Volume One, Chapter 17: The Verbal Duel with the Foreign Merchant (Part Two)

“As for the first two demands...” Morten’s lips curled into a scornful smile, his tone dripping with arrogance. “The price of the wind turbines is set by our headquarters based on current material and technological costs; it is not fixed. Of course, within my authority, I can offer you a maximum discount of twenty thousand US dollars per turbine as a special favor.

Regarding the warranty period, since the turbines employ different specific technologies, the warranty varies accordingly. The two models you are interested in come with only a ten-month warranty. Naturally, I can extend it to twelve months within my power.

Maintenance services are limited to a comprehensive inspection by our experts after all installation steps are completed. If you encounter faults after grid connection, consulting our experts will cost you 3,700 Danish kroner each time!”

One official from the Economic Commission seated to Maimaiti’s right gasped sharply, then muttered under his breath, “These things burn money even more than the fertilizer plant’s machines! One expert visit costs over 4,500 yuan—that’s nearly a hundred workers’ monthly wages!”

Contrasting with the official’s helpless sigh, Maimaiti paid no heed to Morten’s overbearing arrogance.

Without hesitation, he replied, “Mr. Morten, I hope you won’t rush to conclusions. I suggest you reconsider the three conditions we’ve proposed.

Earlier, my superior may have omitted this during our discussions: for suppliers willing to transfer some technology or collaborate in production, we pledge to prioritize purchasing their products in future wind turbine procurements.

I believe this commitment should be quite appealing.”

Having spoken, Maimaiti added a few polite remarks that subtly signaled the end of the meeting, leaving the previously overconfident Morten caught off guard.

“Mr. Xie, you’re practically mocking us! I’ve dealt with many Chinese before but never seen such an unreasonable act—to end negotiations in less than half an hour. I demand this matter be reported to the embassy.”

Morten’s anger was matched by his bewilderment: When did the Chinese become so tough? This was completely unlike what we had understood before!

Xie Shiqi responded calmly according to their established strategy: “Mr. Morten, the length of negotiations is not the goal itself. We always uphold principles of fairness in international business dealings. Moreover, we still hope to pursue further cooperation with your company and sincerely hope you will carefully consider our proposal. We await your latest feedback at any time.”

With that, Xie signaled that the negotiation session was temporarily adjourned.

The reception staff then politely but firmly escorted Morten and his party out of the venue.

After being asked to leave the negotiation room, Morten, still fuming, vented his dissatisfaction to his secretary, demanding immediate notification of the Danish embassy.

However, the secretary calmly advised, “Sir, it is indeed we who first breached the rules. Our quoted prices exceeded the market by 40%. Reporting to the embassy would only bring us disgrace.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Morten asked.

“I recommend reporting to headquarters first. Judging from the Chinese attitude this time, they will not easily compromise,” the secretary suggested.

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“’To fall just before the finish line’!” Morten grumbled a Danish slang phrase in frustration but still agreed to follow the secretary’s advice.

As they passed by the breakfast room, Morten keenly noticed that the Vestas personnel maintained an inscrutable calm and composure.

This detail sparked a ripple of unease in his mind. Could it be... that Vestas had leaked their plan to the Chinese beforehand?

Otherwise, how could those eager Chinese, lacking much international experience, suddenly adopt a divided negotiation strategy and throw out so many technical terms at the table?

Biting his lip in anger, Morten thought, it must be so! They are on the brink of bankruptcy, trying to form a price monopoly by allying with us, then betraying our plan to curry favor with the Chinese, to win this procurement.

“Remember, if anyone from Vestas comes to fish for information, just act as if everything is normal,” Morten instructed swiftly. “I’m reporting this negotiation’s situation to headquarters immediately!”

Meanwhile, back in room 301, resting Xie Shiqi recalled Morten’s threatening words and asked Maimaiti anxiously, “Maimaiti, what if that Morten really complains to the embassy? I remind you, this is no joke!”

“Master Xie, don’t worry! They violated the rules first; they won’t dare complain easily,” Maimaiti said with a cold smile. “Besides, we invited them to negotiate; no contracts or deposits were signed. How can they force a sale?”

Maimaiti felt disdainful— in a future era defined by strong national power and rich international cooperation experience, foreign merchants like these would be met by slamming the table or smashing ashtrays. Only then would it be a real negotiation!

It’s said that once, when a certain iron-fisted department introduced equipment and faced an arrogant country, the department head smashed a cup and issued an ultimatum:

“Either you accept our terms or leave now. But once you walk out this door today, I guarantee no company from your country will ever step foot here again!”

The country’s businessmen immediately bowed and apologized without argument, complying obediently.

But the future is not like the past.

Such cathartic actions would be like fairy tales to the Chinese of this era, which is why Maimaiti did not push too hard during negotiations.

While Xie Shiqi and Maimaiti were still reviewing the negotiation template, the Wincon sales team was ushered in by the reception staff.

After brief introductions, the new negotiation commenced according to the planned procedure.

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In room 303 next door,

Wang Xiquan, having just finished negotiations with NEG Micon, wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered to Huang Jianghui, “These foreigners really came prepared. They argue with such logic and leave no room for respite. Good thing we wisely chose to negotiate in smaller rooms separately. If it had been a big conference, it would have been chaos.”

Huang Jianghui was also somewhat caught off guard by their forceful rationale and sharp language, but having seen many big scenes before, he showed no sign of weakness.

Although not a technical expert, his solid background in economics helped him keep pace with Wang Xiquan in the talks.

Still, the final outcome was unsatisfactory.

Though just under six years old, NEG Micon’s team was entirely technical experts, and the company had carved a niche globally with its wind turbine design and manufacturing strength.

When Wang tentatively requested partial technology transfer, NEG Micon’s sales team leader immediately darkened his face and resolutely refused, citing that Eastern bloc countries lacked patent protection technology, which would cause them huge losses.

Fortunately, Huang Jianghui promptly reminded them that China had joined the Paris Convention on Industrial Property Protection last year and had strengthened its intellectual property rights measures in recent years.

This softened their stance somewhat.

Yet they still refused technology transfer, only agreeing to a five thousand US dollar discount per turbine.

This result left Wang Xiquan, Huang Jianghui, and their party feeling deeply frustrated—knowing the other side was overcharging and deliberately making things difficult, yet unable to retort. Instead, they had to thank them for their “generosity,” politely ask them to rest, and say they needed further discussion before responding.

“Exactly,” Huang Jianghui shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know how your assistant’s situation is. If it’s as tough as ours, Old Wang, maybe we should just give up for now and buy a few turbines at their price for testing, putting technology transfer aside for the moment.”

Though Wang Xiquan was reluctant, the arduous negotiation process had indeed made him consider giving up.

But thinking that each step forward brought them closer to domesticating wind turbine production, he clenched his teeth and pressed on.

“Let’s hold on. As long as no major mishaps occur, we’ll keep negotiating. Even if they unite, so what? I refuse to believe none of them will care about our huge potential market!”