. This is why Lord Butt came to India with Barron this time.
After meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Barron took Ian Butt to meet with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of the Reliance Group.
Many years later, the internet often featured a building called Antila Tower, touted as "Asia's most luxurious residence." Located in the heart of Mumbai, its owner was Mukesh Ambani, Asia's richest man and the owner of India's largest private enterprise, Reliance Group.
Antila Tower stands 27 stories, 173 meters tall, and is earthquake-resistant to magnitude 8. It features three helipads, an airport control tower, a six-story parking garage, a swimming pool, a theater, and can accommodate up to 600 maids.
Its construction is noteworthy: approximately two-thirds of the building's weight rests primarily on two sets of W-shaped steel bars on either side of the sky gardens on the 9th to 12th floors, creating the illusion of a castle in the air. The entire building is said to have cost nearly $1 billion.
The building is expected to be completed next year.
In other words, Baron still couldn't admire the mansion during his visit.
However, upon arriving in Mumbai, Baron was invited by Mukesh to visit his mansion.
While Reliance Industries doesn't have a real estate business, as India's richest man, Mukesh possesses extensive connections here. Leveraging his connections will aid Argent Properties Group's growth in India.
Mukesh appears to be a friendly, middle-aged man, but Baron knows that to lead such a large conglomerate, he's certainly not as harmless as he appears.
It's also worth noting that Reliance Industries' telecom subsidiary is also one of Honor Electronics' partner operators in India.
However, their best-selling phones in India are still Dopod's cost-effective feature phones and Smart Android phones.
Besides welcoming the British Duke to India, Mukesh primarily discussed the large oil contracts secured by the BFT Fund.
"It seems, Your Highness, that you are optimistic about the oil price next year?"
Many people have an impression that Indians' English is very strong in the flavor of curry...
Of course, this is correct, but this impression mainly comes from their ordinary people. Rich people like Mukesh have received elite education since childhood and have many years of studying abroad. Therefore, when talking to Barron, his spoken English is still very pure.
"As an energy company with extensive oil exploration business, United Energy Group has its own hedging system. As for those large orders for purchasing oil, it is more because I hope to find a more stable source of raw materials for the refining and chemical projects that will be invested in on a large scale in the future."
Of course, just saying this will definitely not dispel the other party's doubts. Baron smiled and said,
"We have learned that in the considerable period of time in the future, due to various factors, it will be difficult for global oil production to reach a relatively ideal level. So personally, I certainly hope that the oil price will be as high as possible, but no one can predict how long this trend can last."
"But I admire your courage very much, Your Highness, and hope that we can continue to deepen cooperation in related fields through this cooperation."
Baron of course agreed with Mukesh's words:
"I hope so too, Mr. Ambani."
Baron also had his own considerations for choosing to cooperate with Reliance Group to carry out such a large refining and chemical project this time.
After all, India is well-known for its tendency to defraud foreign investors, and this doesn't depend on your country of origin; it's open to anyone, even major American companies, without hesitation.
The main considerations for investing in such a large-scale refining project in India are its location, its radiating influence to surrounding areas, and its relatively low labor costs and environmental pressures. As for the possibility of being ripped off?
United Energy Group is a joint venture with Reliance Industries. Barron believes that with Reliance as a partner, this project is relatively safe.
Otherwise, if you've ripped me off this time, Reliance Industries will either have to limit its business to India or expand overseas, especially to Europe and the United States. Then, you'll have to pay me back for what you've ripped me off.
Barron now has the confidence to do so.
As for the Indian government, if Reliance Industries didn't have strong connections in this area, it wouldn't be possible to claim it has become India's largest private company.
...
The Bentley Mulsanne had just stopped at the hotel entrance when a group of people approached. Leading the way was a beaming Feng Kuazi. He personally opened the car door and addressed the stunningly beautiful woman who had emerged, saying with a touch of warmth and flattery,
"Boss Fan, you're here! Let's go in."
"Director Feng, please don't call me that. Just call me Bingbing."
The woman who emerged from the car was none other than Fan Bingbing, who had returned to China. She surveyed the crowd and said with a smile,
"Why are you all here? You're the stars this year, and I'm just here to show my support..."
All she saw were enthusiastic smiles, and surrounded by the crowd, she entered the hotel.
Today's press conference was a promotional event for the film "Assembly."
As everyone knows, Feng Kuazi's previous directorial work has primarily been Lunar New Year comedies. This time, he's tackling the war-themed drama "Assembly." While his fame among Chinese directors is second only to Zhang Yimou, many were skeptical of his transition to a new
film. Huayi Film Group initially provided Feng Kuazi with 80 million yuan in funding, but filming proved fraught with difficulties.
Feng Kuazi initially cast his longtime collaborator, Ge Daye, as the lead, but after a few takes, he felt the image wasn't right. Not only Ge, but also the other leading actress didn't fit Feng Kuazi's portrayal of the protagonist, leading to the halt of filming shortly after it began, with plans to replace the lead actor and actress.
Furthermore, funding was running low, and Huayi simply couldn't afford to invest any more.
At that point, Huayi's tycoon, Wang, offered Feng Kuazi advice: to consult Fan Bingbing.
Sure enough, after a call to Fan, who was then in Los Angeles, Fan readily secured additional funding through Tianhe Film Investment, enabling Feng Kuazi to complete the film.
And when it came to the selection of the male lead, Fan Bingbing also recommended Zhang Hanyu - you know, although Zhang Hanyu is from Huayi, he had always played supporting roles before. Although his image and temperament were very suitable for the protagonist of this movie, the investment in "Assembly" was so high that Feng Kuazi was still hesitant to give the leading role to him and was planning to ask a Hong Kong and Taiwan movie star.
In the end, under Fan Bingbing's recommendation, Zhang Hanyu also played the leading role of such a large-scale movie for the first time. He was very grateful to Fan Bingbing.
This is why Feng Kuazi was so warm to Fan Bingbing at a press conference today.