YM778.TV Chapter 74 - 74: Come to Me if You Need Money_1
Chapter 74: Come to Me If You’re Short of Money
“An international airport?”
Upon hearing this, Nie Guowei was taken aback. Although most of the initiatives his son had undertaken since joining the Nie family had surprised him, this idea genuinely took him aback. The entire Nanhai Municipal
Committee currently held diverging views on the construction of an airport. After all, Yuezhou Airport was a major international hub, and was second only to Jingcheng City Airport and Hucheng Airport within the country.
Nanhai was not too distant from Yuezhou. Along with the Hong Kong and Macao airports across the river, the issue of duplicative construction and resource waste had been raised earlier in the day.
At this point, even the basic issue of whether to build an airport was unresolved, but his son was suggesting they jump straight to building an international one.
After pondering for a moment, Nie Guowei turned to Nie Zhenbang, “An international airport? It’s not like a regional airport. An international airport would require a runway large enough for big planes to land and take off, hangars for the planes, and also separate terminals for domestic and international flights. The investment needed is far more significant than for a domestic airport. Is this even necessary?
Nie Zhenbang laughed. It was likely that the Nanhai Municipal Committee had had the same concerns in his previous life, hence why they hadn’t jumped straight to establishing an international airport. However, having lived through it once, he had a keen understanding of Nanhai’s future development.
In the future, Nanhai established an international airport and, within just a few years, became the fourth largest international airport in the country. This potential was significant.
Moreover, in the future, the entire Pearl Delta Region had a considerable number of airports. Yuehai and Nanhai, combined with Hong Kong and Macao across the shore, had four international airports clustered in a small area. That was real resource waste.
Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Dad, I think you’re just not daring enough, and too conservative about Nanhai’s development. At present, Nanhai’s industrial, economic, and commercial development is advancing at a rate of over 20% annually. I’m confident that within five years, Nanhai will be an international metropolis. Such a city needs an international airport. Rather than expanding an airport due to future growth, we should create it right now. Even though it might be challenging now, the future costs associated with land appreciation and expansion will be significant.”
Nie Guowei considered this for a moment. Ever since his appointment to a local position, compared to his old position in Jingcheng, the level of political strife was child’s play.
Having matured politically after months in the role, he paused and then shook his head, “All you’re offering is speculation. It’s too subjective and doesn’t convince me. Even right now, funding for the current plan is limited. Both Secretary Li and I will have to go to Jingcheng and the province to do some wrangling. If we’re to get an international airport off the ground, how we will fund it is yet another issue. I think it’s best to take things one step at a time.”
Nie Zhenbang laughed, “Dad, as for the funding, if you guys don’t have it, I do. I can invest to fill the leftover gap. Nanhai City can hold 51 percent of the shares, and we, Wal-Mart holdings, 49 percent. After deducting our investment, the remaining capital gap can be filled by us. We can repay it with airport profits. This won’t impact the Nanhai city government in any way.”
At this, Nie Guowei looked at Nie Zhenbang, “This has never been done before. The airport is a crucial strategic resource for the country. Would the policy even permit it? Let’s drop this subject. However, Zhenbang, your suggestion of an international airport is something I can bring up with Secretary Li, but I can’t guarantee his reaction.”
Stunned for a moment, Nie Zhenbang then laughed. He’d been so excited that he’d blurted out the cooperation approach. Private capital hadn’t been involved in airfield construction until the 21st century. It wasn’t just the Nanhai
Municipal Committee that would balk right now, but even Xue Ligong of Yuedong Provincial Committee wouldn’t dare to do this. Only the central government could authorize it. It seemed he would need to return to Jingcheng and seek help from the Elder or Elder Yang.
However, if he could persuade the Nanhai Municipal Committee to launch the international airport project, even if he didn’t take a share, it would still be worth it. After all, his father was serving here, and his name would surely feature on the list of contributors.
Thinking of this, Nie Zhenbang promptly replied, “Fine, if Secretary Qianjin agrees. I don’t mind going to the Nanhai Municipal Committee to explain to the leaders why we should implement an international airport. I believe I can convince the leadership of the Nanhai Municipal Committee.”
Looking at Nie Zhenbang’s confident and domineering expression, Nie Guowei also felt very comforted and chuckled. Compared to his son, he felt like he was lacking a lot. At least in terms of courage and spirit, he was much less. Nie Guowei also started laughing, feeling very relaxed, “You, I think in our family, you are the most like your grandfather.”
Nanhai Municipal Committee Office Building
At this moment, in the secretary’s office located on the seventh floor. On the Huaxia officialdom, there are some rituals. Businessmen like the number 8. But in the officialdom, many leaders like 7, as the saying goes, 7 up 8 down, which is a symbol of good luck.
Nie Guowei’s office and the office of Nanhai Municipal Committee Secretary Li Qianjin were not far apart. The next morning, just shortly after starting work, Nie Guowei entered Li Qianjin’s office.
At this moment, upon seeing Nie Guowei, Li Qianjin’s secretary, Ma Jun, also stood up, very respectfully and warmly said, “Secretary Nie, you’re here. Are you looking for the secretary? Please come in.”
In officialdom, deputies are generally referred to by their surname. But the chief secretary is directly referred to by the position to distinguish between the chief and the deputy.
Seeing Nie Guowei coming in, Li Qianjin, who was sitting at the office desk, also stood up. With similar backgrounds and both part of the reformist system, the relationship between the two was very good.
Li Qianjin had already stood up and smiled, “Secretary Guowei is here so early. I heard that your son is here. He even called you over yesterday. I feel somewhat embarrassed.”
Nie Guowei also laughed, “Secretary Li, you’re too kind. We, as party cadres, have to set a good example. It’s you, Secretary Li, who came to Nanhai alone. You’re truly the model I learn from.”
Li Qianjin also laughed, then turned serious, “Secretary Guowei, did you need something from me?”
Upon hearing this, Nie Guowei also nodded, “Secretary Li, indeed there is a matter I would like to report to you. Yesterday evening, as soon as I got home, my boy started talking to me about our Nanhai Airport project. He proposed some immature ideas. But when I thought about it, they sort of made sense, hence I came over today to discuss it with you.”
Having said that, Nie Guowei laid out Nie Zhenbang’s thoughts on the construction of the Nanhai Airport. Hearing about the international airport, Li Qianjin’s face changed, a gleam in his eyes. But after hearing Nie Zhenbang’s idea of co-investing with Nanhai City, Li Qianjin shook his head.
After Nie Guowei finished explaining, Li Qianjin pondered for a moment, then voiced his opinion, “Secretary Guowei, I am really envious of you. Zhenbang is indeed exceptional. The idea of an international airport is very innovative and bold. The spirit shown by the young man is greater than us old bones. However, after careful consideration, Zhenbang’s idea indeed has high feasibility. But as for the joint venture, I think it’s best not to mention it.”
After a pause, Li Qianjin continued, “So, Secretary Guowei, I think we can certainly call a meeting of the Municipal Committee to let Zhenbang explain it to us in detail.. What do you think?”