Chapter 2702

Liu Xiangchun took out a cigarette, handing them around as he said: "Zhou Dong's company has a farm, and I sell feed, so we want to build a feed factory in Jiangzhou."

So it was about building a feed factory, and everyone felt a bit disappointed inside. But after thinking it over, the chance of them getting involved in this collaboration between the two was slim.

Therefore, today's task is to build rapport, so that in future investment projects, seeking financing from Zhou Andong and Liu Xiangchun will definitely yield twice the result with half the effort.

Moreover, this bunch has already started wondering in their minds what gift to give Zhou Andong for his wedding. Money—Zhou Andong doesn't lack it; on the contrary, it's they who are short.

As for gifts, gold and silver jewelry would be too vulgar, but if we could get some antique calligraphy and paintings, that would be nice. However, such items, especially good ones, are not easy to come by.

"Director Zhou, General Manager Liu!" Cao Zhenyu said: "I've been conducting grassroots research all through the first half of this year, and I've found many small enterprises with promising prospects. But due to funding and management issues, their development is restricted. I don't know if the two bosses are interested in offering support."

Liu Xiangchun didn't speak immediately, but glanced at Zhou Andong. Township enterprises do indeed have relatively good development prospects, but they are also the hardest to handle. Even a small factory with just a few dozen people has intricate interpersonal relationships. Unless it's an acquisition, if it's investment, investing in ten enterprises, nine will end up as wasted money.

Zhou Andong smiled: "Director Cao, we can provide funding support, but your Township Enterprise Bureau must act as guarantor."

"Guarantor?" Cao Zhenyu asked doubtfully: "How would that work?"

Zhou Andong lit his cigarette with a lighter, took a puff, and said: "I admit, indeed not a few township enterprises have promising prospects. But as the saying goes: 'Small temple, big wind; shallow pond, many Wang Ba.'"

The more grassroots and small the enterprise, the harder it is to handle. Don't even mention leaders—just a small team leader could be the bureau chief's brother-in-law, or that director's sister-in-law.

When we invest and support enterprises, if the enterprise fails to get off the ground but instead lines personal pockets, then as investors, if we encounter such a situation, the only recourse is to apply for local law enforcement intervention.

However, local protectionism is severe. Even if we apply for law enforcement to intervene and investigate, it's likely just perfunctory, ending in nothing, and our invested funds vanish into unexplained losses.

Therefore, I can, out of respect for Director Cao, select some township enterprises to support. But your Township Enterprise Bureau must guarantee: once embezzlement or corruption-related claims arise, your bureau must step in to investigate or urge local law enforcement to investigate, and must ensure strict investigation and punishment, eliminating perfunctory handling.

These words could only be said by Zhou Andong; Liu Xiangchun wouldn't dare say them, because Zhou Andong is the woolen mill factory director, holding the same rank as Cao Zhenyu. Even if Zhou Andong's words were even less polite, Cao Zhenyu would have to listen, unable to get angry even if he wanted to.

Cao Zhenyu gave a bitter laugh: "I dare not give you such a guarantee. If a township enterprise really runs into problems, our Enterprise Bureau has no authority to investigate. As for urging, we can do that, but if they just go through the motions, we enterprise folks have no recourse."

Saying this, Cao Zhenyu fell into slight thought: "However, I will report this to the ministry leaders and see what they say. If the ministry leadership agrees to guarantee, then there will be no problem."

Because ministry leadership can coordinate higher-level law enforcement intervention—if the county can't handle it, the city can; if the city also has protectionist tendencies, then coordinate provincial intervention.

Hearing this, Zhou Andong showed a hint of a smile and joked: "What if even the province goes through the motions?"

"Impossible!" Cao Zhenyu said without hesitation: "If a medium or large enterprise runs into trouble, the province might, for certain reasons, choose to cover it up. But for just a township micro-enterprise, investigating it is just investigating it."

Saying this, Cao Zhenyu looked at Zhou Andong and laughed: "Moreover, with your reputation, Zhou Andong, wherever you invest, you will surely be welcomed and highly regarded by provincial leaders."

"If your invested township enterprise encounters corruption issues, and grassroots departments engage in protectionism, and the matter escalates to the province, do you think provincial leaders would save face?"

Zhou Andong snorted coldly in his mind: In my past life, I don't know how many enterprises were screwed over. When seeking investment, sweet words were poured out, but once funds were in place, all sorts of ghosts and monsters crawled out. They found various pretexts to extort and squeeze, and while these were bad enough, there are even more shameless ones who directly confiscate enterprises on the pretext of failing environmental standards.

And such incidents are not rare, causing uproars, yet some departments just play deaf and dumb. Only when public pressure becomes too great do they perfunctorily claim to have set up an investigation team, but in the end, there's never any follow-up, nor any sign of provincial intervention.

"Alright!" Zhou Andong leaned back lazily in his chair: "I'll stick to this demand—as long as you guarantee, I'll invest in a few township enterprises with relatively good prospects."

Cao Zhenyu nodded: "After the symposium ends, I'll report to the ministry leadership."

At this moment, several servers successively brought over beer, fruit platters, and nut pastries, then took bottle openers and cracked open the beers with a 'crack-crack' sound, placing them before each boss.

"Come on, come on, all bosses, let's clink!" Wang Maogqun raised his beer bottle, greeted everyone, and then a group stood up and clinked once.

Putting down the bottle, Wang Maogqun looked at Zhou Andong and asked: "Director Zhou, I heard you're planning to enter the home appliance industry?"

Zhou Andong blinked, then suddenly laughed: "No, I got married—you know I can understand that, after all I didn't deliberately hide it. But this matter of entering the home appliance industry, only a few people know about it, and it's still in the planning stage—how did you find out?"

Wang Maogqun also laughed: "I'm preparing to build a factory in Shencheng. Last month, when I went to inspect and had dinner with Deputy Mayor Chen of Shencheng, he mentioned it in passing. Moreover, the land has already been approved, but you guys here have shown no movement."

"We're currently discussing the production line." Zhou Andong bit into a banana, then cursed: "Damn, those foreign devils really have black hearts—they don't sell the most advanced production lines, only sell us their outdated second-hand lines, but at a price higher than new ones, truly treating us like fat pigs to be slaughtered."

Hearing Zhou Andong's words, Wang Maogqun couldn't help but sigh, saying empathetically: "There's no way—who let our foundation be backward, unable to manufacture our own production lines?"

"Let's not talk about these." Zhou Andong shook his head: "General Manager Wang, you're asking me this—do you have any ideas?"

"I do have some ideas." Wang Maogqun didn't continue speaking, but asked: "Director Zhou, you want to enter the home appliance industry—don't know what you plan to produce, refrigerators, washing machines, or televisions?"

"Televisions!" Zhou Andong didn't conceal it, after all, with Wang Maogqun's status, finding out clearly wouldn't be difficult: "As for whether we'll also do refrigerators, we'll have to wait and see later."

Wang Maogqun felt relieved in his heart: "I also have ideas about entering the home appliance industry, Director Zhou—do you think we have a chance to cooperate?"