Chapter 546: Falling into the Pit

Guo Fanqin, who originally just wanted to complain and take a shot regardless of whether there were dates or not, was clearly stunned when he heard Li Dongling's words. He clearly hadn't expected that a date would really fall.

Zhou Shuyang and Li Weimin couldn't help but look at Li Dongling. The Song Tianji chip project was, of course, important and would even become the provincial project that the Hanxi Provincial Government office would pay the most attention to next.

But haste makes waste; R&D is not something that can be rushed. Song Tianji hasn't even been taped out yet. By the time the tape-out is finished, and the trial production, packaging, and testing processes are all completed, even if everything goes smoothly, it's estimated that the news of Song Tianji's launch will have to wait until the end of the year or next year.

It's estimated that it will take until next year at the earliest for Dongling Gao Ke to launch a computer truly equipped with the Song Tianji chip onto the market, and that's assuming everything goes smoothly.

Before Song Tianji's mass production, there's actually not much the Hanxi Provincial Government can do. To really make a splash, it will have to be after Song Tianji's release, when the Hanxi Provincial Government creates a provincial-level, or even national-level, semiconductor industrial park. That will be the big move; for now, the Hanxi Provincial Government can only wait.

Li Dongling having a new project besides the Microsoft game console naturally attracted the attention of Zhou Shuyang, Li Weimin, and others. After all, this piece of meat was an opportunity to be eaten immediately.

"I wonder what new project Dongling Gao Ke has?" Li Weimin couldn't help but ask.

Li Dongling took a sip of tea before saying, "Dongling Gao Ke is preparing to restart the 'Guanxing' brand!"

"'Guanxing'?"

Hearing this brand, Guo Fanqin, Zhou Shuyang, and others were clearly stunned. They weren't "familiar" with the products under Dongling Gao Ke, but as the largest taxpayer in Hanxi Province, they had basically heard of the products under Dongling Gao Ke. However, they also felt that Guanxing was a bit "niche."

"Guanxing was the satellite receiver brand that Dongling Gao Ke and the predecessor of the Torch Group cooperated on before!"

Li Weimin, who managed the Hanxi Department of Industry, knew Dongling Gao Ke quite well. "Right now, there are still quite a few companies in Hanxi Province producing satellite dishes."

As the company that first developed satellite dishes, Dongling Gao Ke had long since stopped playing with this project, but Li Weimin knew that there were still quite a few companies in Hanxi Province producing them, and some were even selling them under the "Guanxing" brand, hanging a sheep's head to sell dog meat.

Because the Guanxing satellite dish had the best reputation—back then, the Guanxing satellite dish used real materials and quality was guaranteed. In addition, it cooperated with local TV stations and supply and marketing cooperatives, which meant that TV users who installed genuine Guanxing satellite dishes didn't have to worry about the satellite dish being fined or confiscated.

For many TV users, the Guanxing satellite dish brand had a quite good reputation. This meant that even though the Guanxing satellite dish had stopped production, there were still quite a few satellite dish manufacturers sticking the Guanxing brand on them. Many satellite dish workshops were even just doing counterfeit piracy, hitting and running, and couldn't even find anyone to sue.

Knowing the origin of the Guanxing brand, Zhou Shuyang, Guo Fanqin, and others couldn't help but look at each other and look at Li Dongling with some curiosity.

The satellite dish market had long since been ruined. The market existed, but the price war was too fierce.

Dongling Gao Ke had stopped the Guanxing satellite dish business several years ago, so bringing up Guanxing again made them feel a bit curious.

"Director Li, is Dongling Gao Ke going to redo the satellite dish project?"

Zhou Shuyang asked Li Dongling, his brows furrowing slightly. "The Yanjing Radio and Television Bureau's attitude toward satellite dishes is unclear. There is news circulating that the Radio and Television Bureau intends to launch genuine satellite dishes that meet the Radio and Television Bureau's standards, but it's not certain when the standards will be introduced!"

Regarding satellite dishes, the Yanjing Radio and Television Bureau's attitude before was to prohibit installation. Several years ago, they even specially issued a law prohibiting TV users from privately installing satellite dishes, also to protect the cable TV business under the Radio and Television Bureau.

But several years passed, and even though the Guanxing satellite dish stopped production, this thing flooded the country from north to south. TV users who installed satellite dishes were never fined, but it was still of no avail. In towns and villages, the number of households installing satellite dishes was almost as numerous as the crossing of the river, and it simply couldn't be stopped.

Therefore, there were voices circulating now. Seeing that the flooding of satellite dishes couldn't be stopped, news came from within the Radio and Television Bureau that blocking is not as good as diverting. Since the flooding of satellite dishes couldn't be stopped, the Radio and Television Bureau would launch a "genuine" satellite dish for TV users to install, to eliminate those counterfeit goods.

It's hard to say whether the news is true or false, but there is indeed wind blowing. Whichever satellite dish brand wins the bid for the Radio and Television Bureau's satellite dish project, that's a gold mine in hand.

Once the satellite dish cooperating with the Radio and Television Bureau is legalized in the country, with hundreds of millions of TV household users in the country, plus later after-sales and maintenance, a huge market will be born for satellite dishes, and it will be open and above-board income, no longer needing to be in a gray area like before.

"If the Radio and Television Bureau can introduce satellite dish standards, then Guanxing might enter the satellite dish market again.

But this time, the new products Guanxing wants to launch are not satellite dishes, but two products: digital video equipment and internet set-top boxes. The initial user market for these two products will mainly face markets like America and old Europe. Microsoft has also invested in the Guanxing brand!"

Hearing that Guanxing wasn't going to play with any satellite dishes but was developing new products to export to overseas markets to earn foreign exchange, Wu Yaoguo, Li Weimin, Zhou Shuyang, and others couldn't help but perk up.

If these words were said by other companies about exporting to earn foreign exchange, they would have to weigh the truth, but when it came to Dongling Gao Ke, there were no doubts at all, because Dongling Gao Ke could truly earn foreign exchange!

Up to now, Dongling Gao Ke is still the technology company in Hanxi, and even the country, that exports the most to earn foreign exchange, and it's not the kind of foreign exchange earned by exporting overseas at a loss and then relying on domestic subsidies, but solid overseas revenue.

Digital cordless phones are still selling well in old Europe and America. PHS mobile phones, although they couldn't enter America and old Europe, are selling like crazy in Japan, Brazil, Colombia, Siam, Malaysia, and other places, earning a lot of foreign exchange like Japanese Yen, Thai Baht, and Real.

Foreign exchange like the Real is not as strong in purchasing power as the US Dollar, but this foreign exchange is absolutely useful for importing energy like soybeans and iron ore from Brazil. It's definitely not a loss.

Hearing now that Dongling Gao Ke is going to develop export products again, Li Weimin and the others suddenly became serious. These projects, let alone Hanxi, are estimated to be paid extra attention by departments like the Economic and Trade Commission, Foreign Exchange Bureau, Development and Reform Commission, and Electronic Information Industry in Yanjing after hearing the news.

"How is the potential of the digital video equipment and internet set-top box projects, and what does the Hanxi Provincial Government need to do?"

Li Weimin took the lead in asking. As long as Dongling Gao Ke's foreign exchange project has potential, the Hanxi Provincial Government will basically support it with all its might. If resources are needed, give resources; if money is needed... the provincial government is also tight, but getting banks in Hanxi Province to support it is no problem. Even the banks are wishing Dongling Gao Ke would borrow more from them.

For a client like Dongling Gao Ke, for banks and investment institutions, it's a top-tier borrowing target. But Dongling Gao Ke has quite abundant cash flow, and cash flow that can maintain the operation of the entire Dongling Gao Ke for more than two years is lying in the account all year round.

What Dongling Gao Ke needs is US Dollars. Now Dongling Gao Ke has a portion of foreign debt, but that is US Dollars borrowed from banks in places like Japan's Mitsubishi, South Korea, Siam, and Malaysia. The Dongling Gao Ke Hong Kong company has been raising US Dollars since last year, and now there is a quite astonishing scale of US Dollar cash flow lying in the account!

"Without going on sale, no one knows whether it will be accepted by users, but digital video equipment and internet set-top boxes are an opportunity for Guanxing.

I believe that if the revenue from these two Guanxing products can be successfully developed and accepted by users overseas, the revenue might exceed the current satellite dish revenue!"

Li Dongling said. He didn't know how long digital video equipment could be popular, but the set-top box project was enough for Guanxing to survive for many, many years, and it wouldn't be in vain for this first brand Li Dongling established.

Hearing Li Dongling's words, Wu Yaoguo, Li Weimin, and others looked at each other. They wouldn't doubt Li Dongling's words. Li Dongling claimed that these two products could earn more than satellite dishes, so the revenue was absolutely guaranteed, and Hanxi's foreign exchange income might also increase by a large amount.

"The Guanxing project will be fully supported by Hanxi State Investment!"

Wu Yaoguo also said. With the stance of Wu Yaoguo, Li Weimin, Zhou Shuyang, and others, the Guanxing digital video equipment and Guanxing internet set-top box would be able to get a lot of support in the provincial capital and wouldn't need to worry about funds, land, etc.

Of course, investing in the Guanxing project is also an opportunity for Hanxi State Investment. If the Guanxing machine really sells well overseas, being able to invest in such a project that earns foreign exchange is also a great achievement for Hanxi State Investment. As the head of Hanxi State Investment, Wu Yaoguo also has to make some achievements.

Today, for Zhou Shuyang, Li Weimin, and other Hanxi Provincial Government personnel, this trip to inspect Dongxin Semiconductor was absolutely an unexpected gain. The surprises brought to them by Dongxin Semiconductor and Dongling Gao Ke were far more than they had anticipated!

Not staying long at Dongxin Semiconductor, Li Weimin and the others were also in a hurry to rush back to report the situation to the provincial government. After staying at Dongxin Semiconductor for half a day, they left in a hurry.

But Wu Yaoguo didn't leave. He had important things to talk about with Li Dongling. If he didn't finish talking, he wouldn't be able to return with peace of mind, especially after seeing the situation of the Song Tianji chip.

Inside the conference room, Li Dongling, Wu Xinyi, Lin Benjian, Wu Yaoguo, and several Dongxin Semiconductor executives were all present.

Wu Yaoguo is now considered one of their own. He and Dongling Gao Ke are standing in the same camp, and the outside world is also clear about this point. He can't wash it off. He estimated that no one in Hanxi would believe him if he said he wasn't familiar with Dongling Gao Ke.

So, with Wu Yaoguo present, Li Dongling had no scruples. Li Dongling asked someone to invite the several chief engineers of the Dongxin lithography machine, Zhou Shi and others, over.

By this time, Dongxin Semiconductor was about to jointly establish a chip production base with Hanxi State Investment. There was no need to hide anything from Wu Yaoguo anymore. Anyway, he had already fallen into the pit. It wouldn't hurt to let him know how big the pit he had fallen into was... ===== CHAPTER 547 =====