The promotional video for Vessel House is barely 90 seconds long. The image doesn’t allow us to determine how many bricklayers are joining the prefabricated structures, which are arranged—like steel Legos—with a telescopic crane, but it does capture the 28 minutes it takes to erect the 10 floors of apartments.
The modules are manufactured by CDPH—Chendong Housing is its commercial name—a Chinese firm with projects in more than 110 countries on five continents. In Latin America, they have only found partners in Venezuela and Mexico, through BODA International Holding Group Ltd., whose vice president of operations is former Undersecretary of Tourism Operations Simón Levy Dabbah.
For at least a decade, Niu Shuanhi, the president of this Asian firm, has tried to make inroads into Aztec territory. In September 2017, after the earthquake that struck Mexico City, the businessman offered a donation of one million dollars to the then-head of the Cuauhtémoc borough, Ricardo Monreal Ávila, for the reconstruction of the devastated areas.
At the time, Levi Dabbah was collaborating with the then-head of the capital’s government, Miguel Ángel Mancera, and headed the organization promoting the Chapultepec Cultural Corridor project. In this context, Niu—who boasted 10,000 employees and a portfolio of assets valued at more than $7 billion—wanted to invest in the China Grand Hotel, a 76-story skyscraper he would build on Paseo de la Reforma.
BODA’s first project in Mexico did not prosper. It wasn’t until 2022—Levy Dabbah had already left his position in the federal government—that he resumed his plans to “contribute to the magnificent Sino-Mexican friendship” with the commercialization of the Vessel House. According to the most recent information, these modular buildings could be a perfect fit for Infonavit’s social housing project, with a minimum price of 630,000 pesos for a 45-square-meter home, according to the new rates, effective April 10. There are options for 50 square meters or 60 square meters.
A competitive price, but adjusted to the trade war between the United States and China, which “directly impacts the production costs of our homes, especially the Vessel brand, which relies heavily on these inputs.”
Faced with this new reality, BD Housing has modified its business model to seek local suppliers focused on the Infonavit and Infonavit B segments. Even before then, it required a manufacturing plant, and its final options were Puebla and Nuevo León.
The final decision was made in favor of the municipality of Pesquería, where a $300 million investment would occur. Governor Samuel García and Niu’s son witnessed the signing of the agreement that guaranteed tax benefits for Chinese investors, who promised 2,000 direct jobs in the first phase and reiterated their promise to hire local labor and suppliers.
In recent weeks—due to Levy Dabbah’s complaints—another related story has emerged: the implosion of Vessel Housing’s first housing development adjacent to Ciudad Modelo, an industrial park located in San José Chiapa, Puebla, where the state government promoted the opening of an AUDI plant.
A nephew of the former first lady reportedly participated in the negotiations—which began during the administration of then-governor Luis Miguel Barbosa Huerta—but the recent cancellation of the project led to a digital complaint of alleged extortion, filed by Levy Dabbah on X. This complaint could only be interpreted by residents of Puebla with certain levels of information, who concluded with delight: all clues point to Rodrigo Gutiérrez Mueller.
“Which Levy? Santiago?” responded Governor Alejandro Armenta, when questioned about the revelations by the former Morena official. “No one is outside the law. And no one will receive privileged treatment.” The governor acknowledged that some businesspeople attracted by the economic promotions of his administration have sought “extraordinary support,” but flatly denied any mediation or lobbying.
Source: eleconomista
