I'm back in 1990

Chapter 368: Yao Haifeng

Before the banquet began, Ge Changli introduced his guests to Huang Xiaochuan: "Xiaochuan, let me introduce you to Mr. Yao Haifeng, who is also a good friend of mine. Back when I was still a junior section chief in a foreign trade company, Mr. Yao dared to take 500,000 yuan and venture into Russia."

Yao Haifeng's dark gray Armani suit gleamed like satin under the light, and wisps of smoke curled from the cigar held between his fingers.

Huang Xiaochuan extended his hand and shook hands with Yao Haifeng with a smile: "Huang Xiaochuan, still in school."

Upon hearing that Huang Xiaochuan was actually a college student, Yao Haifeng couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous, though he didn't show it on his face.

"Nice to meet you! So Brother Huang is a college student?"

Ge Changli continued to Yao Haifeng, "Mr. Yao, this young man of mine has always been quite low-key. Don't let his current status as a graduate student in economics fool you; he has a very unique eye for financial investment. I owe my success today to this young man."

Yao Haifeng then took a second look at Huang Xiaochuan.

Then Ge Changli introduced his other friends to Huang Xiaochuan. Most of them were in the foreign trade business, and some of them had business dealings with Huang Xiaochuan in his previous life.

These people were Zheng Qidong, Teng Yongqiang, Zou Chang, Ding Xiangfei, Yin Huai'an, Zhang Wenjie, Qiu Ming, and Huang Xiaochuan. I shook hands with each of them and got to know them again.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the conversation naturally turned to foreign trade. Since everyone present, except for Huang Xiaochuan, was involved in foreign trade, it was natural for them to discuss such topics. This was also a way for them to exchange information, and perhaps a piece of information would lead someone to discover a business opportunity.

Several people took turns expressing their views, and in general, they were all optimistic about my country's export-oriented economy. However, their perspectives were limited to their own and their views were not comprehensive.

Huang Xiaochuan listened quietly without offering any opinions, clapping occasionally to add to the excitement when he heard something interesting.

Suddenly, Yao Haifeng said, "Isn't this young man surnamed Huang a graduate student studying economics? Why don't you analyze for us what the future trend of my country's foreign trade economy will be? If you don't say anything, I feel like we're showing off our limited skills in front of you."

Huang Xiaochuan gave Yao Haifeng a deep look. This guy is really damn bad! His words were clearly meant to provoke Huang Xiaochuan, making him unwittingly stand on the opposite side of these people in the foreign trade business.

However, when it comes to foreign trade, there's a lot to talk about. There's nothing else to say, but there's plenty of practical information to share.

After taking a sip of his wine, Huang Xiaochuan smiled and said, "Since President Yao has called me out, it would be a bit inappropriate not to say a few words. So, I'll just say a few words and make a fool of myself."

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, global trade has accelerated, with the free market economy now dominating global trade. Developed countries are driving industrial relocation through multinational corporations, while developing countries, such as the Four Asian Tigers, are exemplifying the export-oriented model. As an emerging market, my country is facing an opportunity to absorb this industrial relocation.

The establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the accelerated process of European integration have provided my country with a path to integrate into the global industrial chain through openness. Therefore, the foreseeable future will be a golden period for my country's export trade. Business owners are fortunate to catch this wave and can easily make a fortune. However, it is crucial to consider the international competitiveness of exported products and control prices carefully; otherwise, facing an anti-dumping investigation would be a serious problem.

At this moment, Teng Yongqiang laughed and said, "There really was such a thing last year. Old Yao's batch of toys was seized by Belgian customs in the EU because of a price issue. They said he was suspected of dumping at low prices. That must have cost you, Old Yao, quite a bit, right?"

Yao Haifeng glanced at Teng Yongqiang with a livid face, but Teng Yongqiang was no less capable than him and was not afraid of him at all.

Seeing that things were not going well, Ge Changli quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "President Yao has already resolved that matter satisfactorily. That's how it is in foreign trade; even the slightest disturbance makes us uneasy."

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and said, "Now the exchange rate of RB to USD has reached 87:1, which is a good time to vigorously develop foreign trade. Considering the current international trade situation, there is still much potential for foreign trade."

At this point, Yin Huai'an began to complain: "No matter how good the situation is, we can only earn a pittance. To be honest, the quality of most domestic products is still inferior to that of their foreign counterparts. The only advantage we have is price. But now Europe and America are strictly controlling this situation. How can we expect to make a big difference?"

Huang Xiaochuan smiled and continued, "According to relevant survey data, the structure of my country's export products is gradually upgrading. Although labor-intensive products such as textiles and toys are still the main export products, the proportion of electromechanical products has begun to rise. In 1994, it accounted for 18% of the total export trade volume. In other words, in the future, the export of precision equipment processing and manufacturing will be the mainstream."

However, this does not mean that existing labor-intensive industries will be eliminated. Existing labor-intensive enterprises can seize the opportunity to upgrade their industries, which means first upgrading their equipment and producing high-quality products to gain trade competitiveness. Cheap, low-quality goods will inevitably be eliminated by the market.

At this moment, Ge Changli spoke up: "Don't let his young appearance fool you, my little brother actually found foreign customers back in 1990 and closed several big deals. At that time, the average price of a flange in China was about 30 to 50 yuan, but Xiao Chuan sold it for several hundred yuan, which was more than ten times the domestic price. These deals all went through me, so I know the details best."

Only then did the group realize that the young man drinking with them was not only theoretically sound, but had also been engaged in foreign trade for several years, and with high profits.

Unfortunately, Huang Xiaochuan's achievements were nothing to Yao Haifeng, who didn't even lift his eyelids after hearing what Huang Xiaochuan and Ge Changli said.

On the contrary, Teng Yongqiang, Zou Chang, Ding Xiangfei, and Yin Huai'an were quite kind and gave Ge Changli face. They raised their glasses and drank a few cups with Huang Xiaochuan. Huang Xiaochuan smiled and raised his glass to drink with them in turn.

Halfway through the banquet, Huang Xiaochuan went to the restroom and unexpectedly ran into Tang Yuan'an.

Tang Yuan'an was the first to see Huang Xiaochuan, and he took the initiative to greet him: "Xiaochuan?"

Huang Xiaochuan was slightly surprised: "Brother Yuan'an, what a coincidence?"

Tang Yuan'an walked over to Huang Xiaochuan with a smile and gently patted him on the shoulder: "Yu Wei came with me too, would you like to come sit with us for a while?"

Huang Xiaochuan waved his hand and said, "I won't go. I've already drunk quite a bit. If I go to your place, I'll have to toast everyone. I don't have your or Yu Wei's capacity for alcohol."

"Hahaha!" Seeing Huang Xiaochuan say that, Tang Yuan'an stopped insisting.

As they parted, Tang Yuan'an asked, "Which private room were you in?"

"Three eights!"

Tang Yuan'an nodded to indicate that he understood, and then left.

Huang Xiaochuan returned to the private room and continued listening to the group of people bragging and chatting. He only picked up his chopsticks when the dishes were served, because he couldn't let his stomach suffer when he was out eating.

A few minutes later, the door to the private room was pushed open, and Yu Wei walked in, his face flushed from drinking.

"Section Chief Yu?"

Yao Haifeng was the first to stand up when he saw Yu Wei. After the others recognized Yu Wei, they all stood up and greeted him.

"Oh! Section Chief Yu, you're a rare guest!"

"Section Chief Yu!"

Yu Ke

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Yu Wei didn't even look at them, but found Huang Xiaochuan sitting there motionless among them.

"Big brother said you were eating here too, but I didn't believe you! Come with me, let's go have a drink!" Upon seeing Huang Xiaochuan, she grabbed him and tried to leave without saying a word.

Huang Xiaochuan slapped Yu Wei's hand away: "Don't blame me for not reminding you, I've already had quite a bit to drink, and if I drink any more, I'll definitely drink even more. If your sister finds out and comes after you, don't come looking for me."

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan was using Yu Xiang as a shield, Yu Wei stopped trying to dissuade him, otherwise he would be lucky to escape a scolding from Yu Xiang.

Yu Wei wanted to mock Huang Xiaochuan for being afraid of his wife, but since Huang's wife was his own sister, it seemed inappropriate to say such a thing. After thinking for a long time, Yu Wei, who was a little tipsy from drinking, couldn't find a suitable word to ridicule his brother-in-law.

At this moment, Yao Haifeng walked up to Yu Wei and said ingratiatingly, "Section Chief Yu, it's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. Why don't you stay and sit for a while, so I can offer you a few drinks?"

Yu Wei glanced at Yao Haifeng but ignored him.

He continued talking to Huang Xiaochuan, "If you don't want to drink, that's fine. By the way, my sister and I are coming to my house for dinner this Sunday, and my older brother's family is coming too. I was originally planning to call you tomorrow, but this will save me the phone bill."

Just as he was about to leave, he remembered something and turned back: "Oh right, I'll serve the dishes, you serve the wine. We're out of wine at home, so don't forget to bring a few cases."

Finished talking and left.

With so many people in front of him, Huang Xiaochuan couldn't very well say anything to him, so he could only agree for the time being.

Yu Wei rushed in so impetuously, said a few words to Huang Xiaochuan, and ignored everyone else, including Ge Changli.

Yao Haifeng didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, he asked Huang Xiaochuan with a big smile, "Brother Huang, you seem to know Section Chief Yu quite well!"

Huang Xiaochuan looked at him with a half-smile. Those who do foreign trade often have to deal with customs, so Yao Haifeng must know Yu Wei in the customs inspection department. However, judging from the situation just now, Yu Wei is not familiar with Yao Haifeng, otherwise he would not have shown him no respect at all.

When Yao Haifeng overheard Yu Wei asking Huang Xiaochuan to bring his sister to his house for dinner, he immediately suspected that Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei might be related. Considering the casual way they spoke, it was pretty much a done deal.

When Huang Xiaochuan felt the time was right, he chuckled and said, "That's my brother-in-law."

Yao Haifeng and the others' eyes lit up when they heard this, and the one named Qiu Ming even asked a question.

"Do you know Director Tang from the Customs Supervision and Clearance Department?"

"You mean Brother Yuan'an, right?"

It seemed that this Qiu Ming knew what kind of relationship Yu Wei and Tang Yuan'an had, and he immediately nodded like a pestle striking garlic: "Yes, yes!" with a look of delight on his face.

The group looked at each other for a while, and then Yao Haifeng blamed Ge Changli.

"Old Ge, look at you, you didn't even explain things clearly to us, you almost neglected our Brother Huang."

The atmosphere at the banquet suddenly changed. Ge Changli, the host, was left out in the cold, while the others treated Huang Xiaochuan as an honored guest.

The group of people respectfully handed their business cards to Huang Xiaochuan, and agreed to meet up more often in the future to strengthen their friendship.

Huang Xiaochuan knew this perfectly well. These people weren't after him, but after Tang Yuan'an and Yu Wei. Local officials have more power than distant ones. Their foreign trade business required customs inspection, so they frequently had to deal with customs.

After the banquet, Yao Haifeng and the others ran into Tang Yuan'an and Yu Wei again at the hotel entrance. They all went up to greet them. Tang Yuan'an was a seasoned person and responded politely, while Yu Wei still ignored them and only introduced some of his colleagues to Huang Xiaochuan.

On his way home, Huang Xiaochuan thought of something Yao Haifeng had mentioned to him in his past life. It was nearly thirty years ago, and Yao Haifeng only brought it up when he was drunk. If he remembered correctly, it happened this year. Heh! Now we'll see how things unfold.