Chapter 703 Sparks Are Everywhere

While Bao Zixuan and other Chinese businessmen in Xiangjiang were chatting in the side hall, the main hall of Huo Mansion was extremely busy. Although the living room of the Huo family is very big, it is just a living room no matter how big it is. Xinhua News Agency President Li and Youde will definitely meet. This is inevitable. Both of them were engaged in diplomatic work before and knew each other.

Youde's ability to serve as the governor of Hong Kong has a lot to do with his diplomatic background. British senior officials knew that it was entering the 1980s. China will definitely launch a plan for the return of Hong Kong. The prerequisite for a peaceful settlement of the Hong Kong issue is to negotiate with the United Kingdom. Yoder has extensive experience in this area and is the most suitable candidate.

After all, Youde has been dealing with China for a long time, which can be traced back to the negotiations on the Amethyst incident. I know a lot of people in mainland China. Maybe I have been engaged in diplomatic work for too long, which leads to some lack of experience in local management. This also means that there is no good way to solve the economic chaos in Xiangjiang.

Youde: "I heard that President Li has been very busy recently and often visits famous Chinese people in Hong Kong."

This is not a hundred years ago, and Britain is not during the British Empire. Hong Kong will definitely return, and there is nothing wrong with Chinese people communicating with each other. Yoder couldn't sit still and wanted to cause damage.

President Li is also an old man on the diplomatic front, how could he be easily frightened by Youde. In fact, he did not shy away from visiting famous Chinese people and did so openly. The British did not dare to stop it and had no reason to do so.

President Li said with a smile: "Sir Youde, are you too nervous? No wonder Hong Kong's economic development has lagged behind in recent times. It turns out that Sir Youde's attention is focused on us Chinese, and he is not so concerned about how to develop the economy. This That’s not right, you should focus on how to develop Hong Kong’s economy instead of just focusing on Xinhua News Agency.”

"Hong Kong has such a good foundation; there are many well-known companies; there are countless entrepreneurs. Sir Youde, don't waste resources. If Hong Kong's economy is still in turmoil, you will be a sinner."

"Maybe it has something to do with Sir Yoder's background; I'm not afraid of your jokes, I am also a diplomat, and I am really a layman on how to develop the economy. It seems that I will not be as happy as Sir Yoder in this life, and I can only work honestly on the diplomatic front. Serve the country.”

Of course Youde couldn't bear it when he heard that President Li was questioning his ability to govern.

However, after all, Xiangjiang is also Chinese territory, and it is understandable that China wants to take it back. The British cannot say much in this regard, otherwise it will destroy the territorial integrity of other countries, which is a taboo in international diplomacy.

Youde is not good at developing the economy, but when it comes to talking with others, he may not necessarily suffer. This old guy has worked in the diplomatic service for many years and has very rich negotiation skills.

Youde: "The prosperity of Xiangjiang today is all because of the British. Without the help of the British, Xiangjiang might still be a small fishing village. I don't need to say more about this. You can see it by comparing it with the deep sea, which is only separated by a river. "

"British classical economist Adam Smith published the economic masterpiece "The Wealth of Nations" as early as 1776. It can be said to be the earliest economic book in the world. Britain is the most authoritative in the world on how to develop the economy. The presence."

"President Li, if you are interested, I can give you a copy so that you can also learn about how to develop the regional economy. Diplomacy is just a stage in one's resume. Only when you can instill the concept of governance into the local area will your life be more perfect."

"It doesn't matter what job we did before. We must be able to do things well in every field. This is the talent that the British Empire needs. Hong Kong's economic lag is only temporary. This is the inevitable law of economic development. You have not studied relevant Knowledge, not knowing is normal.”

What Youde said about President Li didn't really know how to answer for a while, even though he worked in Xiangjiang. They need to know more than the civil servants in Mainland China. However, there is really no systematic study on how to develop the economy. Huaxia Continent is still crossing the river by feeling its stones and is constantly exploring.

However, good professionalism and efficient emergency response allowed him to quickly find Yoder's pain points.

President Li: "I have only heard of the book The Wealth of Nations before, and I must read it if I have the opportunity. However, Sir Yoder cannot rely solely on book knowledge to govern the country, and it is also a book written 200 years ago."

"I don't think Mr. Adam Smith would have thought that economic development would change so quickly, and that various new manufacturing industries would develop so rapidly. Britain cannot always think of its past glory, as that would be very dangerous."

"This is the 20th century, not the UK when the sun never sets. You can't always look at problems from the old perspective, you must know how to keep pace with the times. Diplomats are not unsuitable for other jobs, and they cannot be promoted too high all at once, without experience. It’s easy for problems to occur. By the time you want to make adjustments, you may have already suffered heavy losses.”

Youde didn't expect President Li to react so quickly. It seemed that he had underestimated him. I used to feel that the Chinese mainland was relatively closed, and there was definitely not enough research on many new international things. As for economic development, it is at the level of primary school students, so we use The Wealth of Nations to talk about it.

I didn't expect that the other party could bring things back. There are still many capable people in China. When these people grow up and add the demographic dividend, it is unimaginable how much energy will explode. From this point of view, the British Empire would be even more unable to maintain its dominance over Xiangjiang, and it had better make plans in advance. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, you may be caught off guard.

But the aura cannot be lost. He is not only representing himself, but also the entire British Empire.

Youde said with a smile: "Sometimes I really admire you Chinese people, even though you clearly don't understand. But it's hard for others to see through your pretense. If you weren't familiar with Chinese culture, you might really be fooled."

In fact, President Li knew what was going on, and he was also reflecting on it. With such a good opportunity to work in Xiangjiang, why don’t I read more books? It must change, not every time you will be so lucky. As the president of Xinhua News Agency, he is already the mainland Chinese civil servant who knows the British best. But jokes still happen, and it looks like we need to change our strategy.

First of all, let’s take a look at the Wealth of Nations. Youde has read many Chinese literary works. People know you well, but you don’t know them well. It would be strange if you don’t suffer a loss during negotiations. Although Mainland China is now standing on the side of justice, not every negotiation is related to Xiangjiang.

President Li: "What Sir Yoder said is too one-sided. Are there no such people in the UK? Everyone in the world has their own ideology. We cannot change it, we can only constantly improve ourselves."

When two people chat, it can be said that sparks are flying everywhere, and there are hidden knives in their words. The people who came to Huo Mansion for the birthday banquet this time were all dignified people, and they were also smart people.

Seeing these two chatting, no one came up to say hello. Isn't that because they are looking for trouble?

It wasn't until dinner was about to begin that Huo Yingdong came over as the host. He smiled and said: "Seeing the two of you chatting happily, I came here at the wrong time."

Although Youde didn't like Huo Yingdong, today was also his 60th birthday, and he came over to attend the birthday banquet. You still have to give the face you deserve, otherwise everyone will lose face.

Youde smiled and said, "President Li is very knowledgeable, and I benefited a lot from chatting with him."

When the host invited him to sit down, he didn't forget to ridicule himself. President Li knew that this old boy Youde didn't want to make it easy for him. Then we can't let him get what he wants. Anyway, the two people will never be friends.

President Li: "No one can compare with Sir Edward Youde, who can formulate Hong Kong's economic strategy based on the economic perspective of The Wealth of Nations. Britain has talented people, and mainland China can formulate economic plans for up to five years, but the United Kingdom can actually formulate 200 years. It seems that we need to study hard. , there is really a big difference in this aspect.”

Although it was far-fetched, Yoder still felt a little unhappy. This conversation can be said to be evenly divided, but overall Yoder is slightly better. President Li mainly knows too little about the British side. Youde is an authentic Chinese expert, which makes President Li read British books every day after get off work. By the time he retired, he had become a British expert and had published a book on Britain.