Rebirth: Super Banking System
Chapter 1609 - 1444: Distinctive New City (Please subscribe!)

Chapter 1609: Chapter 1444: Distinctive New City (Please subscribe!)

After signing the third document.

Lunda still didn’t relax.

Medical loan.

Equipment procurement.

Payment agreement.

These were the first three objectives of his visit today.

At the same time.

He bore another important task, to dismiss unrelated personnel. "Mr. Ling, we would like to apply to your country for a certain quota of commodity and project loans." When Lunda said this, his tone softened slightly.

"What kind of project are you planning?" Ling asked directly.

"Transportation," Lunda replied.

To get rich, build roads first—Huaxia had already proven this with facts. As of the end of last year, Huaxia’s expressway mileage exceeded 60,000 kilometers, while by Huaxia standards, India had not even reached 1,000.

Only slightly over 900 kilometers.

This represented the total expressway mileage in India, a gap exceeding sixty-fold.

It was truly disheartening.

With huge inflows of capital, Myanmar’s expressway mileage had also surpassed 3,000 kilometers. Counting construction in progress, by early 2009, Myanmar’s expressway mileage might break through 7,000 kilometers.

In a few more years.

Even reaching 10,000 kilometers wouldn’t be difficult—ten times the amount.

By comparison.

Lunda felt a little embarrassed.

"Transportation," Ling murmured.

After observing Lunda for a moment, Ling opened his mouth and asked, "Renovating, constructing new, or expanding?"

"Expanding, building expressways," Lunda clarified.

"Can you secure the land?" Ling countered. In India, land was almost entirely privately owned. Expanding roads had been something the Indian government had wanted to do for years, but with nearly zero successful cases.

People simply wouldn’t sell.

There was no way around it.

Otherwise, despite India’s notoriously slow efficiency, it couldn’t have possibly reached such a standstill. The absolute privatization of land had made it virtually impossible for them to accomplish large-scale public welfare projects.

Except for dishing out money.

"It’s very challenging," Lunda admitted.

"Then how will you build?" Kan Qin couldn’t help but interject.

"Our land acquisition difficulties mainly stem from landowners feeling that losing their land means losing their livelihood. The land controlled by our government is minimal; we basically have to buy it with money," Lunda explained.

"But they don’t want money—they want security instead. Therefore, our hope is that companies from your country could invest in ours, create jobs. With employment available, the issue of land acquisition would become much easier," Lunda proposed their logic.

"???" Kan Qin looked bewildered.

The statement wasn’t unreasonable.

It was essentially foreign investment plus project loans.

But the logic?

Why should we invest? What advantage do you provide?

Seeing the expression on Kan Qin’s face.

Lunda explained,

"Our market is still in its early stages, offering many potential investment projects. Secondly, labor costs are low, and in the long term, the economy is bound to improve. Your country’s companies will also get returns."

They aimed for a dual purpose.

Foreign investment.

Project loans.

The combination would be highly beneficial for India.

What was especially unique was Ling’s near-absolute authority in this region, coupled with the jumbo-sized Myanmar Bank Group under his control. If Ling agreed, a slew of companies would follow suit.

They had also approached the United States before.

But no matter how powerful America was, even the President’s words weren’t persuasive enough. Selling weapons? Very enthusiastic. Encouraging companies? Investing in India’s low-end manufacturing? They favored Huaxia more. So India decided to try here instead.

Lunda watched Ling somewhat anxiously.

One minute later.

After some "deliberation," Ling raised his head.

"No."

The rejection was unequivocal.

Lunda looked disappointed, while Kan Qin displayed an unsurprised expression. For them, it carried little significance. Without resolving India’s fundamental issues, anyone investing would face boundless risks.

Especially now that India’s medical loans were abundant enough. Adding large amounts of new loans could lead to untenable outcomes.

"However, I do have a suggestion," Ling suddenly shifted the tone.

Lunda froze momentarily, his heart stirring with hope, though his face remained composed as he said, "What suggestion?"

"Firstly, regarding your road expansion and land acquisition issues, we have absolutely no interest in intervening. You should be fully aware of how complicated it is; otherwise, it wouldn’t still be unresolved," Ling began.

"Secondly, as for investing in India, our domestic enterprises currently have few plans. As you can see, there are still many areas within our country that need investment and job creation," Ling cut off Lunda’s intentions directly.

"I remain optimistic about your country’s future economic development. But ultimately, a small temple can’t accommodate a large test. In executing this, caution is unavoidable."

"Your actual intention isn’t merely building a highway or creating jobs, but conducting an experiment, hoping more people will experience the convenience of transportation to serve as a demonstration," Ling analyzed.

"Thus, my suggestion: if you’re aiming to create a demonstration, why not aim bigger? A single road, a few companies, it’s not meaningful enough—why not develop a comprehensive demonstration zone?"

"How would we do that?" Lunda asked.

Ling’s ability to discern his motives so transparently gave credibility to the suggestion, and anticipation filled his gaze.

"Instead of constructing a few roads or opening a few businesses to generate a few thousand jobs—which cannot be massively replicated—why not establish a model city?" Ling proposed.

"A model city?"

Lunda felt a little disoriented.

"Yes. A modern city—a demonstration zone similar to the Myanmar Economic Zone. I recall your country once had such plans, but it fell through due to lack of funding," Ling explained.

This time.

Lunda felt even more confused.

No funds before.

No funds now.

This involved city construction—a high-risk endeavor.

"Could you elaborate?" Lunda asked.

Kan Qin and the others perked up their ears too. They were struggling to keep up with Ling’s seemingly unbounded thinking. For India, this so-called model city might be appealing, but where did Myanmar’s interests lie?

"Find a location where land is easier to acquire but also offers convenient transportation, to build a new city or special zone, then establish a unique economic focus for the zone to attract talent," Ling explained.

"Our government-controlled land is very limited, let alone in transportation-convenient areas—it’s all overcrowded," Lunda sighed. A heavily populated country—it sounded good, but it came with its headaches.

"Is that so?" Ling chuckled lightly before continuing, "How about the regions along our shared border?"

Hearing this.

Lunda froze momentarily.

Indeed, India’s primary population was concentrated on the peninsula. The lands near the border with Myanmar were predominantly mountainous regions with sparse population—meaning more government-controlled land. But it seemed too remote.

Wait.

"Remote" was in the context of India’s population distribution.

In contrast, Myanmar’s Langyu County was bustling, and in turn, the Indian side was also becoming more populated, given its position as a transportation hub. As long as both sides coordinated on port planning, those issues wouldn’t be a problem.

At this realization.

Hope ignited in Lunda’s heart.

Economic special zone.

India had established many, but they were mostly based on repurposing existing cities into special zones. Starting anew had never been attempted, which inherently left them trapped under layer upon layer of difficulty. Most zones had ended up as mere decoration.

When painting on a blank canvas.

The potential greatly increased.

"Could you provide urban construction loans?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"That’s not something we’ve discussed yet."

"What does your country want?"

"Nothing much—just assessing whether this can be a viable loan project," Ling responded. African-focused project loans had previously centered around relatively singular fields.

Loaning for entire city construction projects.

Perhaps it’s an intriguing avenue.

India.

Let it serve as an experiment—a demonstration project. Only a country with national-level capabilities could afford such an experiment. If successful, armed with this concrete case study, it might become a hallmark offering within project loans.

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