Chapter 5 The British Coal Crisis
Sergey and Gorbachev discussed the matter of natural gas for more than a week and have not received an answer, which made Sergey really dissatisfied. 【】 The situation in the UK is now proceeding exactly as Mark Rich imagined. Just a few days ago, the negotiations between Thatcher's Labor Secretary and the British Coal Mine Workers' Association broke down again. A series of chain reactions have been triggered in the commodity trading market in the UK. The prices of several types of coal, such as thermal coal and coking coal, have begun to rise. You must know that British coal is still the main energy source for industrial development. If coal prices rise, then Industry and prices in the British Isles will be severely impacted.
Mark Rich started long coal forward contracts in the UK market a few years ago because it was a predictable wealth. Now anyone with a little brain will understand that the differences between the government and the trade unions cannot be bridged. The government's request to close a large number of low-efficiency coal mines is smashing the jobs of British coal miners, and the coal mine reform is an important part of Mrs Thatcher's privatization reform. The original state-owned coal enterprises are sold to private companies, and only those with good profits Coal mines can only be sold, and now it depends on Thatcher's determination to implement this policy.
After these days of analysis, Seriosha felt that this was not only a good opportunity to make money, but also a good opportunity to improve his voice with Gorbachev. The reason why the matter of natural gas has been pending is a very The important reason is that his position with Gorbachev is not strong enough. Take a look at Yakovlev. As the Canadian ambassador, Yakovlev single-handedly promoted the friendship between Gorbachev and the Canadian Prime Minister, which greatly enhanced Gorbachev's status in the party. And I can't reach Yakovlev's height by relying solely on the ability to import food. After all, the more food imported, the worse the agricultural affairs under Gorbachev's charge.
For this reason, Seryozha plans to work with Glencore to manage the British coal crisis this time. The Soviet Union is a big energy country, and Ukraine has abundant coal resources. Seryozha has already calculated that it will be very profitable to transport coal from the Donetsk region to the UK for sale. Start a strike, then a stable coal supply will become an important bargaining chip in the game between Thatcher and the trade unions. As long as it works properly, Seryozha can even facilitate the cooperation between Mrs. Thatcher and Gorbachev, thereby gaining the trust of Yakovlev. In this case, he will be more confident in intervening in the natural gas business. Thinking of this, Sergey asked Glencore to combine the recent British coal industry analysis report with some analysis written by himself and went to the "White House" (the seat of the Supreme Soviet) to visit Gorbachev again .
Sergey came to Gorbachev's office at the appointed time, and the two talked there for about four hours. Sergey analyzed the contradictions between the coal workers and the government in the UK from beginning to end for Gorbachev, and then presented the coal price forecast in the UK for the next few months calculated by Glencore. Report. Then he said to Gorbachev: "Secretary, now Western countries led by the United States are sanctioning us. Even the excavators we bought from France were suspected of being used for military purposes and were forced to cancel them. But we However, the natural gas project can go on smoothly. You must know that our natural gas pipelines and steam turbine core components are all produced in the United States and Japan. These countries in Western Europe would rather withstand the pressure of the United States to continue the construction of this energy artery.
It can be seen that our energy advantage is the most beneficial weapon to disintegrate joint sanctions. "
Gorbachev glanced at Seryozha, he didn't expect this young guy to have such an international vision. Gorbachev doesn't mind giving young people a chance, as long as the other party can perform well. So he said to Seryozha: "Isn't it just about exporting coal? I approved it. I'll just say hello to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and the industrial department in a while!"
"No, secretary! I'm talking about signing a coal supply contract with Thatcher to break the international sanctions. It is very likely that you will need to go to the UK to talk with Mrs. Thatcher in person!" Seryozha first denied, and then threw A more attractive plan came up.
"Ah? Comrade Seryozha, is this possible? What can we do?" Gorbachev was immediately attracted, and he was able to meet with Britain in person to break the US sanctions and blockade. This kind of temptation is simply too great. It was because of my achievements in Canada that I had the opportunity to become one of the candidates for the latest general secretary. Unfortunately, I missed it because of my age. According to the usual practice, the loser Gorbachev will leave the Politburo, the power center of the Soviet Union, after the next party congress, but if he can win the support of the majority of party representatives, Chernenko is already in his seventies, and he He's only in his fifties, even if he's a waste, he can wait until he dies, when the time comes...
"Secretary Gorbachev, if possible, I would like to go to the UK as my government's natural gas trade negotiator, and discuss coal supply with the British government in the name of negotiating natural gas trade. I don't know what your opinion is ?” Seryozha asked respectfully.
"No problem, Seryozha! I'll ask the secretary to arrange it for you immediately, and I'll take care of the Ukrainian coal export as soon as possible! If you have any requirements, you can come to me directly, and I will ask the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation closely cooperates with your work! I only have one request, this must be done. This is a rare opportunity to break the blockade and sanctions. Before the British side has definite news, we must keep it secret to prevent The Americans are obstructing it and sabotaging our plan!" Gorbachev carefully warned Sergei.
"Secretary, I have one more thing to report to you. If I can negotiate with the British government, I plan to let the Mediterranean Trading Company and Glencore take full responsibility for the coal and natural gas trade in the UK this time! You too Clearly, having a Swiss company as a buffer barrier will make it much easier for the British government itself and our lobbying. After all, the pressure from the Americans is there. We only need to use Glencore to actually break the blockade. That’s enough, but the nominal matter still has to be left to the British!” Seryozha explained to Gorbachev. Gorbachev nodded approvingly.