zhang Ke wrongly, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

Jia Zhiyi listened to it, stood up happily and asked, Kumho is going to invest in Western Australia to build a port and a railway line?

If Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are to blockade, they can only invest in the construction of ports and railway lines. It is difficult to build the main line with an investment of 100 to 1.5 billion US dollars. We only invest in the construction of a branch line with a capacity of 10 million tons. The problem It's still not big... Zhang Ke sat down with a calm expression at this time, Of course, we must first find the mining area before we can determine the location of the port and the railway branch line. Many things require everyone's help.

There were a few people present who were worth more than 100 million yuan, but to build a complete supply chain, even China Metallurgical Corporation did not have the extravagant hope.

10 million tons of high-quality iron ore can only supply the raw material consumption of a steel plant with a capacity of 6 million tons. Investing in a steel plant with a capacity of 6 million tons can save some money, and it can be built with only 2 billion US dollars. Kumho Trading But extravagant enough to spend 10 to 1.5 billion US dollars to build a raw material iron ore supply tank?

The interests of investing in steel mills in China are also extremely high. It is neither their own territory to bring them to Western Australia. Besides, those chaebol giants are easy to be eaten by crocodiles. According to ordinary people's thinking, Kumho really wants to With such financial resources, it would be safer to invest and build steel factories in China.

Zhang Ke's words surprised and confused the people present, but the contempt for Kumho before was gone.

Zhang Ke doesn’t know how much fertile land is left after the Pilbara region, the main iron ore producing area in Western Australia, is divided by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Public information shows that the two major miners have roughly plowed the land in the area. , but four years later, when Fmg was established, it was able to explore a huge amount of iron ore resources under the eyes of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, and in the areas abandoned by the two major miners in Pilbara, and quickly grew into Australia's No. The three major iron ore merchants know that there are still a large amount of iron ore resources in the Pilbara area. It is the norm in the industry that Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton missed the re-exploration of geological resources in the same area.

What Kumho has to do is to publicly acquire Australian iron ore companies, and apply for exploration rights in the Pilbara region to the maximum extent for iron ore exploration.

In the areas where Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton have initially explored and abandoned areas, and then invest in exploration, the resistance encountered will be relatively small. First, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton will relax their vigilance, and second, local governments will hope to have companies. For more in-depth exploration in these areas, the exploration rights in large areas are also easy to release.

Once iron ore resources are explored, it is necessary to quickly invest huge amounts of money in the construction of mines, railways, and port infrastructure. MCC Australia has invested in Channar Iron Mine in Western Australia for ten years, building and operating mines With rich experience on it, it will be good cooperation.

Even if the Australian iron ore company is acquired, the actual exploration of the mining area still requires the cooperation of exploration companies within the metallurgical system, and the entire project can even be dismantled into multiple parts to cooperate with domestic enterprises in the form of joint ventures. In this way, since the problems existing in engineering technology are solved, the pressure on funds can also be alleviated. After all, Kumho Shanghu currently has less than one billion U.S. dollars in stock funds, but will spend more than two billion U.S. dollars in the next few years. Although it can further raise funds, the pressure on funds is still extremely high.

Almost all of these iron ore traders attending the banquet today are standing behind domestic steel mills of different sizes. Even if they can't provide much help in infrastructure construction, the capital behind them is extremely huge.

It is these capital forces that push China's annual steel output from 100 million tons to 200 million tons, 300 million tons, 400 million tons, 500 million tons, and even to the peak of 600 million tons, so that China's steel output is higher than the second to the third The combined steel output of the eight countries is the largest.

A production capacity of 10 million tons represents an investment of 25 billion to 3.5 billion, and a production capacity of 600 million tons means a total capital of 1.5 trillion. Even if a small part of this capital is diverted, It can also greatly relieve Kumho's future financial pressure.

After the luncheon, there were social activities. What Zhang Ke said at the dinner table really shocked the people present today.

As of 1999, the country's largest overseas resource investment project was the Channar Iron Mine in Western Australia. The total investment in the project was only 100,000 U.S. dollars, and China Metallurgical Corporation undertook about 17.7 billion U.S. dollars. Lake is about to spread out a large stall of 1 billion to 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in Western Australia at once, and one can imagine the strength of its shock.

They were only concerned about Kumho before and did not consider the difficulty of investing in iron ore in Western Australia. After Zhang Ke reported the investment estimate, they no longer worried about it. Jia Zhiyi also introduced Ye Jianbin's identity before. Ordinary business representatives are all in the industry, and they have heard a little about Kumho Commercial’s participation in the construction of Xinting Dongshan Port. As a comprehensive large-scale seaport, Dongshan Port has an infrastructure investment of more than 2.5 billion U.S. dollars. Naturally, there is no need to Huai Kumho The ability to organize to one to one and a half billion dollars. Jia Zhiyi also couldn't figure out Zhang Ke's specific identity, so he introduced the past vaguely. Zhang Ke and Ye Jianbin took this opportunity to formally introduce Zhai Danqing's identity as the representative of Kumho Commercial in Australia to the Chinese businessmen in Perth.