Depth report

　　

The very confident and outspoken Japanese tycoon Sun Zhengyi, the founder of SoftBank, has always been known for his extraordinary ambition. He once competed with the largest telecommunications company in the United States and created a US$100 billion technology trading fund. Now, he has made another major commitment-to invest 50 billion US dollars in the United States, which he said will create about 50,000 jobs. At the same time, Apple supplier Foxconn is also considering investing in the United States.

SoftBank plans to invest $50 billion in the U.S. to create 50,000 new jobs

　　The New York Times website published "Hand in hand with Foxconn? According to the report that SoftBank pledged to invest US$50 billion in the United States, this US$50 billion investment pledge is not a new move by SoftBank. In fact, the plan for this money comes from the Vision Fund previously announced by SoftBank, which has $100 billion in funds to invest in technology companies around the world. The fund has always intended to focus on investment in the United States. Sun Zhengyi said that the new jobs will come from their investment in American start-ups.

　　 It is reported that Sun Zhengyi's visit to Trump Tower in Manhattan is the latest show of favor by global business leaders to Trump. Some people believe that Trump is more beneficial to corporate interests. Earlier, the Trump transition team announced the formation of a business advisory group, led by Schwarzman, CEO of the private equity investment giant Blackstone Group, and held monthly discussions with the White House during Trump's tenure. There are no big names in the technology industry in the advisory group, and Sun Zhengyi may be the most famous technology executive who has met Trump so far.

　　 Although SoftBank is headquartered in Japan, it has deep roots in the United States. It owns a majority stake in the wireless operator Sprint. Sprint tried to acquire T-Mobile two years ago but failed. The Obama administration blocked the acquisition on the grounds of antitrust. .

　　 "I just came to celebrate his new job," 59-year-old Sun Zhengyi told reporters. "I said, ‘This is great, and America will be great again.’"

　　 It is reported that Sun Zhengyi, who was educated in the United States, is very used to such exaggerated statements. He has become one of Japan's largest wealthy men through commercial transactions, some of which are bold. Like Trump, Sun Zhengyi sometimes acted improperly. He threatened to set himself on fire in the office of the Japanese telecommunications regulator at least once.

　　 According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Son Zhengyi has seized an advantage in Trump's IT (information technology) policy. This move is considered to be a preparation for a new challenge, but the prospects are not clear.

　　 "We will actively invest in the United States again," said Sun Zhengyi, who wears a red tie that represents the Republican Party like Trump. Trump also called Sun Zhengyi by the nickname "masa", emphasizing that although they met for the first time, the two are like entrepreneurs.

　　 reported that the reason for saying "again" can also be understood as expressing the desire to challenge the acquisition of T-Mobile again. In order to avoid the same failure under the Trump regime, Sun Zhengyi first seized the advantage through "50 billion US dollars" investment. This plan is very clever. Although the details of $50 billion are not disclosed, it is estimated that Sprint's equipment investment will account for about half. In addition, investment in start-ups will be completed through an investment fund jointly established by SoftBank and Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund. Son Zhengyi formulated a plan that almost does not need to pay out of his pocket, and entered Trump.

　　 In addition, Sun Zhengyi's planning materials to Trump also mentioned the partner Taiwan Hon Hai Precision Industry, and Hon Hai’s investment is likely to be included. Hon Hai stated that it is making initial judgments on investment opportunities in the United States, and will publish detailed plans after direct consultations with relevant agencies based on reciprocal conditions.

　　 It is reported that not only Trump, but also in order to expand business, Son Zhengyi held talks with heads of state. However, Trump first opposed the "Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement" (TPP) in his economic policy and attacked the "Free Trade Agreement" (FTA), etc., with a strong sense of "inward tilt". In the field of communications, which is directly related to security, it is not clear whether Japanese companies will be ignoring the threat of the two powers in the United States.

Foxconn is also considering investing in the U.S.

　　 The US "New York Times" website reported that when meeting reporters with Trump, Sun Zhengyi seemed to have carried out the content of the presentation at the meeting, with the logos of SoftBank and Foxconn on the page. Foxconn is a Taiwanese manufacturing giant that assembles iPhones for Apple. The page marked with a circle on the promise of investing $50 billion in the United States and creating 50,000 job opportunities in the next four years.

　　 Foxconn said in a statement that it is conducting preliminary discussions on a potential expansion plan in the United States, but its scale is still inconclusive. Foxconn has said in the past that it will expand its limited business in the United States.

Any investment made by Foxconn in the United States is unlikely to mean that a large number of jobs will return to the United States. The company has been investing funds in the field of automation. It has previously stated that it will invest in a factory to build robots in Pennsylvania. This shows that the United States is new. The positions may be relatively high-end and limited in number.

　　 Foxconn has about 1 million workers in China, but many positions have low skill requirements. As the overall wage level in China rises, Foxconn’s wage level is not very attractive to Chinese workers. Retaining enough employees to meet production needs can be a challenge.

　　 Taiwanese telecommunications giant Foxconn has confirmed that it is conducting "preliminary consultations" with the United States on expanding investment and production in the United States. Foxconn said in the statement that the relevant details will be announced after the consultation with the US government is completed. According to the report, Foxconn's investment trends in the United States are considered to cater to the new economic policies of the incoming US Trump administration.

Box: Commitment to investing in the US takes the first step! SoftBank invests $1 billion in satellite companies

 According to Reuters, Japan's SoftBank (9984.T) has agreed to invest US$1 billion in the US satellite startup OneWeb Ltd, becoming the first of the US$50 billion investment pledge made by SoftBank President Son Masayoshi to the US President-elect Trump. pen.　The remaining 200 million US dollars will be provided by existing investors, including Qualcomm (QCOM.O), Airbus (AIR.PA), and Virgin Group. This preparation was completed in the first quarter of 2017. This latest investment will come directly from SoftBank, not from the US$100 billion technology fund jointly launched by SoftBank and Saudi Arabia, although Sun Zhengyi has stated that large-scale investments will be made through the technology fund to avoid continued expansion of SoftBank's debt.