At the "Dialogue with International Investors" session of the 2024 International Financial Leaders Investment Summit held in Hong Kong, Chris Gradel, co-founder and CEO of TaiMeng Investment Group, was asked about the recent acquisition of 500 shopping malls in mainland China. Gradel described it as "a pretty big bet," but said, "We feel like it's completed, it's a very good business with very predictable cash flow because these are all mass-market malls focused on people's weekend entertainment, including dining, children's entertainment, and all that," emphasizing it as a very good deal. Gradel stated that the valuation and financing price for the acquisition in China are reasonable, and it is currently one of the cheapest financing methods globally. "We can purchase cash flow at a very reasonable price. This is the largest acquisition financing package ever done with the local currency and local banks." Earlier reports stated that a consortium led by TaiMeng agreed in March of this year to take over the shopping mall unit of Dalian Wanda Group Limited. However, the specific amount is unknown, with previous reports suggesting around 500 malls valued at 100 billion RMB. He also mentioned that as a regional company, TaiMeng has always been looking for the best opportunities in the entire region. "In such a large market like China, there will always be things to do." The company's recent focus in China has been on mutual funds and long-short hedge funds. They have launched long-only products for the Chinese market, believing that the valuation is reasonable in the mid-term perspective. Gradel said that when discussing investment in China with investors, they can be divided into three groups: one group of investors is firmly against investing, mainly driven by geopolitical factors. The second group is on the fence, waiting to see the economic situation, and he believes that continued government support for the economy is crucial. The third group leans towards investing. Gradel mentioned that the Middle East may be the largest among this group of investors, with the United States no longer being a major customer for Middle Eastern oil. Companies have conversations with Middle Eastern clients and find that they are not biased towards any party, investing money in China and East Asia, seeing the strong funds from the Middle East flowing into these regions.