Chen Yang quickly ate something and then returned to the Ministry of Commerce office.
He had just sat down when the first visitor arrived.
Two Japanese men, around forty years old, came to visit him.
"King Chen," they greeted, using not very fluent Mandarin.
"Sit down," Chen Yang guided them to the sofa and an assistant brought hot tea.
Looking at the two of them, Chen Yang asked, "What are your names?"
The bespectacled man replied, "Matsushita Gen, member of the Japanese Ministry of Commerce."
Chen Yang was not surprised and nodded slightly. "How can I help you?"
Matsushita Gen got straight to the point: "Your country is about to develop an industrial city. If there is a need for technology, I can report it to my superiors."
Chen Yang smiled inwardly, realizing that they were probing. Offering technological support was a way to verify that Chen Yang already had access to crucial steelmaking technology.
"For now, we don't need it. If there is such a need in the future, I will contact your country," replied Chen Yang.
Then he changed the subject, "Yan Guo is in the development phase and has already achieved initial results. Soon, urbanization will advance significantly. Our sea and air transportation infrastructure is well prepared. My plan is to establish two-way air and sea routes with Japan. Could you convey this to those responsible so that they can contact my department for detailed negotiations?"
Matsushita Gen nodded, "I personally value this matter very much. When I return, I will contact the relevant department. Please, King Chen, provide the contact information of your country's relevant department."
After pondering for a moment, he added, "If your country needs funds, ours can offer low-interest loans to help them overcome difficulties."
Although Yan Guo was known for not needing money, no one would refuse an offer of easy money.
It seemed strange that Japan would offer money, but this happened among nations: low-interest loans or even free aid always had a strategic motivation.
This time, Chen Yang didn't directly refuse. "How much could you borrow?"
"Initially, 322 million dollars, with a term of 15 years and an interest rate of 0.4%," replied Matsushita Gen.
Chen Yang internally thought the amount was modest, but recognized that the interest rate was low and the term was long. The only problem was the insufficient amount.
He more or less guessed what Japan's purpose was in offering the loan.
It was nothing more than betting on Yan Guo's continued development potential.
With development, infrastructure would be indispensable.
Additionally, these low-interest loans have specific requirements; It's not just about seeing that you're doing well and wanting to maintain a good relationship with money involved.
No country is that naive.
Typically, loans or external aid come with clear conditions: if your country needs infrastructure in the future, they will be given priority for orders.
Basically, it is a transaction.
But from the value of the loan, you can see that Japan has some doubts about Yan Guo's development potential, which is why they offered 322 million.
In the end, it comes down to Yan Guo's current performance. If it were impressive enough, it wouldn't be 322 million, but 3.2 billion or even more.
Chen Yang thought for a moment and said, "I will consider it."
Although he didn't explicitly reject it, Matsushita Gen knew it meant a rejection.
He thought to himself, Yan Guo really has a lot of wealth.
During discussions at the ministry, some argued that 322 million was too little and that Yan Guo would not be interested.
The facts proved them right; Yan Guo really wasn't interested.
Half an hour later, Matsushita Gen and his colleague left the Ministry of Commerce.
His colleague commented: "He seems to have no interest in our technical support."
Matsushita Gen replied, "There are two possibilities: first, he has already obtained technical support from South Korea or Germany. Second, the steel complex he is building focuses only on the production of crude steel, without involving special steels."
They truly hoped that Chen Yang would seek their technical support so that they could exchange technology for resources.
Although currently Yan Guo doesn't seem to have any valuable resources to exchange.
But as long as Yan Guo continues on its path of development, the country itself will be a huge resource.