Countercurrent 1982

Chapter 268 Negotiations Abroad
The civil aviation service in the 80s made Duan Yun feel fresh.

Civil aviation these days is not only free to drink Moutai, but also free cigarettes. The cigarettes are 5-packs of Zhonghua cigarettes with the CAAC logo printed on them.

Duan Yun felt a little unbelievable that cigarettes could be smoked in the airliner, but Rui Xiang and Wang Qiang were obviously 'experienced', and each smoked comfortably with a cigarette in their mouths.

And Duan Yun also learned that matches, lighters and even oil bottles can be carried on the plane!At the entrance of the airport, there are only some signboards that prohibit carrying on the plane. There is no strict inspection, and there is no security inspection equipment such as X-ray machines.

The time difference between China and Berlin is six hours. After more than ten hours of flight, Duan Yun and his party finally set foot on a foreign land.

The weather in Berlin this season is not much different from that in the north of China, only a little colder, but for northerners like them, it is completely acceptable.

Without much time to adjust the time difference, Duan Yun and others started the negotiation.

The agenda and venue are all arranged by China Technology Import and Export Corporation.

China National Technology Import and Export Corporation, referred to as China Technology Corporation, English abbreviation CNTIC, was established in 1952. After the reform and opening up, China Technology Corporation introduced 367 projects for the country, including large-scale chemical fertilizer equipment, large-scale chemical fiber equipment, petrochemical equipment, Data processing equipment, power generation equipment, coal mining unit, oxygen production equipment, etc.

Most of the foreign equipment and technologies introduced in China in the early days were operated through this company.

Duan Yun followed Ruiyang and others into the high-level meeting place of the negotiation. His eyes were a little dazed at the gorgeous and bright chandelier above his head and the wool carpet under his feet that was thicker and softer than his mattress. The contrasting luxury feels like a world away.

There are piles of equipment drawings and materials piled up on the desk, which is destined to not be an easy negotiation.

Although he was only a translator, Duan Yun's previous performance had already made him an important player in this negotiation.

Duan Yun Ruiyang and his party of five sat in front of the negotiating table with their bodies straight. Although this was a business discussion, Ruiyang still had to consider its image and international influence, and more than once talked with Duan Yun and the others about "friendship first." One's purpose, never lose face abroad.

In fact, in Duan Yun's view, what Ruiyang and others keep saying that the country's image and friendship are the first is a kind of subconscious inferiority complex of Chinese people. Duan Yun believes that business is business, and the other party also depends on money and supply. No need to feel indebted to anyone.

At the beginning of the negotiation, Duan Yun took the blueprints and talked with the other party one by one. Although the final decision was in Ruiyang's hands, Duan Yun could always put forward key suggestions that could influence Ruiyang's decision.

During the negotiation on the first day, Wang Qiang, the chief engineer of No. [-] Factory, said no more than ten sentences, and was completely reduced to a supporting role. Basically, Duan Yun was discussing with Ruiyang, and Ruiyang's dependence on Duan Yun was also increasing. After all, among several people, Duan Yun is the one who knows this production line equipment best.

By the second day, Duan Yun had completely dominated the negotiation. His thinking was quick, and his English and technical skills were so high that sometimes when discussing the technical details of some equipment, the technicians of the other manufacturer would also be very suspicious of Duan Yun. The technical level of the cloud was amazed, and even chatted about some technical topics unrelated to the introduction of this equipment.

Generally speaking, it is relatively easy to deal with the Germans. The Germans basically do not beat around the bush when they talk and do business. They like to go straight. , so the progress of the negotiation is quite fast.

On the morning of the third day, the whole negotiation finally came to an end. The foreign party opened a bottle of champagne, and the two sides toasted to celebrate.

Ruiyang is also very happy at the moment.

After more than two days of negotiations, after adopting Duan Yun’s new procurement plan, the original procurement plan of more than 260 million yuan was finally reduced to 140 million US dollars, saving nearly half of the foreign exchange. Although there are still some production line equipment that need to be purchased domestically, from Domestic procurement does not need to use precious foreign exchange, and the cost performance is much higher than that of imported second-hand equipment.

As an important contributor to this negotiation, Ruiyang also praised him face to face after returning to the hotel, saying that he would be rewarded after returning to China.

In the afternoon, the team was on vacation, and Ruiyang led the five members of the team to the city for shopping, which was also a reward for the team members.

Duan Yun first bought a full thirty pens, mainly because he was working in the technical department, and they were all highly educated people in the factory. The imported pens were durable, and they could be regarded as cards if they were inserted in the jacket pocket of the Chinese tunic. The most important thing is that it is cheap, so it is best to give it to people in the factory as a gift.

Of course, considering that some pens will be sent to the factory leaders, Duan Yun chose several more pens with different grades and shapes.

Later, Duan Yun bought some gifts for his mother, sister and several brothers in the workshop.

Among the five people in the group, Duan Yun exchanged the most foreign exchange. Among the others, Wang Qiang, the chief engineer, brought the most money. He exchanged 200 foreign currencies, while Duan Yun exchanged [-] yuan worth of German marks. , if it weren't for the bank's restrictions on personal exchange of foreign exchange, Duan Yun would definitely exchange more money for shopping.

Finally, Duan Yun went to the largest bookstore in West Berlin, planning to buy some information books for Cheng Qingyan.

What made Duan Yun happy was that the bookstore in West Berlin did have information books in English. In the end, Duan Yun selected three books, a "Dictionary of Mechanical Engineering", a "Handbook of American Engineers" and a book " Automation in Mechanical Engineering".

One afternoon, Duan Yun bought a whole box of things before returning to the hotel.

During dinner, several people were invited by the German side and had a sumptuous western meal. Duan Yun felt amused secretly when he saw several people in Ruiyang holding their knives and forks looking at a loss for the steak on the plate.

On the fourth day, Duan Yun and others got on the plane back to China. After more than ten hours of long flight, they returned to BJ Airport.

The two city bureau staff who were traveling together brought home electrical appliances from the Friendship Store with the foreign exchange certificates, while Duan Yun used the remaining foreign exchange certificates to buy several boxes of cigars and coffee.

When he arrived in BJ, Ruiyang didn't care about adjusting the time difference, so he took the results of this negotiation to the ministry and reported to the leaders non-stop.

This time the negotiation was very successful. According to the purchase plan provided by him, a lot of foreign exchange was saved, and this became a credit for Ruiyang to gain political capital in the Ministry. Get in Ruiyang...

(End of this chapter)