Beiyang reactionaries

However, compared with China's large ore output, the metallurgical plants currently owned by China simply cannot meet the needs.The result is that the vast amount of ore extracted by the Chinese mining industry can only be exported in the state of ore.The price of ore in such a primitive state is much lower than that of processed ones.There is a huge difference in price between raw materials and processed products.

Such as tin ore.

The prices of processed tin, semi-processed tin, and raw tin ore are completely different.Gejiu Tin Mine is currently the largest tin mining group in China. If it is to export tin ore, the price of a ton is only a few hundred yuan.Semi-processed tin is worth about 1200 yuan per ton, which is the price China sold to Hong Kong or Vietnam before.However, if it is fully processed tin, the price will double immediately, and the price will reach more than 2000 yuan.

In the past, China, that is, in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, China exported tin ore, either directly exported raw tin ore, or exported semi-processed tin.Tin ore is semi-processed tin, or it goes to Hong Kong for processing and then exports to London.Either use the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway to enter Vietnam, process it in Vietnam, and then transport it to Europe.Because most of the tin in China was semi-processed in the past, a lot of profits were obtained by British businessmen in Hong Kong or French businessmen in Vietnam.

In order to change this situation, China has imported a large amount of tin processing machinery and equipment.Completely processed in China, the pure quantity can meet the needs of Europe, and then directly choose to export to Europe.So a lot of profits stay in China.

But not fully covered.

The reason why we attach importance to tin mines is because tin mines make money. China's annual tin mining industry is worth about 6000 to 100 million.However, the metals produced by some metallurgical industries are not very useful, and the annual output value is only a few million, or even around [-] million.Such an industry cannot bring in large profits.So this kind of industry can only wait for a while.

But manganese is a very important thing.

This is indispensable for the iron and steel industry, so China pays more attention to the manganese industry.Moreover, manganese is also something that China exports more.In many industrial countries in Europe, the manganese needed by the steel industry will be imported from China.

Fan Xudong announced the data, but compared with the previously announced coal production, other metals are not much of a sensation.Even some journalists don't know the function of metals such as tin ore and manganese ore.They don't care about the data of these minerals.Everyone is waiting for a piece of data, that is China's steel production.What are the current industrial countries in the world mainly looking at?

Coal production, steel production, oil production, and then electricity generation.

Because these are hard data.It is also the data that can most directly show the industrial strength of a country.So the reporters are waiting for Fan Xudong to announce the steel output.

Fan Xudong continued: "In 1933, my country's pig iron output was 1270 million tons and crude steel output was 1440 million tons."

"Wow—"

Fan Xudong's statistics are not finished yet.

After all, it is the iron and steel industry, and there are many things to be said in it.But just after reading the first few numbers, everyone was dumbfounded.Even many people in the press booth below were already whispering.

Because this data is really amazing.

Last year, when the Soviet Union announced the completion of the first five-year plan and announced that their crude steel output was more than 600 million tons, many journalists in Europe and the United States were greatly surprised.Originally, in the Soviet Union in 1913, the output of crude steel reached 400 million tons. At that time, the steel industry was already very powerful.But then World War I broke out, and Russia suffered heavy losses.Then there was a revolution in Russia, and then another five or six years of civil war.The real end of the Soviet Civil War will not be until 1923 or 1924.

Such a long war has almost smashed the Soviet Union's industry to pieces.At the end of the war, Soviet industrial output was one-tenth what it was in 1913.

Amid such ruins, the Soviet Union began to build again.In just ten years, the Soviet Union announced that their crude steel production had reached 600 million tons, which has surprised many people.

But what did Fan Xudong say just now?

China's crude steel output in 1933 was 1440 million tons?What does it mean.What is steel, steel is industry.Steel is the foundation of industry.

Where will the 1440 million tons of steel be used?

If China's crude steel output is really so high, China's industrial strength will have to be re-examined.

"kindness."

Fan Xudong calmed everyone down, and then continued: "The Ministry of Industry calculated that the crude steel output in 1934 would exceed 1500 million tons. During the five years of the Second Five-Year Plan, my country's crude steel output increased by 820 million tons. In this way, our country has surpassed Britain, France, and Germany are second only to the United States in terms of crude steel output."

"Minister Fan, Minister Fan."

"Prime Minister Yan."

As soon as Fan Xudong finished speaking, many people raised their hands, hoping to ask questions.Yan Huiqing nodded to Chen Bulei, and Chen Bulei immediately nodded to the reporter sitting in front.

"I'm Wharton Wood, a reporter from The Times, and I'd like to ask Minister Fan."

There are many British journalists here today.Among foreign journalists, British journalists are the most.Although Britain's strength in the Far East has been fading, the British don't think so.Just look at these journalists in the UK.So many people have come here, and they care so much about China, which is thousands of miles away.Wharton Wood, who stood up, was in his thirties, gentle, behaved like a gentleman, and spoke Chinese very well.

Fan Xudong nodded.

Wharton immediately said: "Minister Fan, your country's steel output has shown such a strange growth rate, an increase of 800 million tons in five years, which is unheard of in the world. Could you please introduce it more carefully? , to clear up everyone’s doubts.”

"it is good."

Fan Xudong is a scholar style.

Wharton asked a very gentlemanly question, and Fan Xudong also responded very gentlemanly: "Mr. Wood, first of all, I want to say that you are wrong in one sentence. Although China's steel production is growing at a rapid rate, it is not alone. It’s not a weird growth rate. Because the American Republic on the Pacific side has created a faster growth rate than our country in many aspects. Including railway mileage, steel production, oil production, and even power generation, they have created Amazing growth rate. Compared with the United States, China has a larger land area and a larger population. Such a growth rate should be normal. Therefore, China's steel industry has not shown any weird growth rate. On the contrary, China This is a very normal growth rate for such a large country."

Although his voice was not high, what Fan Xudong said was decisive.

This time the cabinet decided to publish most of the data of the second five-year plan, which was originally intended to be used to deter countries around the world.Tell the world powers that China is no longer the country that was arbitrarily bullied by the powers back then.China's industrial output has grown to the point where all the big powers are paying attention.

So Fan Xudong's words are also very tough.

Steel production seems to have increased a lot, but for a country like China, this is really normal.China is too big, has too many people, and the government's fiscal revenue is staggering.In the world, the growth of China's fiscal revenue is absolutely unmatched by other powers.This kind of big country advantage is beyond the imagination of some small countries.

"Let me introduce the situation of my country's steel industry in detail. At present, the steel plant with the highest crude steel output in my country is Benxi Iron and Steel Plant, with an annual output of 170 million tons. This steel plant is the United States Steel Corporation, Fengtian Provincial Government, Benxi Coal Mine Plant It is a joint venture, and all the machinery and equipment are imported from the United States. The management and technology of the steel plant are all in charge of the US Steel Corporation. Because the US Steel Corporation occupies 57% of the shares of Benxi Iron and Steel Plant, this factory also It can be said to be the Chinese branch of the U.S. Steel Corporation.”

"U.S. Steel not only opened a branch factory in my country, but also personally helped my country build Anshan Iron and Steel Plant, Shenyang Iron and Steel Plant, and Tangshan Iron and Steel Plant. The annual output of Shenyang Iron and Steel Plant is 117 million tons, and the annual output of Tangshan Iron and Steel Plant is 124 million tons, and the annual output of Anshan Iron and Steel Plant is 73 tons. These are the three steel plants cooperated by my country and U.S. Steel Corporation. The crude steel output of these four steel plants in 1933 was 500 million tons.”

U.S. Steel has many cooperation projects with China.

China's steel industry can have the current achievements, the credit of the United States Steel Corporation is very large.Without the support of U.S. Steel Corporation, the scale of steel production in the Shenyang Industrial Zone could not have expanded so fast.Of course, in the process, U.S. Steel also gained huge benefits.The machinery and equipment of these steel plants are all imported directly from the United States.The establishment of the steel plant was all designed by the U.S. Steel Company and then imported with help.The profits here are staggering.Because a large-scale steel plant with a designed output of one million tons has invested more than one billion, hundreds of millions of dollars.

"In addition to these steel plants, we also have Hanyang Iron Works, which was once the largest steel plant in Asia. After 40 years of development, Hanyang Iron Works produced 1933 million tons of crude steel in 112. When the Prime Minister was the governor of Sichuan, The Sichuan Iron and Steel Plant built in Chongqing produced 1933 million tons of crude steel in 126."

"In addition to these steel plants, we have also built Shanghai Iron and Steel Plant, Ma'anshan Iron and Steel Plant, Handan Iron and Steel Plant, Baotou Iron and Steel Plant, Jilin Iron and Steel Plant, Taiyuan Iron and Steel Plant, Fushun Iron and Steel Plant, and Luzhou Iron and Steel Plant. 40 tons of state-level steel plants. In 1933, the crude steel output of these nine state-level steel plants was 436 million tons.”

"And there are a large number of provincial-level steel plants in our country. For example, there are steel plants built by provincial governments in Benxi, Anshan, Tangshan, Handan, Baotou, Shanghai, and Chongqing. There are 21 provincial-level steel plants in the country. In addition to provincial-level steel plants In addition to factories, my country also has 7 iron and steel factories invested by private capital approved by the Ministry of Industry."

Fan Xudong is like every treasure.

Tell the following reporter the details of the Chinese steel plant.China's large steel plants are all invested by the central government.However, there are still many steel plants in China that are provincial-level steel plants, which are invested and constructed by some provinces.Especially some important steel cities, such as Shenyang Industrial Zone, Tangshan, Chongqing, and Wuhan have many provincial-level steel factories.In addition to these, there are 7 small iron and steel factories in China, all of which are invested by private capital.In fact, the output of such small iron and steel factories is too small. The annual output of each is only one or two thousand tons, and the more is four or five thousand tons, which are not included in the statistics.But Fan Xudong still spoke out.

"Some of these steel plants have not been built for a long time, and the output is much lower than the designed output. When these steel plants gradually reach the designed output, my country's crude steel output can continue to increase."

"Mr. Wood, my country's announced steel output is not mixed with any false reports. Last year, my country's iron ore output was 7200 million tons, and 1000 million tons of iron ore were exported to Japan."

In fact, China's iron ore production is more than that.

At present, Chinese companies are also mining iron ore in North Korea. The annual iron ore output of Musan Iron Mine alone is more than 600 million tons.

"Oil production will be announced next."

"Oil production will be announced next."

After Fan Xudong briefly explained the data of steel production, he did not explain further.Because both Yan Huiqing and Fan Xudong understood that the meaning of the British journalists was very simple. They did not believe that China's coal and steel production could be so high.

In this case, Fan Xudong would not explain too much to him, but continued: "In the second five-year plan, our country strengthened the development of Yumen Oilfield and Yanchang Oilfield, and built two large oil bases at the same time. One is Heilongjiang Daqing Oilfield, one is Xinjiang Karamay Oilfield. In 1933, the annual output of Daqing Oilfield exceeded 1053 million tons for the first time, which was 210 million tons. The annual output of Karamay Oilfield was 117 million tons, and the annual output of Yumen Oilfield was 55 million tons , the annual output of Yanchang Oilfield is 26 tons, and artificial oil is 1933 tons. In 1461, China's oil output was 1800 million tons. This year, China's oil production will still increase very high. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Industry, China's oil production this year Production will reach [-] million tons."

Fan Xudong was very excited when he spoke.

Because China's oil industry started late, but the speed of development is amazing. 20 years ago, China's oil production was only a few hundred tons, which meant that the Yanchang Oilfield had some oil.These oils could not even meet the needs of China's oil lamps, so domestic petroleum products, including inks, had to be imported at that time.Not to mention gasoline, even ten years ago, China imported a large amount of gasoline and aviation oil every year.

However, in the past 20 years, China's oil production has already reached 1800 million tons.What is this concept? China has become the third largest oil producer in the world after the United States and the Soviet Union.