欧债问题: 中国与欧洲能否相濡以沫?
作者: Peter Spiegel 选自英国>
译者: 爱尔兰都柏林大学 赖小琪
It’s been something of a rough week for European relations with China after the Spanish government erroneously put out word that Beijing was preparing to invest €9bn in its struggling savings banks. Chalk it up to an over-eager translation of Chinese intentions. But over lunch at the Chinese mission to the European Union on Thursday, Beijing’s ambassador, Song Zhe, said China was still looking for investment opportunities in Europe, including the sovereign bonds of struggling eurozone countries.
过去一周，欧洲与中国的关系有点闹僵, 原因是西班牙政府错误地发话，说中国准备向其在危机中苦苦挣扎的储蓄银行投资90亿欧元。我们就权且把它当作是对中国意图过于高估吧。但是在中国驻欧盟使团周四举办的午宴上，中国大使宋哲表示，中国仍在欧洲寻找投资机会，包括陷于困境的欧元区国家的主权债券。
“This is still the beginning phase, and China does not have a lot of experience in this area,” Song told a small group of financial journalists. “In the next phase, it is possible to continue to purchase more.” Song said Chinese motivations were twofold: stabilising one of its most significant trading partners was important, he said, but generating investment returns was also on the minds of those in control of sovereign wealth funds as well as private investors in China.
“这只是一个初级阶段，而中国在这方面没有多少经验，”宋哲对一小群财经记者发言表示。“在下个阶段，中国可能会进行更大规模的购买。”宋哲表示，中国的意图有两重：一方面，进一步稳定最重要贸易伙伴之一的局势，而另一方面, 必须让中国主权财富基金的管理者以及私人投资者获得合理的投资回报。
Did that mean the Chinese government was worried about a possible restructuring of Greek debt? Song acknowledged China held “several billion euros” in Greek and Portuguese bonds, meaning Beijing would stand to lose a lot if Greek debt holders were not paid in full. But he demurred when asked if the government had a position on Greek haircuts. “We hope governments in Europe can ensure the security of our investment,” he said.
那么,这是否意味着中国政府对希腊可能发生的债务重组感到忧虑呢？宋哲承认，中国持有“数十亿欧元”希腊和葡萄牙债券, 意味着如果希腊债务所有者得不到全额清偿，中国将蒙受巨损。然而，当被问到中国政府对希腊债务减值所持的态度时，宋哲表现出犹豫不定。他表示：“我们希望欧洲国家政府能够确保我们投资的安全。”
Song signaled that Beijing was not entirely happy with conflicting messages coming from Brussels and the rest of Europe. With some leaders pleading for China to come to Europe’s aid in the sovereign debt crisis at the same time others are slapping import duties and lodging trade complaints over alleged Chinese dumping and subsidies.
宋哲表示，中国对于布鲁塞尔及欧洲其他国家传出的自相矛盾的信息表示不满.一些国家的领导人请求中国在主权债务危机中向欧洲伸出援手，其他一些领导人则扬言中国进行倾销和出口补贴, 并以此对中国出口的商品提高关税或是提起贸易申诉。
But he insisted China would not link the two issues, and that Beijing had its own self-interest at stake in continuing to invest in Europe. “The fundamental purpose to do investment in Europe is to protect the safety of our foreign exchange reserve,” Song said, noting that it had historically been over-weighted in US dollar-backed assets. “Not all investments overseas are politically driven.”
但他也强调，中国不会把这两个问题联系在一起，中国会继续在欧洲投资,因为这和中国自身利益攸关。“在欧洲投资的根本目的是为了保护中国外汇储备的安全。”他指出，中国在历史上的投资过多地集中在美元资产。“并不是所有境外投资都出于政治目的。” |
