A pure investor
Huang, in fact, had developed a link with Iceland a long time ago when he was still a college student and became good friends with a guy from Iceland.
Moreover, the guy's wife later happened to be appointed foreign minister of her country, which has helped foster, to some degree, active communications between Huang and the Icelandic government.
Yet, some Icelandic politicians have voiced their concerns over Huang's possible ulterior motives. "The Chinese are buying up the world," complained Ogmundur Jonasson, the interior minister who is responsible for approving the deal.
The Financial Times also speculated in a report, citing Huang's governmental background, that the project would provide geopolitical benefits for China, as Iceland occupies a strategically important location between Europe and North America and has been touted as a potential hub for Asian cargo should climate change open Arctic waters to shipping.
At this, Huang stressed during an exclusive interview with China Newsweek that "I am just a private entrepreneur. How can I be able to act on behalf of the country?"
He analyzed that Iceland is rich in natural resources, but lacks foreign investment. Almost none of its NATO allies have shown interest in developing those abundant resources, Huang said, which provides a good opportunity for China.
Icelandic president Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson is a supporter of Huang. "Nobody talked about geopolitical implications when Iceland flooded its valleys to create hydroelectricity for Western aluminum companies," he recalls. "But when a Chinese poet wants to build a hotel, everyone goes crazy。"
A survey of 320,000 Icelandic people revealed that 65.6% of the respondents welcome Chinese investments. "Had the Icelandic government not approved the deal, the Icelandic farmer who signed the contract with me could sue the government," noted Huang.
Opportunities vs. challenges
Huang has been looking for properties in foreign countries to grow his company to a multinational enterprise in resorts and tourism.
In 2005, Huang tried to invest on a deserted Russian experimental base in Kyrgyzstan, but finally gave up due to pressures from Russia and a corrupt Kyrgyzstani government.
"Some senior officials asked me directly how many stakes I could offer them, which shocked me," said Huang.
Huang also tried to buy a resort in Japan, which also ended in vain because of the unreasonable requirement that Chinese should not manage the resort.
Despite constant frustrations, Huang never stopped going global. He has now bought a 10,000-square-meter office building in Los Angles and 10,000 mu (1,647 acres) of farmland in Tennessee. He is also one of the shareholders of a Los Angles bank.
"This decade is a golden period for Chinese companies to increase resources, since the world is adjusting to the global economic transformation stirred by the financial crisis," said Huang, adding that "when the global economy recovers in 10 years, you'll barely get anything."
To keep a hold of such a big opportunity, Huang even decided to give up mountaineering and poetry, two of his favorite hobbies and he has now devoted himself whole-heartedly to the Zhongkun Group. "My dream is to grow Zhongkun to a world-class tourism company in the next decade."
