Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 617 Cooperation ([-])

In Qingdao Port, the sea and the sky are bright, and a newly launched dredger "Qingtang Jun 6" is working in the bay, breathing black smoke.Although the average water depth of Qingdao Port has reached more than 8 meters, this does not mean that all areas are deep water areas. According to the measurement of the Ministry of the Navy, there are still some shoals in the bay that need to be cleared.

At present, they have set up buoys in these shoals to remind passing ships to pay attention.At this time, the dredger is at these buoys, and uses the bucket to dig out the silt from the seabed and put it into the barge behind it. After the silt is filled with the cabin of the barge, it will be transported to the wharf and used to fill the area of ​​the trestle construction area. seabed.

On the shore, more than [-] local residents (including later immigrants) are struggling to build various buildings.They were all mobilized within these two days. The young cadres who graduated from the Bingtuanbao who organized them explained that the superiors took a fancy to the unique harbor conditions of Qingdao Port and decided to speed up the construction of the city. The first step is to first Build a decent looking dock and ancillary facilities.

People on the east coast are already familiar with building wharves. Therefore, under the organization of the Construction Bureau under the Ministry of Communications, the labor force mainly composed of local farmers began to rapidly build lighthouses, trestles, roads, warehouses, freight yards, hotels, customs, exchanges, Forts and other facilities, and it is planned to give priority to building some of them in the first half of next year, so as to open the port as soon as possible.

There is a reason why the government of the East Coast Republic is determined to develop Qingdao Port.Because just yesterday, the Doria family from Genoa, after negotiating cooperation with people from the east coast on grain, silk weaving, papermaking and other industries, finally put forward their biggest purpose of this trip in the evening, which is to start a business with the east coast. financial cooperation.

And this so-called financial cooperation is actually attached to the large-scale trade that may be carried out between the two parties, that is, to provide services for these trades.Because of this, most of the bulk trade in Europe at that time was paid using commercial papers (cheques, promissory notes, money orders, etc.) issued by some reputable banks or individuals, and there were not many direct cash transactions.Therefore, if people from the east coast want to deeply participate in European trade, it is very important to obtain the endorsement or guarantee of a bank with a certain status in Europe, otherwise the market expansion will always be very slow.

In the same way, some captains of European countries used to hold money orders issued by some banks or established wholesalers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and ran to the east coast to ask for supplies.Due to the lack of identification of the authenticity of these money orders and the worry that they would not be able to cash them out smoothly, the people on the east coast could only reluctantly decline a lot of business.At this time, if one or several banks that can be trusted by the East Coast and have a large amount of capital transactions participate in it, and allow foreign merchants who come to the New World to hold commercial papers issued by these banks, then the East Bank can recognize the authenticity of these bills. Sexuality and effectiveness, thereby promoting the in-depth development of trade.

At the same time, the import trade between the east coast and Europe can also offset each other through the transfer of bills with these banks, thus eliminating the huge risk of carrying a large amount of precious metals over long distances by sea.People on the east coast export industrial products in Europe and import various raw materials, livestock and even people. These transactions can be offset by mutual transfers in the banking system, which is very convenient, fast, and safer. At this time, most of the international trade in Europe is actually That's how it's settled.

And if you want to participate in international trade so conveniently and safely, then it is inevitable to cooperate with one or more established European banks with status.Because Europeans do not recognize money orders from people on the east coast at all. On the contrary, if it is the San Giorgio Bank/Company in Genoa, the Palermo Bank in Sicily, and the San Paolo Bank in Savoy (located in Turin), then the money orders issued by them It has a considerable degree of recognition, at least in the Mediterranean, South Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands are basically unimpeded, thanks to the de facto financial hegemony of the Genoese in the previous 100 years.

Today is August 8. In the only stone building in Qingdao Port, the East Bank negotiation team led by Qiang Quansheng, director of the State Administration of Precious Metals, has held talks with the Genoese for two days.The attitudes of both parties are relatively frank, and they have also reached a consensus on the banking cooperation between the East Coast and Genoa. The current differences between the two parties mainly focus on the method and depth of cooperation.

From the perspective of people on the east coast, the Genoese only need to provide an endorsement for the international trade of the East Coast Republic, that is, the banks in Genoa provide guarantees for the East Coast bank notes issued by East Coast merchants.For example, Northwest Reclamation Bank, the largest domestic bank on the east coast, currently has a branch in Riga. If this branch issues a commercial bill with a face value of 1 yuan one day, Europeans will definitely not recognize it.But if the St. George Bank announces to provide guarantee for the commercial paper issued by this outlet at this time, then European merchants are likely to recognize the validity of this bill, so that it can enter the circulation market.This is the wishful thinking of the people on the east coast. They need the influence of the Genoese to squeeze their banks into the European financial circle.

But how could the Genoese agree to such a condition?If so, what do Genoa's bankers have to gain?Not at all!Don't mention the commodity agency rights mentioned by the people on the east coast, this is another matter, one size belongs to one size!People on the east coast want to squeeze into the European financial circle without paying anything, what a joke!

In this regard, the Genoese first rejected the whimsical proposal of the East Coast people, and then said that the East Coast businessmen can open current accounts in European Genoese banks, and all transactions will go through the Genoese bank network, then all problems will be solved. up.Merchants on the east coast can hold commercial papers issued by the Bank of St. George, the Bank of St. Paul, or the Bank of Palermo, and purchase various materials in markets such as Amsterdam, Lyon, Barcelona, ​​Cadiz, Milan, Florence, and Bordeaux. There are no obstacles.

Of course, Qiang Quansheng couldn't accept the proposal proposed by the Genoese, because in this way, a large amount of trade balance on the east coast would be deposited in the Genoese bank, and they would get a lot of benefits for no reason, which was unacceptable to Qiang Quansheng. Yes, he felt that he had to fight for some interests in international trade for the East Coast.Since plan A doesn't work, it's time to throw out plan B.

"In this case, based on the principle of mutual trust and honesty, I think your country and our country can jointly invest in the establishment of a new bank to provide financial support for the import and export business of our government and businessmen in Europe. Mario, what do you think? "Qiang Quansheng tentatively proposed while playing with a quill pen in his hand.

At this time, Mario Doria was also a bit exhausted by the tit-for-tat attitudes of the two sides in the banking business, so after thinking carefully about the proposal of Qiangquansheng, he relaxed a little and said: "It is feasible to jointly establish a bank." , we can also provide guarantee for this bank, but why don't you let us directly invest in the bank of your country? I think it is more convenient, and our capital is very sufficient, we will give you a reasonable consideration, you can also Get much-needed funding by selling bank stakes."

"I'm sorry, whether it is the Northwest Reclamation Bank or the United Industrial Credit Bank, these are important institutions related to my country's financial security. The Chinese government has not yet approved allowing foreigners to hold shares in these banks. Please forgive me." Qiang Quansheng listened Mario immediately rejected the words.What a joke, if the Genoese are allowed to buy shares in the only two financial institutions in the country, then he might be forcibly dismissed by the Government Council and the Executive Committee if he goes out of this door, and maybe some soldiers will regard him as a traitor Come to shoot black guns, this is no joke.

"Well, you are always so old-fashioned and conservative." Mario shrugged, seemingly indifferently said: "Then I propose that this bank jointly invested by both parties be called La Plata Bank, how about it? We can share the shares of Banco de la Plata with you, but we must be responsible for the daily operation, which is not negotiable! You lack the intuitive and perceptual knowledge of European bulk trade, and you also lack this Professional talents in this field, oh, I don’t mean to belittle you, but you really lack experience in this field. But who made us friends, you see, this time I brought quite a lot of talents, such as my side Mister Lopez."

Lopez is a balding middle-aged man, and when he heard Mario mentioning him, he nodded reservedly towards Qiang Quansheng.

"Mr. Lopez is Spanish, but he has worked in the famous Venetian Rialto Bank for many years. He is proficient in all banking business and has rich experience. He is the professional talent you need. I think Mr. Lopez will definitely be qualified for the new He will definitely manage the bank in an orderly manner with his professionalism, noble personality and rich experience, and will definitely not affect your trade." Mali Ao finally showed his hole card at this time.Obviously, he not only wants to get the management rights of this bank, but also wants to install his own personnel in this bank.

The Bank of Rialto Square is a well-known old commercial clearing bank in Venice. It was established in April 1587 according to the Second Decree of the Republic of Venice, supported by the Venice Congress.She is a commercial clearing bank, which provides account transfer services for all trades over 4 ducats, and also supports account withdrawals, but does not allow overdrafts. In 100, the Venice Congress even stipulated that all transactions must be settled through the bank's branches, so the bank quickly flourished, as evidenced by the large debit balance on its current account.

The bank prospered until 1638, when its rival Banco Neisseria Venezia (which handled Venetian public debt and issued interest-bearing bonds on behalf of the state) grew from strength to strength, before finally closing its doors that year.At this time, it was obvious that Mario of the Doria family had recruited some of the talents of the bank under his command, and now he was going to push these people into the management of the Bank of La Plata and continue to serve their family and the Republic of Genoa.

(End of this chapter)