Antonino Macri pellizzeri, Italian, Former Technip Executive.
Since Mr. Antonino came to China in 1979, he has carried out in-depth and extensive cooperation with large petrochemical enterprises in China. He and HQC have jointly developed overseas markets in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, etc., successively participated in a series of major projects such as Cuban oil refining, Iraqi NGL, Mozambique LNG liquefaction, and established profound friendship with HQC.
Over the past 40 years, he has witnessed the diligence and efforts of the Chinese people, the rapid development of China's petrochemical industry, the rapid development since China's reform and opening up, and the efforts made in the process of achieving great rejuvenation. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the people's Republic of China, Mr. Antonino sincerely wishes China prosperous and glorious in the future, and writes this article to record his little stories with China in the past 40 years!
「Hi, Nino, quick, rush downstairs, there is a phone call for you fromItaly」. Someone was knocking furiously to my door while I was taking a shower, after an endless trip fromItalyto Zhou Kou Dian, a remote town three hours outside Beijing (at that time). I quickly put on some cloth and run in the corridor and downstairs to the ground floor in the dim light of a few lamps hanging from the ceiling. My colleagues who were living in that place since some days, were waiting for me laughing like devils.
「Where is the phone」 I asked and they continued to laugh. After a while someone answered 「Hai, where do you think to be? At the Ritz hotel in Paris?」 I was still astonished and impatient but the explanation was very simple. There was no telephone in that guesthouse (and in that town), at least in the normal way of thinking inItaly. The only way to communicate was through a small wooden box, with a wheel on the right side and a micro on top. If you were lucky, after a very long procedure (from six to 12 hours) you had the possibility to talk a few minutes with the office inItaly.
I owe you an explanation. It was the year 1979 and I was in the guesthouse of Yan Shan Petrochemical General Corporation, as a member of a delegation in charge of negotiating a huge project in the plastic domain. My boss assigned me theoretically for 15 days but, after three months, the chief engineer of that company told my CEO 「I like this young guy, he understands Chinese people; please involve him in all the future deals of your company in China」.
No possibility to object, and my life suddenly changed……From that moment on, up to now (forty years), I spent more or less six months per year in that part of the World. It has been a hard life for me and mostly for my family, but let me say that it has been a unique experience that very few people can claim. I witnessedChinaresurrection after the century of the humiliations, up to the present leading position in the worldwide economy.
I have been lucky because I knew an old man (about 80 years old in 1979), born in a rich family in Shang Hai, with a deep knowledge of the western and Chinese culture, who lived through all that period. We used to seat down in front of the door of the guesthouse. He, looking the sky and smoking his cigarette, 「explained me China」. Unbelievably he has been able to predict the future.
I want to report here only a few sentences: 1) 「We need two generations before competing in the Olympic games. The first generation has to eat properly, the second will compete and win」; 2)「Do you understand, in your rich Country, what does it mean growing a new Italy each year, and being obliged to feed them?」 he was referring to the dramatic increase of the population; and finally 3)「I see clearly the future of China, because the present already happened in the past.Chinawill become again great and will not forget the main principles of its culture, if it will be able to survive in this crisis period, without collapsing from inside and so putting an end to a great civilization. We may suicide but nobody will destroy us from outside. I will not see its resurrection, but you are young and will remember my words.」
Unbelievable! That great man was able to predict the last 50 years of Chinese and worldwide history. If I loveChinaand Chinese culture, while keeping the pillars of my own roots, it is mostly due to that great man.
After several months of life in Zhou Kou Dian, my boss told me 「Now I give you a new assignment: move to Beijing in Huang Qiu offices」. 「To do what?」 I asked because I hoped to come back home 「Very simple, go there and love each other!」 Very simple! And, in fact, after 40 years, I am still here, In HQC office, writing this note as a small heritage to my Chinese young colleagues.
I don’t want to talk about the events of these years, and about the tremendous economic development that everybody can see. On the contrary, I want to briefly talk how a Chinese design Institute (HQC but as an example of any other one) started from almost zero, up to arrive to compete in the international arena. Again, I will do it simply by mentioning a few flashes comparing the 「old」 and the 「new」 World.
In the Eighties any company willing to work in China had to provide upfront an export credit, possibly offering conditions better than the 「consensus」, ideally with a portion as a 「grant」. Thirty years later, my Italian company was invited to tender for a huge project inCuba(several billion Dollars), obviously financed. No way to get any financing from any Country in Europe or In America or inJapan. What to do? I phoned to my friends in HQC and proposed to work together, in case they were able to finance. After a few days I got the answer 「It is possible, but we must be the leaders」. We found a solution, won the international competition and finally signed the contract. It was not a unique case; the same happened also elsewhere in Latin America and in Central Asia. Exactly the opposite as before.
Let’s jump from the economy to the technical aspects.
Forty years ago the Western Contractor had to perform the first phase of engineering (more or less the today 30% progress) at Home, then go to the local contractor for the so called 「technical exchange meeting」. This convention usually lasted more than one month of continuous meetings where we had to clarify every small detail and every 「curiosity」 of our partners. In fact each meeting was attended on Chinese side by 40 people minimum; they were talking each other in Chinese, then the leader summarized the question in Chinese as well, and the interpreter finally translated in English. I still remember when, in a meeting on piping, we showed a sort of plastic ruler which allowed the engineer to calculate immediately the size of the flanges, the dimensions of valves, the space required on the pipe rack etc. They had been so much interested that asked us to dispatch toChinaa full box of such rulers.
(Antonino and his family in HQC)
The reason of all the above was obvious: the main purpose of such convention was to organize a sort of engineering class, to introduce young engineers to the practical engineering work. What about today? It is amazing. I am supporting my HQC friends to negotiate a contract as main contractor with the N」 1 Oil company in the world to perform the basic design, the engineering and the lump sum realization of a huge petrochemical complex. It looks impossible: only very few international contractors in the World are qualified to do it… and Chinese contractors have been able to reach this level in forty years!
As far as regards procurement, forty years ago, in my first contract, Client asked us, as parallel order, to supply a huge quantity of 「sandwich panels」 to build the walls and the roofs of the plant sheds. In fact it was impossible to provide inChinathat sort of high quality prefabricated panels. About ten years ago, in a contract that my Italian company signed, jointly with HQC, with an international oil company, we purchased in China a huge titanium reactor, and for another huge project in Saudi Arabia with the National Oil company we supplied all the piping from China. Also in this case after not so long time the most sophisticated Clients are ready to accept a lot of items 「made inChina」. This word is no more synonymous of 「low cost, low quality」.
(Colleague celebrate Antonino's birthday)
In the past 40 years, I have established deep friendship and cooperation with HQC in the process of jointly developing overseas markets in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. I have been lucky to witness the diligence and bravery of the Chinese people, the rapid development of petrochemical industry, together with the advancement of the country since China's reform and opening from year 1978， particularly the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed over six years ago, more and more friends and partners have joined in. I have seen high quality cooperation promoted in various fields, specifically for the petroleum industry, making a fresh contribution to building a community with a shared future for mankind. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic ofChina, I sincerely wish China prosperous and glorious future.
Best wishes!
Script: Antonino Reporter: Wang Li
Editor: Deng Yingjun Review : Wang Yusheng