Chapter 1297 10 Billion, I'll Pay 10 Billion!

“Don’t settle in U.S. dollars?”

Perhaps because it was too unexpected, Lin Zuoming and Luo Hairong almost shouted out in unison.

After looking at each other, the former continued:

"Wouldn't that be more sensitive than selling a few fighter jets?"

Luo Hairong also spoke immediately:

"Academician Chang, with all due respect... although our country has made very rapid progress in recent years, on the whole, it is still far from being able to confront the United States head-on."

In the post-Cold War era, the essence of the United States' status is simply the U.S. dollar plus the U.S. military.

Use the U.S. dollar's dominant position to harvest the world market to feed a powerful army, and then use the army to maintain the U.S. dollar's dominant position in the world.

Although in this timeline, the euro did not suffer the severe setback in 2000, so its position in the international market far exceeded that of the same period in its previous life. Even during the short period at the turn of the century, it still had a vague tendency to catch up from behind. Posture.

However, with the launch of two military operations in the Gulf region, the shadow of the US military's previous setbacks in the Balkans has been swept away, and the fundamentals of the petrodollar have been maintained at the expense of being mired in war.

Especially after 2003, the euro's status could only remain strong at best, but could not truly replace the U.S. dollar as a hard currency——

For most countries, Europe and the United States are in the same league.

Although the oil-standard currency is not as safe as the gold-standard currency, it is at least more reassuring than the euro backed solely by EU industries.

Therefore, if we have to choose one of these two legs as the core, the US dollar may be more important than the US military.

Now you have to think about the US dollar settlement system.

Moreover, in the process of trading with a Middle Eastern oil man like Saudi Arabia, we have to break away from the US dollar settlement system.

For the United States, this is not as simple as being slapped in the face.

But the ancestral grave is about to be dug up.

I'm afraid I can't continue to use the old method of slapping him in the face and giving him a sweet date to cover it up.

"It's really not possible to come directly."

Chang Haonan touched his chin and replied:

"It's not just an issue that will trigger a fierce backlash from the other side... in fact, our domestic financial institutions can be said to have no relevant experience in this area. Even if the Americans turn a blind eye, it will be difficult from a technical point of view ”

Although he still hasn't found out what kind of medicine Chang Haonan sells in the gourd, Lin Zuoming still nodded a little helplessly:

"Yes... Although I don't know much about finance, I also know that there is neither a sufficient amount of offshore local currency nor a cross-border trading system. Even if you want to trade in RMB, it will be difficult for Saudi Arabia to do so for a while. I’m afraid I won’t be able to raise enough money.”

At this time in 2006, the proportion of the RMB in international trade settlements was almost negligible, not even as much as the ruble, which had a little bit of versatility within the CIS.

If you ask a wealthy businessman to take out US dollar cash or gold, they may not even blink an eye.

But the RMB...

Sorry, this really doesn't exist.

"I don't know much about financial things, but this is just a test, and I won't be able to directly use RMB to do things in a short time..."

Chang Haonan waved his hand:

“The entire order is denominated in US dollars, and then a part of it is used as a barter transaction, and then a trustworthy and unremarkable local bank is found to use the local currency as a guarantee... This can bypass cross-border settlement and currency swap agreements. There won’t be too many hidden dangers on the monetary side.”

Luo Hairong's face relaxed a lot after listening to the first half, but then he looked confused again:

"Although...but...what's the point of this?"

"I mean... when we exported the J-10E to Thailand before, we also used part of the form of barter payment. This is not considered an innovation at all, right?"

His ultimate purpose for coming here today was to get a share of the massive coin-spending by the oil men in the Middle East.

"Simple bartering is of course nothing, but the settlement method of this transaction can be local currency settlement by domestic agent banks, that is, by signing a local currency settlement agency agreement between the banks of the two countries, setting up corresponding clearing accounts, and carrying out point-to-point settlement. Account bank transfer business clearing..."

Chang Haonan has been thinking about this matter a long time ago, so he has also learned some relevant knowledge from Yang Huimei and other related professionals over the years.

Although there are still two swords in essence, it is still enough to scare the two more pure laymen in front of me:

"The direct value of this round of operations is indeed not great. The main purpose is to provide the domestic financial system with an opportunity to practice, and to reserve an opening to bypass the SWIFT system for future emergencies... and for Mr. Luo For me, this is definitely a bargaining chip that can make the superiors’ eyes shine.”

No one understands the importance of financial sovereignty better than Chang Haonan, a reborn person.

Although the relationship between Europe and the United States is more complex in this life, worst-case scenarios must still be considered.

It's not as good as having a father and a mother, not to mention the duplicitous Swiss.

The experience of the previous life has proved that at a critical moment, no permanent neutral country can be used.

However, at this point in 2006, Chang Haonan's preparations were indeed a little too advanced.

So much so that the way Luo Hairong looked at him was obviously a bit doubtful.

It's not that I doubt whether Chang Haonan's idea can be successful, but that I doubt whether this proposal really has enough weight.

But he soon figured it out——

Regardless of whether the portion is enough or not, I have no other choice but to try my luck.

The small amount involved in the order can be both a disadvantage and an advantage.

If the petrochemical or aerospace industries have large orders worth tens of billions, they will be inflexible because of too much movement.

So, after some careful consideration, Luo Hairong nodded:

"It's really worth a try... You can at least submit your idea and let your superiors consider the feasibility of this plan."

…

Time flies, and another three days have passed.

The Saudi aerospace delegation led by Sultan has visited China's three space launch centers.

Even the rocket vertical assembly plant and launch tower were allowed to go in and take a look.

Unfortunately, except for the Kuaizhou-1 Yao-2 rocket, China did not arrange other launch missions in the last month of the year, so there was no chance to witness the launch of the three main liquid rockets.

Of course, the reason for such a somewhat lengthy trip is not only to prove the strength of China Aerospace, but also to delay time.

Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!

During this period, the National Space Administration summarized the relevant requirements of Saudi Arabia and submitted them to superiors, and then held a closed-door meeting for two days and two nights, and finally formed an independent plan that would not affect the development of China's aerospace industry. Sexuality, and the conditions for showing sincerity in cooperation by reciprocating favors...

After the group returned to the capital, they almost immediately pulled several key leaders of the Saudi delegation into the conference room of the National Space Administration.

Rogge had been spinning almost continuously for the past few days, and he was almost reaching his limit at this time, but he had to deal with the matter in front of him no matter what before he could rest, so he had to brace himself:

"Dr. Sultan, regarding your country's request to send astronauts to the space station in the future, your superiors have given a specific answer."

Facing a big dog owner, he was not prepared to go around in circles, but went straight to the point:

"Tiangong-1, which is expected to be launched next year, is a single-module space station with the main purpose of technical verification. In order to ensure the independence of our Chinese manned space project, we cannot directly accept investment from foreign countries, and we do not have the ability to maintain long-term rotation of astronauts. Residency...but as part of the cooperation, we can approve the installation of some research payloads from partners..."

It was obvious that when Rogge said this, there was a hint of surprise and panic in Sultan's eyes.

Ever since he watched the rocket launch in Qiong Province, the response from China has always been relatively positive, so when he reported to the country, he always looked confident.

After returning to the capital happily, why did he suddenly make a 180° turn?

"Mr. Rogge, could it be..."

Sultan's first thought was that the hateful Persians were obstructing this cooperation.

But as soon as he started speaking, Rogge on the opposite side reached out to stop him:

"Dr. Sultan, I know you are in a hurry, but please don't be anxious...please hear me out."

Realizing that things might be turning around, Sultan calmed down.

"After Tiangong-1, we will consider building a multi-module combined space station similar to Mir or the International Space Station... The initial scale may not be too large, and we will gradually expand outwards in the future. Of course, the specific plan depends on The results of the next step of verification..."

After a pause, Rogge continued:

"But no matter what the specific plan is, at this stage, we can arrange a separate functional module for our partners, including the long-term rotation of 1-2 astronauts, as well as some basic on-orbit experiments and scientific research functions. Of course, Space walks and other more complex space experimental projects still need to be completed with the help of our other functional modules..."

Almost instantly, Sultan's expression turned from gloomy to clear——

Although it was slightly different from what they had predicted before their trip, the core purpose was still achieved.

Even to a certain extent, I got some unexpected surprises.

It’s hard to say which option is more cost-effective than investing in a complete cabin segment of your own rather than investing proportionally in the entire space station.

After all, Sultan knew very well that in the foreseeable future, Saudi Arabia itself would not be able to operate a space station.

Therefore, even if we obtain 50% or one-third ownership of the entire space station, we still have to cling to China's lap in terms of operations.

And a separate cabin can also accommodate two astronauts...

The extra position can even be used as a bargaining chip within the GCC.

Looking at the rather exciting expression on the other person's face, Rogge thought the other person was hesitating, so he added:

"The cost of a complete cabin section is indeed relatively high, but we also support multiple friendly partners to jointly fund the construction and share..."

Only this time, it was his turn to be interrupted.

"No! No co-financing required!"

Sultan waved his hand:

"10 billion, is 10 billion enough?"