official career

Chapter 2982 No Borrowing Money

"But Secretary Jiang, if we had that much money in our finances, that would be fine. But the problem is that we simply don't have that much money. These plans are just patching things up and robbing Peter to pay Paul. If we really follow the original plan and invest 1 billion yuan in Nanshan New Area, where will the 1 billion yuan funding gap come from?" Qin Feng asked.

“Mayor, you shouldn’t be asking me this question. You are the mayor; how to solve this money problem is your responsibility, your government’s job,” Jiang Longjun said.

“Secretary Jiang, you’re asking for the horse to run but not wanting to feed it. The Shazhou’s fiscal resources are limited. Basic livelihoods, social stability, and future development investments all require money. Everyone is scrambling for a piece of the pie, but the pie is only so big and can only hold so much.”

"The Standing Committee's resolution only considers how much food to give each family to ensure that each family is full, but does not consider how big the total plate is and how much food it can hold."

"If I were to divide it now, and strictly follow the Standing Committee's resolution, then all the food on the plate would be given to Nanshan New Area and used entirely for investment in future development. In that case, basic livelihood security and social stability would be left with nothing, and people would starve. I cannot bear that responsibility, and I dare not allocate it that way."

"However, if we reduce investment in development and prioritize spending on social stability and basic livelihoods, then, as Secretary Jiang just said, it would violate the spirit of the Standing Committee's resolution."

“Secretary, money makes everything easier, but the problem is that Shazhou doesn’t have any money. When our Finance and Economic Committee discusses this, we need to discuss not only where the money will go, but also where it will come from.”

"Whether it's the Standing Committee or our Finance Committee, when making resolutions, they should be made within the framework of our Shazhou's finances. We should do as much as we have the money to do. We can't just write a blank check and then expect us to pay for it later. If we have the money, that's fine, but if we don't, how are we supposed to pay?"

"I'll say it again: of course we must strictly implement the Standing Committee's resolutions, but we should also be realistic," Qin Feng said.

"How is this not being realistic? Are you objecting to the Standing Committee's resolution? What do you mean by asking the horse to run but not letting it eat grass? The Standing Committee reviews the plan, so how to get the money should be your responsibility. If the Standing Committee has to solve these problems, then what's the point of having a municipal government? What's the point of having you as mayor?" Jiang Longjun was very angry after being rebuked by Qin Feng.

"Yes, our Shazhou's finances are indeed not sufficient. I know your government is in a difficult position on this point. But as I said before, the Standing Committee's resolutions must be implemented without any compromise. This is the principle. If there are difficulties, we can find a way to solve them. With such a large city, surely you can come up with a way to get these 1 billion yuan?"

"Well then, Mayor, I've roughly looked at your draft, and there are no problems. I support it in principle, so we can proceed accordingly. However, the investment in Nanshan New Area must not be cut. But we won't take any from the budget. How about this: we'll borrow 1 billion yuan and invest it all in Nanshan New Area." Jiang Longjun softened his tone.

Jiang Longjun is making a concession to Qin Feng. He has agreed to the draft proposed by Qin Feng. Everyone knows that although Qin Feng makes it sound good and says that all the money will be invested in people's livelihood, education and medical care, he will more or less tilt the funds toward Qin Feng himself or his people. Just like Jiang Longjun wants to invest all the money in Nanshan New Area.

Jiang Longjun's agreement to fully endorse Qin Feng's draft proposal was a proactive concession and a gesture of goodwill towards Qin Feng. He also stated that the entire financial budget would be given to Qin Feng, but he would need Qin Feng to find another way to raise 1 billion yuan for the Nanshan New Area from local government debt.

Jiang Longjun's approach was also one of "harmony brings wealth," with both sides aiming for "win-win cooperation." He wouldn't interfere with Qin Feng's decisions, and Qin Feng wouldn't harm his "interests." As for who would ultimately get hurt, Jiang Longjun couldn't care less.

For Jiang Longjun, this was already the greatest face he could give Qin Feng; a municipal party secretary had taken the initiative to seek peace.

"Borrow money? Secretary, how? From where?" Qin Feng asked Jiang Longjun with a smile. He had long guessed that Jiang Longjun would eventually try to take advantage of local debt.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Longjun looked coldly at Qin Feng. He had already compromised, but Qin Feng continued to argue unreasonably, which made him furious.

"Secretary Jiang, do you know how much debt Shazhou has now? It has exceeded 70 billion yuan, which is higher than the local debt ceiling set by the central and provincial party committees. In other words, Shazhou is now in violation of regulations and has borrowed too much. According to the regulations, we should not only stop increasing the debt, but also find ways to reduce the total debt as soon as possible and bring it down below the ceiling set by the central government," Qin Feng said.

"Of course I know what you're saying, but special circumstances should be treated specially. Our Shazhou area has special circumstances, and we are investing in Nanshan New Area for future development. We are currently in the investment phase. Once Nanshan New Area is completed in a few years, it will naturally provide financial support to us, and we can repay the debt then."

“Investing with borrowed money and developing with borrowed money isn’t something only Shazhou is doing; it’s happening all over the country. What’s the big deal? As for the debt ceiling… since it’s already been exceeded, it doesn’t matter if it exceeds it for another year or two. If we just bear with it for another year or two, the situation will improve,” Jiang Longjun advised Qin Feng.

Qin Feng sneered; Jiang Longjun had indeed played a clever game.

Qin Feng is the mayor, and the debt has exceeded the limit. The higher authorities will hold him accountable, and the responsibility will mainly lie with Qin Feng.

Qin Feng took on the responsibility, while Jiang Longjun enjoyed the benefits.

“Secretary Jiang, you can’t say that. Over the past two years, the higher authorities have repeatedly emphasized that all localities must strictly control the total amount of debt and have specifically set a local debt ceiling for each region. Our Shazhou has already exceeded the debt ceiling. If we continue to borrow, how will we explain it to the higher authorities? Who will bear the responsibility if the higher authorities investigate?” Qin Feng exposed Jiang Longjun’s ulterior motives.

“Mayor, those who achieve great things don’t concern themselves with trifles. If there are many children in a family, the honest ones will go hungry in the end, while the clever and daring ones will be well-fed. Go and see, how many cities have total debt that doesn’t exceed the limit? If we really have to punish someone, we can’t just punish Shazhou. The law doesn’t punish everyone, so there’s nothing to worry about,” Jiang Longjun continued to persuade.

Qin Feng wanted to say something more, but Jiang Longjun interrupted him, saying, "Alright, let's not discuss this anymore. It's decided then. I agree to this draft in principle, but we need to add 1 billion yuan to the investment in Nanshan New Area. We'll find a way to solve this 1 billion yuan problem through local debt."