"In the past, people fought over oil, but now everyone has to fight over water." In 2021, United States Vice President Harris said something like this, which feels like telling us that the curtain of the battle for water resources is about to open.
It's also risky, we in China are almost in this battle without gunpowder, and the water market is actually there, 60% of which is occupied by foreign capital. But fortunately, we are not stupid to the end, and we have snatched back the lifeline - water resources from the hands of foreign capital.
Back then, in 2001, in order to enter the WTO, China had no choice but to allow foreign capital to enter the water market. I thought that foreign capital came in and could bring some fresh air to the domestic water industry, but who would have thought that they would start to expand frantically as soon as they came with a lot of money and advanced technology.
The two water giants in France, Veolia and Suez, are the two most aggressive expansion. They spent money like water, and won one city after another's water supply projects. For example, Veolia spent 2 billion yuan to buy half of the shares of Shanghai Water Company, which is three times the price of the domestic quotation!
In the equity competition of Lanzhou Water Supply Group, Suez raised the price by 6 times, and finally traded for 1.71 billion. These high-priced mergers and acquisitions have allowed foreign capital to quickly grasp a large number of water resources, and we have realized that the water defense war is imminent!
Foreign capital has come in, and the price of water has also risen, and the people have a headache. The price of water in Lanzhou, Kunming, and Tianjin has risen vigorously under the control of foreign capital. In just one year, the water bill for residents in Lanzhou has been raised by 49%, and the water price in Kunming has quadrupled in one year.
With such a high water bill, how can ordinary people live?
Even more troubling is the water quality issue. In order to make more money, foreign-funded water companies often ignore water quality safety. The excessive benzene in Lanzhou's tap water is a big lesson.
It turned out that Veolia had ignored the water supply facilities for a long time, and in order to save money, it allowed the aging pipe network and equipment that had expired to continue to be used, and as a result, the sewage with excessive benzene standards flowed into thousands of households.
The incident in Lanzhou was like a bomb, which detonated the anger of the people. Everyone began to question the qualifications and capabilities of foreign-funded water companies, and they were more worried about the safety of their drinking water. Everyone demands that the government take back the dominant power in water affairs, and not let foreign holdings threaten our water security.
The government heard the voices of the people and began to act. They have promulgated the "Regulations on Urban Water Supply" and the "Measures for the Management of Urban Water Supply Prices" to strengthen supervision and control in terms of water prices and water quality. At the same time, it also allowed state-owned enterprises to start a counteroffensive and regain the lost land from foreign capital as soon as possible through equity co-leasing, mergers and acquisitions, etc.
With the support of the policy, the domestic water company quickly got up. Beijing Enterprises and Capital have begun to expand, and foreign capital has staged a fierce battle in the water market. After several years of hard work, the proportion of foreign investment in the mainland water market has been less than 10%.
This means that we have finally taken back the dominance of most of the water resources from foreign capital.
Although we have regained the dominance of most water resources, the alarm bell of this water defense war still has to be sounded for a long time. We must clearly understand that water resources are strategic resources related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and must not be easily handed over to others to control.
The profit-seeking nature of foreign capital determines that they will not put the interests of the people first, and once the water market is controlled by them, our water security and national security will be threatened.
We must always be vigilant and strictly guard against foreign investment in the name of investment to practice monopoly.
In the final analysis, water is the source of life and the foundation for human survival and development. In this battle to defend water affairs, we have deeply realized the preciousness and importance of water resources. We have to cherish every drop of water and protect this source of life! #头条创作挑战赛#