China’s refusal to open its economy to foreign investment could backfire by encouraging European politicians to curb Chinese investments on the continent, the European Union’s trade chief has warned.

　　歐盟貿(mào)易專員卡洛?德古赫特(Karel de Gucht)警告稱，中國拒絕對外資開放本國經(jīng)濟，可能造成事與愿違的后果，鼓勵歐洲政界人士阻撓中國對歐投資。

　　Karel de Gucht, the trade commissioner, told a business conference in Brussels that “important sectors in China remain closed or restricted to EU investors”.

　　德古赫特在布魯塞爾舉行的一個商務(wù)會議上表示，“中國的一些重要行業(yè)仍對歐盟投資者關(guān)閉或限制重重”。

　　He added: “The fundamental imbalance between our openness and China’s restrictiveness plays into the hands of those in Europe who see Chinese investments as a threat and argue that we should selectively screen Chinese investments into the EU.”

　　他補充說：“歐洲開放而中國設(shè)置重重限制，這種根本的失衡助長了歐洲某些人的聲勢，他們認為中國投資是一種威脅，主張我們應(yīng)當(dāng)選擇性地篩查中國對歐盟投資。”

　　Mr De Gucht’s warning comes at a time when the EU’s debt crisis has increasingly led cash-strapped governments to look to China for funding, but has also heightened fears that they may lose valuable national assets in the process.

　　德古赫特發(fā)出這一警告之際，適逢歐盟債務(wù)危機日益驅(qū)使一些現(xiàn)金拮據(jù)的歐洲國家政府指望從中國獲得資金，但這也加劇了歐洲人的擔(dān)心，即他們可能在此過程中失去寶貴的國家資產(chǎn)。

　　That has led to a push by some politicians in Brussels, including Antonio Tajani, the industry commissioner, to create a foreign investment review board similar to that employed by Washington – an effort that has so far failed to gain traction.

　　這已導(dǎo)致歐盟方面的一些政界人士，包括歐盟工業(yè)事務(wù)專員安東尼奧?塔亞尼(Antonio Tajani)，推動成立一個外國投資審核委員會，類似于美國采用的機制。迄今這方面的努力尚未能獲得支持。

　　In his remarks, which were delivered to an EU-China business conference in Brussels, Mr De Gucht complained that European companies continued to be excluded from Chinese government contracts.

　　德古赫特是在布魯塞爾舉行的一個歐盟-中國商務(wù)會議上發(fā)表上述講話的。他抱怨稱，歐洲企業(yè)繼續(xù)被擋在中國政府合同門外。

　　“[The] problem is not so much what is foreseen in Chinese regulations, but that foreign actors are simply not winning contracts unless it is in China’s interest,” said Mr De Gucht.

　　“問題主要不在于從中國的法規(guī)可以預(yù)見到什么，而在于外國企業(yè)就是無法贏得合同——除非這么做符合中國的利益，”德古赫特表示。

　　He also suggested that the EU would continue to focus on unfair subsidies to state-owned enterprises, such as low-interest rate loans and cheap land, which he believes are at “the core of the Chinese economic model”.

　　他還暗示，歐盟將繼續(xù)關(guān)注中國向國有企業(yè)提供的各種不公平補貼，如低利率貸款和廉價土地，他認為，此類做法“位于中國經(jīng)濟模式的核心”。

　　Earlier this year, the EU took aim at those practices when, for the first time, it imposed anti-subsidy duties on imported Chinese paper.

　　今年早些時候，歐盟把矛頭指向這類做法，首次對中國輸歐紙張征收反補貼關(guān)稅。

　　Brussels has struggled to calibrate the right combination of confrontation and co-operation with Beijing when it comes to trade. Even as he outlined his complaints, Mr De Gucht also noted the growing links between the trading partners, and China’s status as the fastest-growing market for EU goods.

　　在處理對華貿(mào)易關(guān)系時，歐盟一直在竭盡全力把握對抗與合作的恰當(dāng)組合。德古赫特在提出抱怨的同時也指出，歐中這兩個貿(mào)易伙伴之間的往來不斷發(fā)展，中國已成為歐盟產(chǎn)品的增長最快的市場。

　　Winning greater access to invest in China has been a top priority for a succession of EU trade commissioners. But concerns about investments flowing in the other direction have gained heightened sensitivity only in the wake of the crisis.

　　爭取在中國獲得更大投資自由度，一向是歷任歐盟貿(mào)易專員任務(wù)的重中之重。但只是在歐元區(qū)債務(wù)危機爆發(fā)后，各方對中國對歐投資的擔(dān)憂才變得更加敏感。

　　EU officials have grown alarmed at the prospect of state-controlled Chinese companies snapping up strategic European industries.

　　政府控制的中國企業(yè)在歐洲的戰(zhàn)略行業(yè)大舉收購，這種前景使歐盟官員們震驚。

　　The notion that Beijing’s support for Europe might come with strings attached was confirmed last week when Wen Jiabao, China premier, argued that the EU should consider awarding China “market economy” status in exchange for its commitment to buy European government bonds. That concession – long sought by Beijing – would make it far more difficult for European companies to file trade complaints against Chinese competitors.

　　有關(guān)中國對歐洲的支持可能帶有附加條件的說法，在上周得到證實。中國總理溫家寶主張，歐盟應(yīng)當(dāng)考慮承認中國的“市場經(jīng)濟”地位，以換取中國承諾購買歐元區(qū)國家的國債。若歐盟作出中國爭取已久的這一讓步，歐洲企業(yè)將更難提出針對中國競爭對手的貿(mào)易申訴。

　　In February, Mr Tajani and Michel Barnier, the internal market commissioner, sent a letter to José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission president, calling for a debate on a European version of the US’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which allows Washington to veto foreign investments based on national security concerns.

　　今年2月，塔亞尼和歐盟內(nèi)部市場專員米歇爾·巴尼耶(Michel Barnier)致函歐盟委員會(European Commission)主席若澤?曼努埃爾?巴羅佐(José Manuel Barroso)，呼吁就歐洲是否要成立類似于美國外國投資委員會(Committee on Foreign Investment)的機構(gòu)展開辯論。外國投資委員會使華盛頓方面能夠以國家安全關(guān)切為由，否決外國投資。

　　While EU officials remain cool toward the idea, China has since outlined its own plans to screen foreign investments – something Mr De Gucht called “a retrograde step which risks further aggravating the detrimental effect on our bilateral trade”.

　　盡管歐盟官員對這個構(gòu)想仍然態(tài)度冷淡，但自那以來中國已出臺了審核外國投資的計劃。德古赫特稱其為“一個退步，有可能進一步加劇對歐中雙邊貿(mào)易的不利影響”。