296: Chapter 296 Star Payment System

Beijing time is twelve hours ahead of Washington.

When the White House announced the sanctions, it was already late at night in Shenzhen.

However, Xingchen Headquarters was brightly lit.

In the 300-square-meter hall of the conference center, it was filled with computer screens, projection equipment, and encrypted communication terminals. Eight giant screens hung on the wall, scrolling global news, exchange rate data, and stock fluctuations.

More than fifty core employees were working intensely.

Lin Wan stood in front of the main console, her voice calm and clear: "On the US stock market side, XTECH has fallen by 22%. In three minutes, the Middle East sovereign wealth funds and the Russian central bank will enter the market simultaneously to provide support. The stock price is currently stable at $46.2, a decline of 11.7%."

She paused: "On the European stock market side, companies with business dealings with us have fallen by about 4% on average. However, the ruble has appreciated by 1.8% against the US dollar, and the offshore rmb has appreciated by 0.9%."

Su Chen sat in the chair behind the main console, holding a cup of warm water.

He was wearing a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, his expression as calm as if he were listening to the weather forecast.

"They moved very quickly," he said.

Gu Xinghe stood nearby: "With our US dollar assets frozen, how much have we lost?"

CFO Shen Nanpeng pulled up the data and replied: "A loss of $1.2 billion."

Shen Nanpeng added: "It accounts for 0.8% of total assets and 1.5% of annual revenue. For the past three years, we have been 'de-dollarizing'—overseas profits are invested directly locally and not repatriated to the United States. Cross-border settlements are conducted in rmb, euros, and gold. We only keep minimum operating funds in the United States."

Gao Mingxuan laughed, his laughter sounding particularly abrupt in the tense atmosphere:

"That's it?"

"That's it," Shen Nanpeng also laughed. "Hawke thought he had grabbed our throat, but he actually only grabbed the coat we had already taken off."

Li Wanqing asked: "What about the clients in the twenty-three countries? Will they waver?"

Su Chen spoke: "We'll have the answer soon."

He signaled to Lin Wan: "Connect."

7:30 PM, global conference call.

The big screen switched to split-screen mode.

Fourteen windows lit up simultaneously.

Moscow: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Borisov, in a crisp suit, with the Kremlin office in the background.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir, wearing a white shirt, sitting on the sofa in the Prime Minister's Office.

Tehran: Iranian Secretary of Defense Jafari, with the Revolutionary Guard's war room in the background, and a portrait of the Supreme Leader hanging on the wall.

Riyadh: Saudi Prince Fahd, wearing a white robe, with a luxurious reception hall in a desert palace in the background.

Astana: Kazakhstan Presidential Advisor Nurgaliyev, with a simple background.

Minsk: Belarusian Minister of Industry Parkhomchik, who was smoking.

And Caracas, Havana, Belgrade, Islamabad, Dhaka, Yangon, Baghdad, Damascus.

Fourteen countries, covering the heart of the Eurasian continent, with a population of over one billion.

Su Chen opened the meeting, his voice steady: "As you all have seen, the United States has implemented comprehensive sanctions against Xingchen."

Mahathir was the first to speak, the old man's voice still resonant: "Mr. Su, Malaysia will not yield to sanctions. Our agreements with Xingchen will be executed as usual."

He paused, a sharp light flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Moreover, Malaysia is willing to join any settlement system that replaces SWIFT. We have been kidnapped by the Western financial system for too long. It is time to break free."

Jafari in Tehran slammed the table directly: "Iran has been sanctioned by the United States for forty years. What difference does one more Xingchen sanction make?"

He stood up, and in the background, officers of the Revolutionary Guard could be seen applauding:

"We are willing to use rmb, gold, and oil to pay for all of Xingchen's orders. We can make the payment today!"

Prince Fahd smiled and elegantly picked up his teacup: "Saudi Arabia has just received the first batch of sabertooth hx-30 tanks. The results are very good. My generals say they are better than the M1A2 and cost only half as much."

He put down the teacup: "We are prepared to pay for the second batch of orders in rmb. US dollars? The United States can use US dollars to sanction others, but it cannot use US dollars to sanction us—because we have oil."

Borisov spoke last, his voice steady and powerful: "Mr. Su, the President asked me to tell you: Russia is ready to take over all Xingchen business affected by US sanctions. Land, resources, markets, you can take your pick."

He paused: "We will weather the winds and snows of Siberia together."

Su Chen smiled.

He stood up and walked to the camera:

"Thank you, everyone. Then, I announce—"

He signaled Lin Wan to open a document: "The StarPay System will officially go online tomorrow morning."

Then the meeting ended, and all 14 screens went dark.

This was not a press conference in the traditional sense.

There were no camera flashes, no microphones, no live broadcasts.

There was only an open letter to global banks and companies, published on the Xingchen Technology official website and simultaneously sent to all partners through diplomatic channels.

Lin Wan stood in front of the big screen, reading out word by word:

"StarPay White Paper"

System Name: StarPay

Technical Foundation: Consortium blockchain, nodes distributed in 23 countries globally

Settlement Currencies: rmb, euro, ruble, Saudi riyal, UAE dirham, Malaysian ringgit, Iranian rial (oil-denominated), gold (gram)

Settlement Speed: Real-time arrival (within 3 seconds)

Transaction Fee Rate: 0.1% (SWIFT average 0.3%)

Regulatory Framework: Joint supervision by multiple central banks, data stored locally, without passing through third-party servers

First Batch of Participating Countries:

The big screen scrolled:

Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Serbia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar.

Twenty-three countries.

Lin Wan added:

"These twenty-three countries cover the heart of the Eurasian continent, with a population of over 1.5 billion and a combined GDP of about $4 trillion. They announced today that they are joining the StarPay System."

Su Chen stood in front of the big screen, watching those twenty-three names slowly scroll by.

He said softly:

"Hawke thought sanctions could scare everyone. But he forgot one thing—in this world, besides the United States, there are two hundred and thirty other countries and regions. They also want to develop, they also want modernization, and they also want their own chips, their own AI, and their own industrial systems."

"We have given them a second choice."

Hawke saw the news about StarPay in his office.

On his tablet, the list of those twenty-three countries was scrolling.

He froze for three seconds.

Then he slammed his fist on the table—with a thud, the coffee cup jumped up and spilled over the desk.

"How dare they!"

The assistant stood nearby, not daring to speak.

Hawke stood up and paced back and forth in the office.

"Twenty-three countries? Do they know what they are doing? This is a direct challenge to the US financial system! This is an act of war!"

The assistant said cautiously: "Sir, there is worse news."

"Speak."

"The five countries of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands have just issued a joint statement."

Hawke stopped walking and took the tablet from the assistant.

"Joint Statement of Five European Countries on Technological Cooperation with China"

"The Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Italian Republic, the Kingdom of Spain, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands reaffirm their support for the principle of European strategic autonomy.

We have noted the United States' decision to sanction Xingchen Technology. We respect the United States' policy choices, but we emphasize: the commercial decisions of European companies should not be subject to the jurisdiction of third-country laws.

The German Minister of Economic Affairs, the French Secretary of the Treasury, the Italian Minister of Industry, the Spanish Minister of Trade, and the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs have jointly written to the European Commission, requesting a suspension of the freeze on cooperation negotiations with Xingchen.

Europe needs Xingchen's technology. Europe does not need to be kidnapped by its allies."

After reading, Hawke's face turned ashen.

"The European Union has split," he muttered.

The assistant nodded: "Yes. The five countries openly oppose the position of the European Commission. If the European Union forces sanctions, these five countries may cooperate with Xingchen individually."

Hawke walked to the window.

Outside the window, the Washington Monument was glowing white in the night.

He was silent for a long time, then said: "Notify the President. Tomorrow morning, convene an emergency meeting of the National Security Council."

"Topic?"

"How to deal with the failure of sanctions."

At 10 PM, Lin Wan brought the latest news:

"The cracks within the European Union are widening. The German Minister of Economic Affairs just publicly stated that if US sanctions threaten European companies, Germany will consider reciprocal countermeasures."

Su Chen asked: "What about France?"

"The French President posted on Twitter: 'European strategic autonomy includes the freedom to choose technology partners.'"

Gu Xinghe laughed: "They've finally started speaking human language."

Li Wanqing pulled up another piece of news:

"The CEO of Siemens Healthineers just accepted an interview and said, 'Xingchen's Zhulong AI system is the only alternative to Nvidia globally. If we lose Xingchen due to sanctions, Europe will fall behind by ten years in the AI era.'"

Su Chen nodded: "Commercial interests speak for themselves. When sanctions hurt their own companies, politicians will waver."

He stood up and walked to the window.

The lights of Shenzhen Bay stretched to the horizon. Further away, there was the South China Sea, the Malacca Strait, and every shipping lane leading to the world.

"Hawke thought sanctions could strangle us," he said, "but he forgot that Xingchen is no longer the company that relied on the European and American markets three years ago."

He turned around:

"We have one hundred and fifty countries willing to cooperate, we have the most complete industrial chain in the world, and we have self-developed chips, systems, and equipment. The US market only accounts for 3% of our revenue. Most of that comes from smuggling channels."

"They are sanctioning themselves."