The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 531: Chapter 531: The Harm of ”Buying is Better Than Building

Ye Feng provided all the funds for the experts’ housing.

The government would owe him for now and pay him back at the end of the year.

For both parties, it wasn’t about the money; it was about securing these valuable experts.

Once all the experts had arrived and settled in, they gradually adapted to life here.

A dedicated shuttle at the entrance of the residential complex took the experts directly to their respective workplaces.

Some workplaces were relatively close, while others were farther away.

However, the shuttle service made it very convenient. It was a non-stop service directly to their workplaces, which greatly shortened their commute times.

Jinshan Bay Primary School set up a special Russian-language class.

Some of the experts’ wives were teachers themselves, so they were assigned to teach math in the primary and middle schools.

Hua Country teachers who spoke Russian taught them Chinese.

The experts were very satisfied with this arrangement.

Their children all had the opportunity to receive a proper education while also learning both Chinese and English.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since they had come to Hua Country, it was better to learn the local language.

They were all engaged in high-end technology R&D, much of which was confidential.

Their own country was now in complete chaos, controlled by all sorts of disreputable people.

If it were just a matter of not being able to focus on their research or poor pay, they might have endured it for the sake of their country.

But staying there meant they faced a high risk of mortal danger, not just from domestic threats, but also from the West.

Fortunately, after coming to Hua Country, they were slowly adapting.

The climate here, with its four distinct seasons and pleasant scenery, was excellent.

Here, all they had to do was focus on their work without a single other worry!

The safe environment, the abundant material life, and a society where everything was thriving—it all gave them a great sense of security.

While it couldn’t yet compare to Western countries, the people here were more pragmatic and hardworking.

Alyosha and a few of his friends were diligently studying Chinese.

They had already graduated from university and weren’t interested in settling into a conventional, routine job.

They were learning Chinese to better position themselves for doing business here.

Time flew, and the results were remarkable.

Seeing that Ye Feng finally had a moment to relax, Han Xiaorui asked with a smile, ”Has the semiconductor project made progress?”

Ye Feng smiled and nodded. ”Semiconductor production has been making headway recently. Even the photolithography machine manufacturing in Beijing has had a major breakthrough.”

Han Xiaorui was overjoyed. ”Congratulations! We didn’t miss this opportunity. But with the current ’Reform and Opening Up’ policy, many people believe it’s better to buy than to build.”

”In all your dealings, you must be wary of the advice this group of people gives to the leadership. If that way of thinking prevails, your photolithography machine production will face utter ruin.”

Ye Feng’s expression turned grave. ”I’ve spoken to my father about this. The leadership is currently split into two factions. One, just as you said, advocates for buying foreign chips to save on the massive costs of R&D.”

”But the drawbacks are huge. If we don’t have our own production capabilities, the prices will be exorbitant, and they’ll establish a monopoly over us. We’ll only get chips when they feel like selling them. If they decide not to, we won’t get a single one.”

”Besides, it’s one thing for commercial applications—the risk of information leaks is relatively low. But the military also needs all sorts of chips now. What if those chips have backdoors?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”That’s a critical point. Now that the Mao Bear has collapsed, we’re the largest remaining socialist country. We’ll become a thorn in the Western world’s side.”

”The only reason they haven’t moved against us yet is because we’re still weak and poor. The moment our economy develops, we’ll become a fat sheep in their eyes, and they’ll come to fleece us.”

”Chip technology is extremely advanced; it can’t be mastered overnight. If we stop now, rebuilding this industry in the future will cost an astronomical amount of time and money.”

”Most critically, it’s not secure. We absolutely cannot use foreign chips, especially for military applications! Even though the West is more advanced than our country right now, it’s only by a small margin.”

”That being the case, the chips we produce have a viable market! So even if we can’t stop foreign chips from being sold domestically, we absolutely must not let the photolithography and semiconductor industry we’ve worked so hard to build be dismantled.”

Ye Feng scratched his head. ”But there are so many of these collaborators, constantly hyping up how advanced foreign chips are! There are just too many traitors these days!”

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment. ”Judging by the war in the Middle East, the military must already understand the importance of technology and chips.”

”If you’re outmatched and can’t withstand the pressure from those people on your own, find some partners! You used to work for the military, and now with your father’s recent advancement, he has access to even higher echelons. I think we should be able to achieve our goal.”

”As long as the military approves of your chips, they will protect your company for the sake of national security. Also, if you can, get the state to invest as a shareholder. Form a deep, binding partnership with a state-owned enterprise.”

”While this approach has its downsides and might lead to bureaucratic headaches, it will also bring a steady stream of benefits.”

Ye Feng thought for a moment. ”Xiao Rui, I think you have a point! If it’s just a private enterprise, many people won’t take its output seriously. But if it’s a strategic state-owned enterprise, that’s a completely different story!”

With this new strategy in mind, the father and son duo, Ye Feng and Ye Zheng, began to act in concert.

The country’s top leadership also used various channels to understand the Western nations, learning that their ambition to bring about China’s downfall was far from dead.

Their current pretense of friendliness was merely a tactic to lull China into complacency.

Hua Country’s development might remain relatively stable for the next ten to twenty years.

But in twenty years, a rapidly developing Hua Country would inevitably become a challenge to the Western nations.

After a series of maneuvers, the state acquired a 20% stake in Ye Feng’s semiconductor company.

After acquiring the 20% stake, the leadership immediately sent a delegation to tour the facility.

Not only was the equipment plentiful, but the level of technology was also incredibly high.

The experts whom Ye Feng had gone to such great lengths to recruit from the Mao Bear Country had clearly put forth an unimaginable amount of effort.

Only then did many people realize just how complex chip manufacturing was. If production were to be interrupted, a massive technological gap would form between them and foreign nations.

Trying to catch up again later would be next to impossible.

The lesson that ”the weak get beaten” was deeply seared into the hearts of all Hua Country people.

After comparing the performance of imported chips with their domestically produced counterparts, the delegation returned to Beijing and gave the ”buy-is-better-than-build” compradors a furious dressing-down.

Imports were acceptable, they concluded, but if foreign companies lowered their prices, tariffs must be imposed to protect the nascent domestic chip industry.

After the military sent its own delegation to tour the facility, they also reported their findings directly to the leadership.

It was entirely possible for chips from Europe and America to have backdoors, if one wanted to include them.

If they were to use foreign chips, they would very likely be exposing their secrets right under the enemy’s nose.

Therefore, all weapon and equipment manufacturing and R&D must completely avoid foreign chips and exclusively purchase domestic ones.