NOVPUB
Chapter 1192: Chapter 1050: The Age of Intelligence (Please Subscribe!)
Except for Japan and South Korea,
this plan also included Southeast Asia.
What was different,
was that in these two countries, Tang Qing had the idea of fostering consortia, while in the countries of Southeast Asia, Tang Qing’s interest was not that great. The reason was simple—there were no significant interests.
In future competition,
these countries were almost just onlookers.
In a previous life,
people were familiar with the United States, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and knew the top ten economies, because they were involved in a vast amount of economic activities in the international community. But what about the others? Their presence was very weak.
Such countries,
nearly all industries’ cutting-edge, upstream sectors,
were out of their reach.
They were dumping grounds for advanced products from other countries. In the global industrial chain’s division of labor, in the foreseeable future, they would only be suppliers of raw materials—this was foreseeable.
In the American-led world order,
it wanted Huaxia to always be a low-end manufacturing nation, while it held onto high-end manufacturing to earn the greatest profits. But Huaxia wouldn’t play that game. Whatever you block, I will try to produce.
Concentrating efforts on big tasks.
This was the ’advanced thinking’ that Southeast Asian countries didn’t have.
Therefore, such countries had no right to be considered as competitors in Tang Qing’s view. It was only necessary to maintain ’operational forces’ locally, to ensure that they could suppress any dissent at any time.
...
When the grand strategies for Japan and South Korea unfolded,
it was already the end of December.
December 23rd.
Saturday.
There was one week left in the new year, and 2006 was about to end. Looking back, Tang Qing realized he had been busy for a whole year, and too many things had happened during that year.
Huawei and Zhiya Technology’s collaboration on 4G communication technology was unveiled.
Filters became global bestsellers.
’Zero emissions’ became a global standard.
Microcrystalline Technology steadily established itself in the photovoltaic market.
Ling became the President of Myanmar.
He himself had become the richest man in Huaxia’s inland.
...
Tang Qing’s mind fluttered with too many events, some within the plan, others beyond it, but all were developing toward an ever-improving direction, even though he was cheating.
Time.
Made all dreams possible.
Soon it would be 2007.
What would happen in 2007?
Tang Qing’s first reaction was the subprime crisis, America’s loan crisis, after years of accumulation, by next August, like an avalanche, rapidly transforming from an American financial crisis into a global economic crisis.
Crisis, crisis.
Within danger, there lay opportunity.
If it were an ordinary person,
they would definitely think of making money from the subprime crisis.
But was Tang Qing an ordinary person?
He wasn’t.
The subprime crisis, who got the meat, who got the soup, had been planned out early, who was the meat, who was the soup, who was the butcher, who was the cook, who was the firewood bearer, had also been clearly divided. 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
He, Tang Qing, wanted a big piece.
If he didn’t notify the master, he could still be driven away with an iron spoon, and there was even the risk of being stewed himself. Of course, it was fine to take a small piece. But Tang Qing couldn’t be bothered with such small fry.
According to intelligence gathered by his fighters,
this subprime crisis,
its outcome had been designed even before banks began massively easing loans to unqualified applicants, and the timing of its outbreak was completely within the planners’ control.
The purpose,
was not entirely about money at the time.
But it was a basic operation to maintain the ’world economy and financial order.’
Harvesting leeks.
In fact, was a rather good method for maintaining economic health. Of course, for the victims, this was truly flesh cutting. The perspective on the issue changes with the standpoint.
Financial markets.
Were just a bubble.
People kept pouring in, making it bigger and instead of letting it grow until it burst suddenly, causing a flood, I might as well poke it once in a while to avoid too large a bubble, keeping everyone safe.
And the dollar,
was the water.
The subprime crisis, was the needle.
Countless carefully crafted needles, where to prick, how to prick, using how much force, how many holes to open, were all up to the person holding the needle. Unfortunately, these needles were not in Tang Qing’s hands.
Rather than trying to earn those tens or hundreds of billions of dollars,
he’d rather adjust the upper limit of the ’Pixiu Plan.’
...
2007.
January 9th.
San Francisco.
Apple Inc.’s press conference.
At the invitation of Steve Jobs, a large number of journalists swarmed in, filling up the venue. The media had been hyping up for days, ready to see what epoch-making mobile phone Jobs would unveil.
When the time came,
Steve Jobs took the stage.
Looking at the cameras below, he was thrilled because from this point forward, smartphones would be redefined by Apple. Their phone would inaugurate a new epoch.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to invite you all to the launch of the Apple mobile phone. The mobile phone is a symbolic product of the Information Age, allowing us to communicate from anywhere with people far away..."
It was probably the ’standard procedure’ for a product launch event.
A revolutionary product
would often compare itself with previous generations to highlight its differences. Steve Jobs was no exception, ridiculing those phones with densely packed keypads.
"Today, please allow me to introduce our epoch-making product—the iPhone."
As Steve Jobs spoke,
the projection screen behind him displayed the look of the first-generation iPhone.
The whole place was astounded.
"Is this a mobile phone?"
"So beautiful."
"What are those icons?"
"How can you call it a mobile phone if it has no keys?"
"Are you blind, there is a button on top."
"I absolutely must have one."
"..."
Even though Steve Jobs had not introduced its functionality yet, the audience was already captivated by its appearance—the compact and rounded body, the visually pleasing proportions, completely different from the ’gaudy jump-offs’ on the market.
Especially the women.
The first-generation iPhone’s visual impact was unprecedented.
Steve Jobs was very pleased with the atmosphere on site. Apple had to be unique. Apple was the best, although not the most perfect in his heart. The most perfect was always the next generation.
"As you can see, our iPhone has abandoned those ugly keys, keeping only one button. It is embedded with Apple’s own developed mobile operating system, and you can browse full websites..."
Steve Jobs went on to introduce the features of the first-generation iPhone item by item.
The journalists below erupted into applause time and again.
They, were witnessing the new epoch of smartphones.
In the end,
a journalist asked,
"When will it be possible to purchase?"
"Due to production capacity issues, this phone will go on sale in June of this year," Steve Jobs said.
The iPhone was different from those feature phones, with new technology, new craftsmanship, new integration modes; production also needed to adjust gradually. Apple still had some projects pending testing.
After the event,
the journalists excitedly went back.
Ready to write special features. The first-generation iPhone was really too beautiful, truly a representative work of industrial art.
