Volume One, Chapter 20: Confidence Radiating from Within the Bones

In stark contrast to Wang Xiquan's pessimism, Maimaiti maintained a quiet confidence, as if he held a clear plan in his mind. He had never truly intended to persuade the wind turbine companies to transfer their technology. This was because they were still in the arduous early stages of development, struggling to move from zero to one.

The path toward domestic production was far more rugged than the theoretical discussions he and Wang Xiquan had engaged in. The immature supply chain for components, the shortage of skilled professionals, and weak research and development capabilities alone were towering obstacles that could easily crush the dream of localization before it even took root. Moreover, funding shortages, lack of policy support, and uncertain market demand presented further formidable barriers.

What Maimaiti truly aimed to do was to subtly highlight the boundless wind energy resources in Dabancheng and the greater Xinjiang region, sparking foreign investors’ interest. Then, by presenting various data, he planned to guide them to personally visit these prime wind sites for on-the-ground inspections. Only by seeing it with their own eyes could they truly believe the staggering market potential hidden in this land.

At that point, Western wind power research companies, while eyeing China’s vast market, would have to employ various strategies to showcase their strengths, thereby easing restrictions on technology transfer and export controls to China. Although wind turbines are purely civilian infrastructure, it did not mean Western countries would relinquish their technological edge without caution. They were well aware that if China rose in this sector, it could become a fierce competitor, nibbling away at their market share. Even if China’s current R&D capabilities seemed insignificant to them, this potential threat was enough to keep them vigilant.

As for which company would take the bait, Maimaiti believed there was no need to force it. The immediate priority was to acquire several turbines quickly, install and connect them to the grid for testing, since only authentic, reliable operational data could serve as compelling evidence and win over the foreign firms. Establishing mutual trust with these turbine companies was also one of his negotiation objectives.

Before the meeting began, under the guise of being Wang Xiquan’s assistant, Maimaiti had already made arrangements with the coordinating staff. After the morning’s negotiation, if any wind turbine company wanted to contact them, they had to reach out to him directly. To this end, he even persuaded the hotel manager, Aili, to set up a private office for him, citing the need to prepare materials.

The midday banquet took place in the most luxurious restaurant of the Urumqi Hotel. Although Wang Xiquan and his team were present, they consciously sat separately, avoiding discussions about negotiation matters with the foreign guests. At most, they exchanged polite toasts and greetings, always accompanied by professional reception staff. In those days, interactions between officials and foreign visitors, especially from Western countries, were governed by strict protocols. Even informal occasions such as banquets followed detailed standards and regulations.

Xinjiang, as a multi-ethnic autonomous region, was even more rigorously managed in this regard. If not for special instructions from the Foreign Economic and Trade Commission and the desire to showcase Xinjiang’s reform, opening up, and modernization efforts to the nation and the world, Wang Xiquan’s negotiations would have had to be conducted in Beijing.

This was also why Maimaiti dared not directly invite the turbine company representatives to visit Dabancheng for field inspection. Besides the fact that the current visitors were sales teams rather than genuine technical experts, and there was a lack of detailed supporting data, the application procedures were cumbersome and approvals difficult to obtain. Furthermore, his own official status posed significant limitations.

Maimaiti conducted his planned private meetings with the foreign guests secretly, without informing Wang Xiquan and the others. He had prepared explanations and strategies ahead of time, fully ready to endure any criticism or reprimand.

The lunch ended in an atmosphere awkward yet polite. Returning to the lounge, Maimaiti skillfully steered Wang Xiquan and the others into idle chatter about the negotiation work, then excused himself to leave unnoticed. He knew they would not finish chatting for at least an hour, time enough for him to negotiate with the foreign guests.

Maimaiti headed straight to the 208 conference room that Aili had arranged for him. Using the in-room phone on the wall, he contacted the coordinator and asked to have any foreign guests with negotiation needs brought to the room.

Soon, Lena, the sales manager from Wincon, was led in by the receptionist and knocked on the door. “Hello, Ms. Lena, I am Maimaiti Tulun. We met briefly this morning. From now on, I will be the sole point of contact for discussing matters related to the introduction of wind turbines. Rest assured, I am fully qualified to represent the Dabancheng Wind Power Test Station in negotiations with you.”

Maimaiti spoke fluently in English, his tone brimming with confidence.

Lena’s eyes flickered with surprise, then showed a hint of doubt. “Mr. Maimaiti, you are so young and capable. To think you can represent your government is truly admirable.”

“Ms. Lena, you misunderstand. I do not represent the government, but rather the Dabancheng Wind Power Station,” Maimaiti promptly clarified, his face calm and composed. “Just as your country’s PostNord company has a connection to your government, in our commercial collaboration with your firm, the government merely acts as a facilitator.”

Upon hearing this, Lena’s doubts gradually dissipated, and she moved on to the main topic. “In that case, Mr. Maimaiti, I’ll be straightforward. First, I’m sorry to say that after discussions with our headquarters, due to market and policy factors, we cannot directly transfer technology to you at this time. However, we can dispatch technical personnel to provide comprehensive guidance and training during installation and testing of the turbines.”

“To make up for this and to show our sincerity, the headquarters has decided that the final price for the 100kW wind turbine units will be $250,000, and for the 55kW units, $200,000. This is the lowest price we can offer. Would your side find this acceptable?”

The unexpectedly low price completely caught Maimaiti off guard. In later years, he would learn that the Dabancheng Wind Power Station had endured great hardship and expense to purchase just two turbines, even persuading the railway department to bear transport costs, finally pushing the price down to $300,000.

Back then, no one realized that one could leverage data resources to entice foreign investors to lower prices proactively. The autonomous region and the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power had to organize delegations to travel to France, the Netherlands, the UK, and Denmark for multiple rounds of negotiations with foreign companies before reaching an agreement.

Now, facing such an enticing offer from Wincon, Maimaiti was inwardly thrilled but outwardly composed.

“This price is indeed within our acceptable range,” he said slowly, before shifting tone, “However, regarding the quantity of turbines to purchase, I will need to report back to my superiors—that is, government authorities. After all, our previous collaborations have been government-backed, which is a matter of national policy. I must ensure this cooperation receives government support and approval.”

His reasoning was both honest and reasonable, arousing no suspicion from Lena. On the contrary, she sincerely admired Maimaiti’s decisiveness and straightforwardness.

Maimaiti, of course, knew that Lena believed their low-price strategy had successfully opened the door to the Xinjiang market. What she did not know was that shortly after she left, the sales personnel from Vestas arrived.

The visitor was not the disagreeable sales director Lars, but the market analyst, which surprised Maimaiti somewhat. Fortunately, he recognized her as Hanna, avoiding any diplomatic awkwardness.

After the usual introductions, Hanna smiled mysteriously. “I’ve known for a while, Mr. Maimaiti, that you are the main person in charge of this investment promotion meeting.”

“Among others,” Maimaiti smiled and corrected gently, repeating the explanation he had given to Lena.

Hanna nodded understandingly, then shifted gears. “Here’s the thing, Mr. Maimaiti, I bypassed my director to speak with you alone. Earlier, combining the data you mentioned with my own research, I presented to headquarters the idea that the Xinjiang wind turbine market might rival California’s in scale, or even surpass it.”

“The headquarters is very interested and sent me to approach you, hoping to request an opportunity for a field inspection. Mr. Maimaiti, would that be convenient?”

“A field inspection?” Maimaiti was inwardly taken aback.