Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 854 - 828: Three-Way Melee

Chapter 854: Chapter 828: Three-Way Melee

Grezlov nodded without hesitation, "Misha is very confident, and I trust him. After all, in the energy industry, he’s the expert. Moreover, his predictions have never missed the mark."

Gavriil added, "In this regard, Misha is trustworthy. His insight has always been sharp. It seems that next year, the international prices for crude oil and natural gas will rise, and if he dares to make such a judgment, there must be a basis for it."

Puding nodded slightly and stopped questioning.

Obviously, Wang Ye, as the Chairman of Yukos Group and a major shareholder of Russian Gas Industry Group, surely understood the dynamics of the energy market far better than the average person and had access to more information.

Since he pointed out that the prices of crude oil and natural gas would significantly increase next year, it should be so.

As for the Government’s financial revenue forecast, it might be too conservative!

But this wasn’t surprising. The Government would rather set a conservative target than one very difficult or even impossible to achieve.

Besides, the financial revenue forecast they currently presented was already a whopping 2.6 trillion Rubles, with a GDP growth rate of 7.2%!

This target was not low either...

If the actual revenue and growth rate exceeded this target next year, it would be a matter of pride for everyone.

If the target was just barely met, it would still be considered a job well done.

Therefore, there was no need for them to take the risk of setting a double-digit GDP growth rate, which was understandable.

However, Wang Ye clearly had a more favorable view of next year’s economic development.

But he didn’t attempt to adjust the Government’s financial revenue forecast or GDP growth rate; he just adjusted the finance expenditure budget upward!

It must be said, this guy was really crafty!

Everyone would surely support the idea of "spending more money."

But asking people to "earn more money" would encounter much greater resistance...

...

"I don’t see any problems!

Since you all have a unanimous outlook on next year’s economic development and are so confident, I am more than happy. How could I possibly oppose it?

And what Misha said is correct. Our domestic and international security environments really do face challenges, and the budgets for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Safety Bureau do need to be increased.

And then there’s higher education and research investment.

Ah, there are just too many places where money needs to be spent," Puding said, shaking his head and sighing, but a smile was on his face.

You should know, next year is an election year!

At this time, Wang Ye taking the initiative to state that next year’s economy would perform better and significantly increasing the finance expenditure was truly commendable.

On the surface, the beneficiaries are the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Safety Bureau, and institutions of higher education, but in reality, Puding himself would benefit greatly!

This was because under his leadership and talent management, the national economy continued to grow at a high speed over the last two years!

In 2002, the GDP growth rate was 6.1%!

In 2003, the GDP growth rate was 7%!

The upcoming year of 2004 is projected to have a double-digit GDP growth rate!

What a fierce momentum...

Who deserves the credit for this?

The general public should have an idea.

Of course, Puding also understood that the reason for the rapid increase in GDP growth over the last two years was largely due to Wang Ye’s enormous contribution!

Facilitating Yukos Group’s merger with Siberian Oil Company, consolidating the oil industry.

Leading the way for China-Russia to sign substantial energy contracts, opening a huge new market for the domestically produced surplus of crude oil and natural gas.

Acquiring the three major car brands, investing heavily in building an automobile production base in Moscow State...

These series of bold moves directly drove the increase in GDP growth!

It’s no exaggeration to say that without Wang Ye’s business endeavors, the GDP growth rate for these two years would at least have been two percentage points lower, if not more!

All of this was not only credited to Wang Ye but also to the Kremlin.

It was the direct support and guidance in the background that allowed Wang Ye to accomplish these feats.

What does it mean to use people wisely? This is it!

...

The most critical hurdle had been overcome, with the Kremlin expressing support for this new finance expenditure budget.

That also meant that The first faction internally reached a consensus, and the Duma Congress would support the new scheme as well.

With Wang Ye coordinating with the Third Faction internally, the new plan was bound to pass without a doubt.

After discussing the Finance budget, Gavriil shifted the topic to the upcoming Duma Election.

He asked with a smile, "Has Misha spoken to you recently?"

Grezlov was initially taken aback and reflexively asked, "About what?"

"About your Faction’s members switching to the Third Faction," said Gavriil.

"Oh... Of course, he came to my office a few days ago to talk about this matter. I guess he was quite surprised, but I brushed it off, saying it was some minor faction leaders looking for their own way out after being abandoned," Grezlov laughed.

Puding also smiled; he, of course, knew what was going on.

In truth, behind the scenes, he was the one pushing for it!

"But... are you really not worried that in the future Misha... might become too powerful to control?" Grezlov added with a hint of worry.

Recently, he sometimes harbored concerns.

Because Misha’s power was developing too rapidly!

He already had very good conditions, owning vast assets and not having to worry about funds.

He was young with a strong upward momentum, and both the public and those in the political arena were optimistic about his future.

...