Chapter 351: Suppressing Hutchison Whampoa
[From now on, Oriental International will stop purchasing Hong Kong Land shares! ]

Early in the morning, shareholders who wanted to watch the real estate battle suddenly saw the news in the newspaper and were all a little confused.

Why did Oriental International suddenly stop the acquisition?

"I guess Dongfang International must have obtained the position of the major shareholder, so it stopped the acquisition."

"No, I think it was probably Jardine Matheson that made Oriental International give in. After all, in all these years in Hong Kong Island, who has Jardine Matheson ever been afraid of?"

"Don't brag about it. Wasn't the Wharf owned by Jardine Matheson taken away by Bao Sheng?"

"Jardine Matheson is now on the decline."

However, compared to the ordinary people who were talking about it, there was a huge crowd in front of the exchange.

"Didn't we agree that the acquisition of Hong Kong Land's shares would take two days? Why did it end in just one day?"

"Yes, I just found the share certificate today and wanted to sell it, but you said you don't want to buy it?"

"Sorry, everyone, we have also received a notice that Dongfang International has stopped purchasing shares."

"So, there's nothing we can do."

At this time, a group of stock brokers spoke earnestly to the investors.

They were also very surprised because they suddenly received a notice from the exchange in the morning to stop purchasing shares of Swire Properties.

With their professional sense, they felt that something big might happen behind this.

Of course, they also felt a little gloating at this moment.

I tried my best to persuade you to sell your stocks a few days ago, but no one wanted to sell and you were waiting for the price to go up.

Everyone said that it was impossible for the stock price of Swire Properties to rise that high, but no one believed it.

Now, they have stopped the acquisition. You must be dumbfounded.

"Look at TV! Jardine Matheson is holding a press conference."

Just then, someone shouted loudly.

Afterwards, the huge crowd in the exchange looked at the TV nearby. There were always TVs in the exchange that played the news.

Soon, TVB Jade Channel started live broadcast, and a group of foreigners appeared on it.

"According to the latest news, Jardine Matheson Group announced that it will trade all of its 28 million shares of Hong Kong Land and 1.26 million shares of Wharf Holdings to Oriental International for HK$1500 billion."

"From today, Jardine Matheson will withdraw from the management of Hong Kong Land and all its subsidiaries, and new management will be appointed by Oriental International Company in the future."

"After taking over the shares of Jardine Matheson Group, Oriental International announced that it owned 49.5% of Hong Kong Land's shares, thus becoming the undisputed largest shareholder of Hong Kong Land."

"The Hong Kong Land Group will now enter the Oriental International era."

"At the same time, Oriental International announced that the name of Island Land will be changed from Island Land to Oriental Land. Oriental Land will move out of Hong Kong Island and expand its real estate business around the world."

At this moment, the news reported by Jade Channel one after another, like bombs, shocked everyone in Hong Kong Island.

The glorious land company just changed hands like that?

Jardine Matheson, once the king of foreign firms in Hong Kong Island, lost Wharf Holdings and then Swire Properties in just half a month. Its two major real estate groups all changed hands, and it withdrew from Hong Kong Island in such an embarrassing manner.

This is the century-old Jardine Matheson?
At the headquarters of Cheung Kong Holdings, Li Jiacheng was looking at the news with a complicated expression.

28 billion Hong Kong dollars!

In terms of conversion, the share price of Hutchison Whampoa will not exceed HK$17 per share, and is likely to be around HK$16, while the share price of Wharf Holdings may be even lower than the market price.

At this time, the stock price of Hutchison Whampoa had fallen back to around 60 yuan.

The price of each share of Hutchison Whampoa that Li Changhe acquired from Jardine Matheson was 54 yuan, which was equivalent to a % discount.

There is no way around it. For such a large-scale acquisition, it is impossible to sell it at market price. There will definitely be a discount.

Because Orient International took over Jardine Matheson and helped Jardine Matheson to convert stocks into cash, this is a kind of help for Jardine Matheson.

Although this amount of funds is huge, Li Jiacheng estimates that if several major real estate developers join forces and have the support of banks, they may be able to snatch this piece of fat meat from Dongfang International.

But now, there is no chance!

In one fell swoop, China Eastern International’s shareholding exceeded 49%. No, this is only the figure announced publicly; they should also have shares in private.

According to Li Jiacheng's estimation, the shares held by China Eastern International and Jardine Matheson are definitely more than 50%, but the other party must have used other methods to hide the shares.

However, this operation has become an unspoken rule among listed companies in Hong Kong.

On the surface, everyone holds 49 shares. Privately, only the major shareholders themselves know how many shares they hold after the split.

After all, Hong Kong stocks require that equity exceeding 49% be disclosed, so dispersed holdings only need to be less than % to be hidden. This does not even require voting support. As long as the shares remain dormant, % of the shares will have undisputed voting rights.

"What a pity!"

Li Jiacheng shook his head and put away the envy in his eyes.

He was really envious of the land.

What Li Jiacheng didn't know was that because of his greed, Li Changhe had already started to take action against him.

The Peninsula Hotel, Hong Kong Island.

Wei Li walked in with some curiosity. A mysterious person asked him to meet today. The other party claimed to be from Manhattan Bank.

Considering the major events that happened in Hong Kong today, Wei Li had some guesses in his mind.

Manhattan Bank seems to be the mastermind behind the acquisition of the land enterprise.

so?
Wei Li walked into a luxurious conference room.

"Hello, Mr. Wery, hello, I am Jim Watson, the head of the investment securities department of Manhattan Bank."

As soon as Wei Li entered the door, a white man with blond hair and blue eyes came over and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Ok?"

Wei Li was a little surprised. This guy seemed a bit sociable.

"Hello, Mr. Watson, is it you who asked me to meet you?"

Wei Li said gently at this time.

"Yeah, actually you can call me Jim."

"By the way, let me introduce you. This is Victor, the current owner of Oriental Land Company."

"Ok?"

"Oriental Land?"

"Wasn't the Land acquired by the Rockefeller family?"

Wei Li looked at Li Changhe at this moment and asked in surprise.

As we all know, the Rockefeller family is behind Oriental International.

"Of course, you can understand it that way, but in fact, the entire acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa was led by Vic."

"You can also understand that Vic is the shareholder of Oriental Land and the spokesperson of the Rockefeller family."

"Mr. Wery, it was actually Vic who recommended you to us. He wants to invite you to join the management of Hong Kong Land and become the CEO of the entire Hong Kong Land."

Jim spoke seriously to Wei Li at this time.

Wei Li frowned slightly: "Joining Jardine Matheson?"

"Yes, join Hutchison Whampoa. I think Mr. Weeley is not happy at Hutchison Whampoa now."

Li Changhe took the initiative to speak at this time.

Who is Wei Li?

He is the current president and controller of Hutchison Whampoa.

But he, the person in control, was not invited by Li Ka-shing, but by HSBC.

At that time, HSBC became a major shareholder of Hutchison Whampoa, but Hutchison Whampoa was already a mess and the entire company was on the verge of bankruptcy.

So HSBC invited Bill Weary, who was known as the "company doctor".

Wei Li is known as the corporate doctor because his ability is as precise as a scalpel. He can slowly sort out many complex companies, bring them back to life and revitalize them.

In fact, Weedle did not disappoint HSBC's expectations. In just a few years, he got Hutchison Whampoa back on track from the brink of bankruptcy.

But just when he was planning to make a big move, HSBC sold Hutchison Whampoa to Li Ka-shing.

Wei Li was very angry about this and publicly cursed Li Jiacheng in front of the media, calling him a thief who stole his achievements.

However, Li Ka-shing did not fire Wei Li immediately, but continued to keep Wei Li in the position of boss of Hutchison Whampoa. He himself only joined the board of directors of Hutchison and claimed that he would not receive a penny of salary.

Of course, this is not because Li Jiacheng admires Wei Li. In fact, He and Huang just can't do without Wei Li.

From the impending bankruptcy to the resumption of operation of Hutchison Whampoa, it can be said that every aspect was built by Wellington. It is impossible for Li Ka-shing, who had just taken over Hutchison Whampoa, to be familiar with these frameworks at the first time. Therefore, he had to retain Wellington to stay in the company to help him sort out and control Hutchison Whampoa.

Two years later, Li Ka-shing had figured out everything about Hutchison Whampoa, and Wei Li was kicked out by Li Ka-shing.

Of course, this person is indeed capable, and later he got involved in another real estate company, namely Chinese Estates Holdings.

Fan Liu acquired Chinese Estates Holdings and jumped from a fan seller to a real estate tycoon in Hong Kong Island. It is said that it was because of the help of Wheatley.

Of course, Li Changhe was not clear about the specific reasons, but Wei Li was obviously capable.

It is impossible for Li Changhe to take control of the country now, and he does not have the ability to do so, so he must choose a suitable CEO for the country.

Although Bao Yugang can prepare a group of people for Li Changhe to take over the land, these people are at most middle and senior levels, and it is impossible for there to be a top-level person in charge.

Firstly, it is difficult to find such a person in charge. Not only must he be capable, but he must also have sufficient trust. Just like Hutchison Whampoa, Bao Yugang could only let Wu Guangzheng be in charge.

Secondly,

It just so happened that Li Jiacheng was preparing to snipe Li Changhe in the acquisition battle of Swire Properties, so Li Changhe did not hold back.

There is no point in targeting Hutchison Whampoa's stocks now. Li Ka-shing's current stake in Hutchison Whampoa is probably more than 40%, and it will be difficult for Li Changhe to seize Hutchison Whampoa's shares.

But he can hold back Li Jiacheng.

Hutchison Whampoa is a super large company with hundreds of branches under it. It is difficult for Li Ka-shing to sort out such a complex corporate structure in a short period of time.

So he needed Wei Li's help.

And now, what Li Changhe has to do is to poach Wei Li.

He wanted to see how long it would take Li Ka-shing to completely control Hutchison Whampoa without Wei Li's help.
Wei Li looked down on Li Jiacheng. Perhaps he stayed in Hutchison simply for the money.

After hearing what Li Changhe said, Wei Li looked at Li Changhe with some curiosity.

"You want to invite me to take charge of the land?"

"Yes, Mr. Wei Li, no matter how much salary Li Jiacheng offers you, Hongdi can give you double it."

“Besides that, we will not deprive you of your management rights over the land.”

"You can see that Jim has to go back to the United States. He won't stay in Hong Kong for long. As for me, you can see my age. I won't directly serve as the chairman of the board. Besides, I have other things to do."

"So, Jim and I want to find a suitable manager for Hong Kong. In my opinion, there may be no one more suitable to manage Hong Kong than you, Mr. Weeley."

"You are familiar with all the situations in Hong Kong Island, and you have managed Hutchison Whampoa. In fact, many businesses of Hong Kong Land Group overlap with those of Hutchison Whampoa."

"So I think Mr. Weeley is the most suitable person to be the head of Landmark."

"Besides, as far as I know, Li Jiacheng doesn't particularly like Mr. Wei Li. After all, you have ridiculed him in public in the media."

"He wants you to stay now just because he needs you to help him sort out Hutchison Whampoa and help him get through the transition period of taking over Hutchison Whampoa. Once he is familiar with all the management of Hutchison Whampoa, I believe that by then, he will definitely not keep you in Hutchison Whampoa."

After hearing what Li Changhe said, Wei Li fell silent.

In fact, he himself knew these truths.

But over the years, Wei Li has become accustomed to the feeling of holding all the power in Hutchison Whampoa. If you ask him to leave suddenly, he would actually be very reluctant to leave.

Although he was called the company doctor in the past, he had never been in control of a company as large as Hutchison Whampoa.

Controlling Hutchison gave him the feeling of being in control of his own kingdom.

Therefore, this is also the reason why he listened to Li Ka-shing's retention and stayed in Hutchison.

He was obsessed with that kind of power.

But now, the young man named Victor, as well as the Manhattan Bank or the Rockefeller family, suddenly extended an olive branch to him and invited him to take control of the land.

This is another excellent choice for Wei Li.

Firstly, the size of Hong Kong Swire Properties is actually not much different from that of Hutchison Whampoa. As Jardine Matheson’s trump card in Hong Kong Island, the equity of many of Jardine Matheson’s companies are placed under Hong Kong Swire Properties.

(Some companies were no longer under Hong Kong Land because after losing Wharf Holdings, Jardine Matheson Holdings strategically reorganized its equity and spun off high-quality industries such as Dairy Farm and Mandarin Oriental, and then became independent.)
Secondly, the land and companies held by Swire Properties are of much higher quality than those held by Hutchison Whampoa.

After all, before this, Jardine Matheson was the undisputed leader in Hong Kong Island, and they acquired the most powerful and promising industry leaders at the time.

In comparison, Hutchison Whampoa could only acquire relatively ordinary companies and land at that time.

So this creates a new advantage for Wei Li.

If he took charge of Hutchison Whampoa, he could use the advantages of Hutchison Whampoa's companies to comprehensively suppress Hutchison Whampoa. After all, he was very clear about Hutchison Whampoa's various businesses.

In many businesses, Swire Properties surpasses Hutchison Whampoa.

Thinking of this, Wei Li felt a little moved.

He hated Li Ka-shing, and hated even more that HSBC sold Hutchison Whampoa to Li Ka-shing at such a low price, because that made it seem that he had no status at all in HSBC's heart, and it also made it easy for Li Ka-shing to take away his hard work and the fruits of his labor.

So, if I can save Hutchison Whampoa, then of course I can also destroy it.

Thinking of this, Wei Li looked at Li Changhe seriously.

"Are you really willing to let me be in charge of the land for a long time?"

"Of course, we can write it into the contract. The employment period is at least ten years. As long as you work hard for Hong Kong Land, Hong Kong Land will never fire you without reason. We can write this into the contract."

Li Changhe said without hesitation.

Ten years, from the 80s to the 90s, was the deadline Li Changhe set for Wei Li.

This deadline, on the one hand, is to satisfy An Wei Li's heart, and on the other hand, it is also to rely on Wei Li's ability to stabilize the land. After all, Wei Li is a British foreigner, and currently he is more suitable for dealing with the Hong Kong government than the Chinese.

Ten years later, Li Changhe estimated that his classmates, or even the elite talents among mainland Chinese, would have grown up, and that would be the right time for him to take over the entire business.

Of course, the premise of this decade is that Wei Li has to be an obedient tool.

Otherwise, it would be a breach of contract, and Li Changhe would not hesitate.

But now, after hearing the conditions that Li Changhe promised him, Wei Li was indeed tempted.

With twice the salary and control over a Hong Kong property group that is no less impressive than Hutchison Whampoa, or even better, Weedle would hardly hesitate to make such a choice.

"Can I bring some people to join?"

Wei Li thought for a moment and then asked.

Li Changhe nodded: "Of course, I'm actually happy to see you poaching people from Hutchison Whampoa."

"But Mr. Wei Li, I can allow them to have a proper salary increase, but not everyone has such generous conditions as you."

"Don't worry, I understand!"

Wei Li nodded and said decisively.

Seeing this, Li Changhe smiled and stretched out his hand.

"Well, Bill, happy cooperation!"

"Happy cooperation, boss!"

Wei Li also extended his hand and changed his address.

Afterwards, the two parties agreed on the working time and Wei Li left in a hurry.

What he had to do next was to take all his die-hard supporters at Hutchison Whampoa away.

Looking at Wei Li's leaving back, Li Changhe also smiled slightly.

Next, Li Changhe will define the major development direction of the company for Wei Li, and then let Wei Li take charge of the company. At the same time, the group of people provided by Bao Yugang to Li Changhe will act as supervisors in secret.

In the short term, he can stabilize the development of the land.

As for the long term, it is necessary to continuously screen high-quality personnel and slowly integrate them into the company. However, Li Changhe is not in a hurry for that.

You can take your time.

"Vick, do you really think this guy can run the company?"

At this time, Jim asked Li Changhe curiously.

"Of course, he is one of the most suitable candidates that I know of so far."

"By the way, Jim, we'll need you to continue to come forward. We have to continue negotiations with Jardine Matheson."

Li Changhe said to Jim at this time.

Acquiring Swire Properties is not as simple as simply acquiring shares, because Swire Properties has always been the trump card of Jardine Matheson, so it controls shares in many other industries of Jardine Matheson, some are more and some are less.

As for these shares, they still need to continue to negotiate, either to withdraw or to acquire, and to split the two companies cleanly. This is also a relatively complicated task, and Li Changhe still needs Jim to help him.

"Of course, I'm very happy!"

Jim agreed without hesitation. After all, this time, he received a very generous commission from Li Changhe. This commission was enough for him to continue buying more US bonds.

(End of this chapter)