Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 1197 - 998 Large Aircraft Project_2

"Here, I also want to express, as long as Chairman Mikhail is interested in an industry, whether it is temporarily open to foreign investment or not, as long as you propose it, we will seriously consider it..."

Wang Ye wasn’t just any entrepreneur, he was clearly a major oligarch!

However, ’oligarch’ sounds somewhat informal, so Vice President Li very subtly referred to him as a "successful entrepreneur," a choice of words that also revealed some information.

That is, the state would look at Wang Ye differently!

After all, domestically, technology and investment were being exchanged for market access, and with so many opportunities to make money, it didn’t matter who earned it.

Compared to having capital from Western countries earn it, it would be better for Wang Ye to earn it!

After all, he was one of our own...

Moreover, should the browser wish to invest, it could enjoy additional "privileges"!

Some sectors not open to foreign investment were negotiable if he wanted to invest...

Truly, Wang Ye was somewhat tempted; he knew just how vast the domestic market was!

Even though he had already made quite a few arrangements, just the internet and high-tech companies he invested in would make his wealth incredibly substantial in the future.

But with money, more is never too much!

And when it came to spending money, Wang Ye did so like water—earning more meant more places to spend it.

So, he gladly accepted Vice President Li’s "overture" with a smile.

Smiling, he responded, "I will seriously consider the investment. In fact, almost every year in recent years I have made a trip to China, but always in a business capacity, focusing on exploring business opportunities, haha.

Vice President Li, do you know that I hold a position as the chairman of the United Aviation Group?"

Vice President Li immediately nodded and said, "Of course I know! The United Aviation Group you manage has integrated all state-owned aviation companies in Russia, from design to research and development to manufacturing, and is very strong indeed!"

His words even carried a tone of envy.

Indeed, in the early 2000s, the gap between the domestic and Russia in terms of aircraft research and manufacturing was significant!

At that time, domestically, we couldn’t even develop our own heavy helicopters and had to purchase them from abroad, let alone large transport aircraft.

And although Russia was not economically affluent, it had inherited a substantial "fortune."

It was also the only country in the world besides the United States capable of independently developing and manufacturing heavy helicopters, strategic bombers, and super-large transport aircraft.

Wang Ye then said, "Actually, I have been considering recently having our aviation group redevelop a large civil airliner to meet the demands of modern aviation.

Although we now have medium to large airliners like the TU-154, TU-204, IL-76, and IL-96, their technology is relatively outdated, and their limited market applications make technology iteration and upgrades difficult.

We have the technology needed to develop a new large airliner, and solving the financial aspect wouldn’t be difficult either; we could directly allocate funds from the national industrial fund.

The only problem is that our domestic aviation market is not large enough; even if we develop a new airliner, there wouldn’t be enough purchase orders.

So, I was thinking whether it would be possible for our two countries to jointly set up a new company to co-develop and manufacture a new large airliner.

We could provide technology and part of the funding, and your side could contribute with the market and orders to acquire shares. This would be a win-win situation..."

Wang Ye’s proposal was indeed very sincere!

It was only him; another person would definitely not offer such favorable terms to a partner.

Providing our own funding and technology, while the partner just waits for the aircraft to be developed and approved for purchase to then receive shares—where else could you find such a good deal?

Vice President Li was utterly moved; this was precisely the so-called "market for technology" strategy that had always been pursued domestically!

He eagerly followed up, asking, "And the technology developed for the new airliner..."

Wang Ye immediately responded, "Both sides would share ownership and could both proceed with improvements and manufacturing!"

Vice President Li was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly and saying:

"This matter is very feasible!"

"Thus, I will report back and then send a dedicated team over to negotiate this matter.

Of course, we won’t just reap the rewards without contributing; we will also provide the corresponding funds and technical personnel."

The plan was indeed beneficial for both parties. The most iconic representative of Russia’s civilian aircraft was the TU-154, commonly seen in Eastern Europe but not well-regarded.

High fuel consumption, poor safety, loud noise, maintenance troubles...

It was simply a synonym for obsolescence!

But because Russia’s civilian aircraft couldn’t penetrate the markets of Europe and the United States, they could only be sold in neighboring countries in Eastern Europe, naturally limiting their sales volume.

Without sufficient sales, there was neither the funds nor the motivation to invest in developing new models, making technological iteration impossible.

Meanwhile, competitors continued to introduce new models and technologies generation after generation, leaving Russia’s aircraft even further behind in a vicious cycle.

Now, Wang Ye was in charge of United Aviation Group, holding an industrial fund of over a hundred billion US dollars, plus his covert connections with the Chinese side.

So, he thought to facilitate cooperation between both sides on this matter.

The Russian side had the technology and wasn’t short on funds, while the Chinese side had a large enough market, which, with economic development, was bound to purchase a significant number of civilian aircraft in the future!

That is to say, there would be plenty of orders.

Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds? So, he took this opportunity to propose the plan.

Sure enough, Vice President Li was very interested...

...

After seeing off the Chinese delegation to the airport and watching their private jet take off into the skies, Wang Ye, Vasily, and their entourage returned to their vehicle, ready to head back to the city.

On the way, Vasily tentatively asked, "Chairman, didn’t you say you wanted to camp by Lake Baikal and rest for a few days? I have already arranged everything for you. When would you like to go?"

To ensure Wang Ye could enjoy his vacation at Lake Baikal better, Vasily had already dispatched a dedicated team there to make preparations yesterday!

First was to entirely book the most luxurious hotel in Listvyanka, the tourist town closest to Lake Baikal.

Although it was called a luxury hotel, it was actually just a two-story building.

After all, most other buildings in the town were wooden cabins, and with a small population, they could only provide the most basic temporary services for visiting tourists.

Many tourists wouldn’t stay in this town either; they would rather drive more than an hour back to the Irkutsk city area, where the conditions were much better.

Perhaps Wang Ye wouldn’t stay in the hotel and would instead camp on the lake, but it was better to be safe than sorry. What if he found it too cold on the lake and wanted to stay in a warm hotel?

It was better to be overly prepared than to be frantic when the Chairman needed something and make it look like he lacked the ability to manage!

Beyond the hotel, they had also cordoned off the most scenic part of the lake, prohibiting casual tourists from entering...

This was very necessary because the Chairman’s safety was of utmost importance!

If precautions were not taken and something went wrong, he would be the one to blame, not only failing to please Chairman Mikhail but also bringing disaster upon himself.

As for other entertainment activities, such as dog sledding and ice racing, everything was ready.

It would definitely make Mikhail satisfied!

Of course, if the Chairman had any other needs, as long as Vasily could manage it, he would get it done immediately.

Wang Ye nodded, "Let’s go this afternoon, but I can’t stay too long; I have to return to Moscow the day after tomorrow. Also, just send a guide or staff member to show the way; don’t make it too complicated."

Vasily of course reassured that there was no problem, saying everything was arranged properly, and the Chairman just needed to go there for vacation.

After returning to the hotel, Wang Ye had a casual lunch and then instructed his entourage to prepare for departure to Lake Baikal.

However, before leaving, there was still something he had to do...