A banquet could change many things.
Firstly, T-K Corporation’s focused promotional strategy, under the attack of this large-scale charity banquet, would be thoroughly foiled. With the massive costs of advertising sacrificed, the huge losses would significantly reduce T-K Corporation’s capability in China.
Secondly, the Angel Business Association jointly set up by the Zhishan Club and Lanxin Company showed that the Zhishan Club would support local brands, resist external acquisitions, and represented the Zhishan Club and the government’s attitudes towards external acquisitions.
Thirdly, due to this banquet, Lanxin Company and its products’ reputation would be positively raised due to the influence of charity, be even more in favor in people’s hearts, and devour China’s health supplements market.
Fourthly, Lanxin Company had openly announced that all their sales in the next three days would be channeled to charity. This was a rather convincing, charming, and well-thought plan to gain the favor of the masses, and T-K Corporation would be badly hit by it.
Instead of a charity banquet, this was more like Lanxin Company’s declaration of war towards T-K Corporation.
Jose felt dizzy. “Chu, Lanxin Company isn’t holding a charity banquet but teasing T-K Corporation in front of everyone and declaring war on us. This is ridiculous—a small, unlisted company actually dares to go against T-K Corporation. They really don’t know what’s good for them!”
Jose was so angry that he almost lost his mind and spoke gibberish. At this point, he had totally forgotten that it was this Chinese who had struck T-K Corporation time and again, making them thoroughly lose their chance to monopolize China’s health supplements market.
“Simply despicable and shameless. External acquisitions are only natural with the globalization of financial markets, a kind of business competition, the survival of the fittest. However, she actually brazenly label us as external invaders, solidifying our reputation as overbearing intruders.”
For T-K Corporation, this banquet was simply a nightmare.
Lanxin Company openly showed their positive image through charity and expressed their resistance towards external acquisitions, doing their part for the public. In contrast, T-K Corporation appeared overbearing, aggressive, shameless, and intrusive.
At the same time, their company’s brand, under Lanxin Company’s peripheral attack of tainting their image through various approaches, had yet to clear their name. Now, with such a pressing attack from Wen Xinya, the situation would only get worse.
Chu Jingnan swirled the red wine in his glass. “Previously, Lanxin Company and NBJ, under the pressure of T-K Corporation, had always faced the consumers as the victims as the market prices of their health supplements brands shrank 40%, almost selling at a loss, giving the consumers the hint that there was an overbearing invader, the T-K Corporation.
“Today, Lanxin Company organized such a high profile charity banquet, which further showed that it had no choice but to resist. In the name of charity, they gave themselves the responsibility of resisting the invasion of external businesses for their country. Not only will they gain more support, but it will also seem that they’re perfectly justified.”
If Lanxin Company was perfectly justified, T-K Corporation would realize its reputation as an overbearing invader.
After losing people’s faith, how then could T-K Corporation compete with Lanxin Company?
Jose also thought of this point. “Every step is interlinked with another and brilliantly planned. I really don’t understand how did she get such a brain. Oh my, the Chinese are really too scary.”
At this point, Jose couldn’t help but feel fearful.
Nobody had expected that a mere peripheral attack had included so many interlocking details and detailed planning.
The banquet was still ongoing.
At this point, the reporters had already dashed to the front of the stage hysterically and pointed their video recorders, cameras, and microphones towards Wen Xinya.
“Miss Bella, may I know what’s your relationship with the Zhishan Club? Are you a member of the Zhishan Club as well?”
Wen Xinya didn’t answer directly. “Everyone knows that in recent years, the Zhishan Club’s charity work has increasingly focused on the public. Supporting the business development of Chinese companies is also one of the ways to solve one of the root problems of the public. Incidentally, Zhishan Club intends to do charity work in this area and Lanxin Company coincidentally fulfills their criteria for support.”
“Miss Bella, do you mean that Lanxin Company is the first beneficiary of Zhishan Club’s support for the development of Chinese businesses?”
Wen Xinya nodded. “Yes, indeed. However, today, I’m attending before all of you in the capacity of one of the parties involved in the Angel Business Association.”
“In that case, Miss Bella, how do you view the external businesses’ acquisitions of Chinese brands?”
Wen Xinya went silent for a moment and slowly lifted her head to face the reporters and all of the video recorders in the banquet. “I can’t deny that external acquisitions are natural with the globalization of financial markets, follows the law of the survival of the fittest and that external investments into China can boost our financial market. However…”
Wen Xinya paused.
The hall went silent.
Wen Xinya’s voice expressed pain, helplessness, and devastation. “At the same time, it has also caused us, the Chinese, to lose the rights to compete internationally. Following the trend of the globalization of financial markets, Chinese brands are decreasing, and on the corporate world stage stands less Chinese brands. Does everyone know what outcome will this bring?”
There was silence. Everyone knew that this meant that others would get increasingly stronger and they would gradually grow weaker.
Wen Xinya smiled. “Our country, China, is a country with five thousand years of heritage. Will the things that have been passed down through the generations to our people be lousier than that of foreigners? If our stuff is worse than theirs, why will those external giants place their greedy eyes on us? They’re acquiring our brands, absorbing our advantages and strengths, and then they’ll grow stronger while we get weaker. This is the real reason why Chinese brands are worse than that of foreigners.”
Wen Xinya had spelled out the crux of the sensitive issue of foreigners acquiring Chinese businesses.
“I’ll admit that in terms of techniques and innovation, we, the Chinese, are inferior to foreign investors. However, this doesn’t mean that we don’t have the chance to surpass them. The most classic case is probably China’s home electronics—this is a new business model of us, the Chinese, and yet we managed to be number one in the world.”
Following this, she loudly said, “Thus, I’m highly resistant towards external acquisitions. For the pride of our local brands, for the growth of our local businesses, and for the future local brands to be able to compete on the global stage, if we don’t resist now, it’ll mean that there will be increasingly more external investors who’ll place their greedy eyes on us, and we’ll only end up as preys.”