Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 506: Too Greedy_1

Chapter 506: Chapter 506: Too Greedy_1

They were again in the Great Hall, led by the staff members.

Wang Ye, Aleksey, along with their assistants, were ushered into a side hall.

The meeting room was not small, but it couldn’t compare to the one from the morning.

In the center of the meeting room, there was a long oval-shaped conference table. On one side, several people were already seated; and the other side was empty, evidently reserved for the Russian negotiation team.

When Wang Ye and Aleksey arrived, those in the room stood up and smiled at them.

"Member Mikhail, Chairman Aleksey, these gentlemen here represent our Ministry of Energy, this is General Huang from the CNPC Group, and this is President Liu from Sinopec..."

A staff member introduced those present using fluent Russian.

It was clear that the Chinese negotiation team brought some heavyweight players to this meeting!

These people should be the ones who truly have decision-making power in China’s energy industry, and they were all present!

Wang Ye and Aleksey shook hands with these representatives, exchanged greetings.

According to Wang Xueqing’s information, these people were not aware of Wang Ye’s true identity.

The only information they had was that Mikhail was a Chinese-Russian who spoke fluent Chinese, and his uncle was the richest man in Russia, Khodorkovsky, who shared a good relationship with the Kremlin!

Therefore, after taking their seats, their focus was mostly on Wang Ye.

...

Since Aleksey and Wang Ye had already discussed beforehand, Wang Ye took the initiative and proceeded to the main point.

"We are here with sincerity for the Sino-Russian oil and gas cooperation!

According to the production and sales plans of Yukos Group and Russian Gas Industry Group, we can provide a stable supply of high-quality, low-cost oil and gas resources to China..."

Wang Ye’s tone was very sincere, and the Chinese negotiation team nodded as they listened.

Both sides wanted to reach an agreement, and on this point, there was no disagreement.

The main issues lie in the price and the quantity...

This was also the focus of the negotiations.

After going through a round of exploratory discussions, Wang Ye brought out his pre-prepared cooperation proposal.

It was a huge order that had shocked many people!

Of course, the proposal had been modified, including natural gas from the Russian Gas Industry Group.

Crude oil and natural gas combined!

The combined amount was indeed frightening. The preliminary estimate was a whopping 300 billion US dollars, more rather than less...

As expected, upon seeing the proposal, Minister Li’s brow furrowed.

Yet he calmly went through the proposal, then passed it along to General Huang and President Liu.

Unlike Minister Li, they couldn’t maintain their composure. Having seen the contract amount, their hands were somewhat shaky.

Come on, 300 billion US dollars?!

At this point in time, among all the countries in the world, those with an annual GDP exceeding that amount could be counted on one’s fingers!

This Russian’s appetite...it was too big...

After looking over it, the three men exchanged glances. Eventually, Minister Li led the discussion.

With a faint smile, he looked at Wang Ye and said,

"Member Mikhail, this proposal is very...imaginative!

However, I believe that since this is our first time cooperating on oil and gas resources, it is best to proceed cautiously.

For example, shorter contract duration, or a smaller amount, what do you think?"

He put it very politely.

If someone more straightforward were talking, they probably would have slammed the table by now.

This is a buyer’s market!

You, a seller, are supposed to solicit your product. Why did you also outline the contract length and procurement amount?

Aren’t these things supposed to be raised by the buyer, in this case, China?!

...

Aleksey also glanced at Wang Ye, thinking, as expected...

This amount was simply astonishing. It was impossible for the other side to agree.

Honestly, the fact that the representatives didn’t leave the table immediately and were willing to continue the discussion was already beyond Aleksey’s expectation.

But Wang Ye calmly said:

"Everyone, I understand that the amount stated in this cooperation proposal is, indeed, stunning.

At first glance, it might seem like you don’t need that many oil and gas resources.

But we cannot restrict our thinking to the present. We must look at things from the perspective of growth.

Suppose, for instance, your nation’s economy maintains a growth rate of 8%-10% for the next ten, or even twenty, years!

Within a few years, the amount of oil and gas resources you need might be astronomical!

By then, last-minute procurement of crude oil and natural gas could cause some delay.

Note that relying solely on sea transportation, there’s a limit to the volume that could be transported and it’s hard to increase significantly at the last minute.

Our cooperation, on the other hand, would be through land transportation, or pipeline transportation, which itself could take several years just to construct.

Looking at this proposal now, it may seem a bit excessive. You might think it’s unnecessary.

But a few years from now, you might consider this proposal as too conservative..."

...

After hearing Wang Ye’s argument, the room plunged into silence.

Especially, a few people across the table, they were quietly digesting his words, pondering whether Wang Ye’s points were valid.

Admittedly, Wang Ye was not wrong.

Since the late 1990s, China’s economy began high-speed development.

A GDP growth rate of over 5% may seem unattainable for other countries!

But for China, 5% was too low.

The annual GDP growth rate was typically over 8%, even exceeding 10%!

Moreover, entering the 21st century, there were several factors in favor, mainly due to the US mishaps which resulted in less international pressure.

Plus, China had just joined the WTO.

Truly connecting with the global economy.

Oh, and they had also won the bid for the Olympics.

Therefore, a few years later, or even a decade later, when looking at this cooperation proposal, it might not seem as shocking...

Minister Li pondered for a while. Although he was keen to reach an agreement, the contract amount exceeded his authority.

He did not dare to decide rashly.

"Alright then, since you have provided us with such a detailed cooperation proposal, let’s end our discussion for today. We will take the proposal back and study it carefully. Let’s meet again tomorrow afternoon, here...or, let’s just meet at the State Guesthouse where you are staying. We can discuss further there."

It was evident that he wanted to take the proposal back to consult with his superiors.

This was the usual procedure.

After all, with so much money on the line, nobody would dare to decide rashly. This decision required collective deliberation, to see whether it is feasible or not.

Plus, this was a matter of national interest; no individual should be the sole decision-maker and bear the responsibility.

...

After exiting the side hall, Aleksey couldn’t help but ask Wang Ye in a low voice, "Are they serious? They really want to discuss this proposal! It seems like there’s hope for this contract..."

He was quite shocked.

Originally, he thought that once this proposal was put forward, the opponent would certainly refuse right away.

At the very least, they would drastically cut down the cooperation duration and procurement amount.

He didn’t expect that they would actually consider it seriously...