326: Chapter 326 The First President of the United States

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean.

In his office on the west side of the White House, the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Bryson, was reviewing a document once again.

It was a proposal to initiate a national security investigation into Transsion Auto.

Legislators from agricultural states had already lodged protests at several major meetings, and various demonstrations had been going on for over two months.

After all, China's countermeasures against the United States agricultural products had caused exports of soybeans and corn to plummet by forty percent.

Farmers drove their tractors to block the entrance of federal buildings, holding up signs that read "We want to eat."

Obama had made up his mind; this time, either he would destroy Transsion, or he would step down, so there was no room for negotiation on this matter.

And he was caught in the middle, stuck between a rock and a hard place!

"Mr. President, must this document be signed at this time? The pressure from the agricultural states is immense."

Obama's attention finally drifted away from the document, shifting in another direction.

It wasn't just the agricultural states that were under pressure; he was too!

Following the monopolization of the agricultural sector, the United States technology sector had triggered another market circuit breaker, and he had effectively become the United States' number one president.

Two terms, two circuit breakers—he could certainly be called the number one president, and barring any surprises, no future president would be able to surpass his "glorious achievements."

The image he had cultivated for so long collapsed completely at this moment.

"Bryson, Transsion Auto involves national security. They have installed communication modules in their cars that could potentially steal user data."

Although this reason was a bit far-fetched, it could at least shut the mouths of Congress. It could also further check Transsion, forcing them to abandon their overseas car business, especially the 'scalping' behavior targeting the United States market."

Bryson signed the document!

After all, quite a few transsion s7 electric vehicles had indeed appeared in the United States recently. According to registration numbers, there were at least 10,000 S7s in the United States, and the number was growing exponentially.

These cars, brought in through unofficial channels, were known for their top-tier service. As long as you had the ability to order a car, they could solve all your usage problems, even easily handling the power infrastructure needed for 280-volt fast charging.

The next day, the US Department of Commerce issued an announcement declaring that sanctions against Transsion would be increased, this time including Transsion Auto. The reason given was: "The communication modules in Transsion Auto vehicles may pose a threat to United States national security."

During the investigation, Transsion was prohibited from selling in the United States, including through official channels and any unofficial channels they supported.

When the news reached China, many people rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Transsion Auto was banned by the United States? But wasn't it only sold domestically?

Consequently, many digital bloggers revealed the final answer: smuggling—smuggling for all sorts of reasons!

After all, the starting price for a transsion s7 in China was 399,000, while the starting price abroad was 600,000—in US dollars, no less—and with the corresponding service measures and after-sales support, the final cost was at least 1 million...

The massive profits led many to join in, which also had a certain impact on the United States' new energy market.

After reading the full story, onlookers couldn't help but complain about the United States.

"It's national security again. They used national security for Transsion's phones, and now for their cars. If Transsion releases a rice cooker in the future, will they use national security for that too?"

"The United States can't find a real reason, so they're just making it up!"

"But this car shipping business is truly incredibly profitable; one car is worth 20 in China."

Seeing the news trending, Shen Fei also reposted it: "If you are determined to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. Transsion Auto never intended to sell in the United States; those sales were unintentional, and the relevant services were not provided by us."

The comment section was full of cheers. But Shen Fei knew this was not a good sign. The United States couldn't touch Transsion's mobile phone business, so they started targeting cars.

If they investigate cars today, will they investigate batteries tomorrow? And photovoltaics the day after? After all, these two businesses actually export to the United States, and the annual export volume is quite significant, around 8 billion US dollars.

They held 32% and 28% market share in the photovoltaic and energy markets respectively, ranking first in their respective segments. Precisely because of this, the United States chose to start testing with cars. But Shen Fei never fought a battle unprepared.

On May 20, 2013, the sales curve for Reliance Jio had been climbing for the past three months, while the curve for the xiaomi note had been falling. The two lines crossed on May 15 and never diverged again.

Anil's methods were simple, yet ruthless enough. In Reliance stores, he gave all the most prominent spots to Reliance Jio.

The first thing you saw when entering the store was the Reliance Jio GG and its corresponding plans; the demo tables displayed their models, and the first thing the sales staff recommended was Reliance Jio.

The xiaomi note was moved to a corner. Although it was easy to find, the sales staff wouldn't recommend it unless the consumer specifically asked. Even if they did ask, the staff would recommend the cheaper Reliance Jio instead.

The only downside was that this phone did not yet have an iterative model. Meanwhile, Dami Company had released several phones during this period, including the xiaomi note 2, Redmi 2, and R1, and had signed contracts with many distributors.

As for production, the new series was entirely manufactured in China, with the Indian factory only retaining the production of the first-generation Redmi and xiaomi note, which only accounted for a small portion.

By the third week of May, the data was out. Reliance Jio's weekly sales were 220,000 units, while the xiaomi note only had 50,000. The configurations of the two phones were almost identical, but due to channel advantages, their sales figures were worlds apart.

Lei Jun was not angry about the sales; after all, this was just an old model. What he was angry about were the employees of Reliance Group!

"Mr. Lei, Reliance isn't even pretending anymore. Their store managers are telling customers directly that the xiaomi note is a Chinese phone, while Reliance Jio is an Indian phone. Naturally, Indians should choose an Indian brand."

Lin Bin's lips were puffed up in anger at this moment, looking just like a little pufferfish.

"By the way, what is the utilization rate of the joint venture factory now?"

Speaking of this topic, Lin Bin became even more worried. He had been running to the factory quite often lately, but it was full of incompetent staff. Even though Dami Company had transferred management personnel from China, these Indians still wouldn't listen...

As for the wage deduction method that worked so well in China, it was completely useless here. Because while those Indians didn't say anything on the surface, they would cause trouble behind your back. After all, they had Anil backing them.

"It's down to less than forty percent now, and most of it is OEM work for Reliance Jio. They have completely treated that place as their own home."

Lin Bin sighed again and then whispered: "However, I also found out one more thing..."