The conference room fell silent for a few seconds.
"Holy crap! What did I miss!"
"I can't believe I'm only just now hearing about such a massive investment."
A chip manufacturing project starting at ten billion yuan is a major investment that any city in the country would fight tooth and nail for. Even in a top-tier city like Magic City, a project of this scale is enough to command the undivided attention of the key leaders.
"Where is the project landing now?" the East District leader asked hurriedly.
The South District leader shot back, "Why? Are you trying to poach it? I've already sent people to make contact."
The East District leader raised an eyebrow and spoke with righteous indignation, "Who's poaching? District Head Zhou, you can't put it like that. Attracting investment is a matter of fair competition, relying on the strength and sincerity of each respective district. How can you call that poaching? Our East District has a mature chip industry ecosystem. If Dragon Chip comes here, it will be an alliance of giants, the icing on the cake, and the absolute best choice for the project's development! How is this poaching? This is being responsible for the project and thinking of the investors!"
The South District leader chuckled, "Don't get worked up, District Head Li. I didn't say we couldn't compete. However, shouldn't there be a sense of first come, first served? Our comrades in the South District have already taken the first step in making contact and have gathered more information. As far as we know, President Liu prefers an environment that can give the project the maximum amount of autonomy and room for development. Our newly planned high-tech park in the South District is a blank slate with flexible policies and few restrictions, perfectly allowing for a tailor-made setup. Unlike your East District, where Zhongxin and Huahong have been entrenched for years with deep-rooted and tangled relationships. If a new giant enters, whether it will lead to synergistic development or just end up being hindered is hard to say."
"Hey, watch what you're saying!"
The East District leader was getting a bit heated. "Our East District's business environment is the universally recognized benchmark for the whole city! The policies of the Lingang New Area are a national-level innovation highland. We treat all enterprises equally, and our service efficiency is universally praised! All this talk of tangled relationships and hindrances is pure nonsense! District Head Zhou, you can't just tarnish our reputation out of thin air just to snatch a project!"
Seeing the two of them going tit for tat, the smell of gunpowder grew stronger; they were on the verge of a physical fight.
District Head Wang, who was in charge of the West District, coughed and interjected, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, calm down. If you ask me, what is the core competitiveness of the chip industry, especially for a high-end project like Dragon Chip? It's talent! It's continuous and innovative research and development capabilities! On this point, our West District has the most confidence. Not to mention anything else, the quantity and quality of our universities and national-level research institutes, as well as the number of microelectronics graduates we produce every year, rank first in the city and are among the best in the country!"
"If Dragon Chip settles in the West District, we can fully promote the establishment of a Dragon Chip West District University Integrated Circuit Joint Research Institute, achieving targeted talent cultivation and highly efficient local transformation of scientific research results. If they want policies, we will give them policies; if they want land, we will give them the best plots. We can even specially plan an exclusive science and education integration park that combines cuttingedge R&D, pilot verification, and high-end talent cultivation. This is the best choice based on a long-term perspective to build a century-old technological foundation for Dragon Chip!"
"District Head Wang makes a good point, but I don't think it's enough!"
District Head Zhao, in charge of the North District, decisively joined the fray to grab the project. "But chip manufacturing is not just about design and R&D; it ultimately comes down to actual production. Precision equipment, special materials, high-standard factories, and infrastructure—our North District has more advantages in these hard conditions. Our high-end equipment manufacturing park and advanced materials industrial park can absolutely provide Dragon Chip with the most reliable supply chain support, reducing logistics and time costs. Our industrial workforce is also ready-made and of excellent quality. Aren't these tangible supports more important than plans on paper?"
The conference room instantly turned into an investment promotion site. The district leaders talked over one another, each revealing their trump cards in hopes of securing this tens-of-billions project.
"Our East District has the most obvious comprehensive advantages!"
"Our South District can provide the largest policy space!"
"Our West District's talent and scientific research heritage are irreplaceable!"
"Our North District's industrial supporting facilities and hardware foundation are the most solid!"
"........."
The Top Leader watched his capable subordinates arguing until they were red in the face. At first, he felt this was a manifestation of everyone's enthusiasm for work, but as he listened, it started to feel off.
If this continued, they might actually start throwing punches.
"Alright! Everyone quiet down!" The Top Leader slammed his palm on the table.
The arguing came to an abrupt halt. The district leaders all looked at The Top Leader, waiting for him to make a decision.
The Top Leader looked at the crowd with a helpless yet amused expression on his face. "Look at you all, acting like fighting cocks. The project isn't even finalized yet, and our own people are about to fight? What would people say if word got out?"
He paused for a moment and continued, "This Dragon Chip project, whether real or fake, and whether the scale is truly tens of billions, since the rumors have spread and it doesn't sound completely unfounded, our Magic City must attach great importance to it and take the initiative. It's meaningless to argue over which district is better here. What is the most critical issue right now? It's that we haven't even met President Liu. We don't even know her true thoughts and specific needs. Maybe she has no intention of settling in Magic City at all. No matter how many advantages and policies you talk about, won't it just be wishful thinking in the end?"
These words made sense, and the district leaders gradually calmed down upon hearing them.
He was right!
They hadn't even said where they wanted to land yet; wasn't it a bit too early to fight over it?
The Top Leader continued, "The most urgent task is to establish contact with the other party, understand the situation, and express our sincerity. I don't care which of your districts has made contact before. From now on, the city will coordinate uniformly to avoid multiple contacts and inconsistent statements, which would leave a bad impression."
He looked at the secretary who had been sitting to the side taking careful notes. "Xiao Chen, follow up on this matter personally. Verify the basic situation of the Dragon Chip project and President Liu as soon as possible. Also, in the name of the Municipal Government General Office, formally issue an invitation to Ms. Liu Yutong, inviting her to visit and inspect Magic City. I can personally step forward to meet and negotiate with her."
"Yes, leader, I will do it immediately," Secretary Xiao Chen nodded and agreed at once.
The Top Leader looked at the district leaders again. "Your districts should continue to do the necessary homework. Sort out your respective advantages and the conditions you can provide, and form a solid plan. But you are not allowed to blindly make contact in private anymore, and you are absolutely not allowed to undermine each other! When the guest is invited, we will openly and honestly display the overall strength of Magic City and the characteristics of each district, and let them choose for themselves. This is the bearing and order that an international metropolis should have!"
Speaking of this, he knocked on the table, setting the final word and giving everyone no chance to bother him.
"This matter is settled for now. Meeting adjourned!"
.......
