As for why he had accepted this project proposal, one could only say that China is a society built on personal relationships. There were some favors he simply couldn't refuse. But in truth, he just wanted to go through the motions, saving face for the other party without harming the company's foundations. He never expected that this perfunctory project proposal would actually catch President Sun's eye.
Now, what was he supposed to do?
From his professional perspective, the probability of this investment project failing was close to 99%.
Why? Because before Xiaomi entered the fray, domestic automotive startups still had a glimmer of hope. But once Xiaomi's Rebus entered the arena, trying to jump in and compete for a slice of the pie at this juncture? That was just asking to starve.
Moreover, investments in car manufacturing are astronomical, often in the hundreds of billions. If it failed, who could possibly bear such a massive loss?
