经济学人:英首相叫停核电站建设 中国在英投资热下降(上)

 　　Britain: Chinese investment: Not so gung-ho

　　英国：中国在英投资热下降

　　Relations may cool, but the flow of yuan into Britain is unlikely to dry up.

　　两国关系可能会降温，但人民币会继续流向英国。

　　After spending a century trying to prise open the Chinese market in Victorian times, European countries are now seeing the flow reversed, as a tide of Chinese money (if not yet gunboats) goes west.

　　在维多利亚时期，欧洲国家花了一个世纪才撬开中国市场的大门而现在他们却发现局势正在翻转，中国资本（暂时还不是炮艇）正在流入西方。

　　英首相叫停核电站建设.png

　　Some are cautious about allowing Chinese investment in sensitive areas of the economy.

　　对于一些经济敏感领域的中国投资，一些国家表现得很谨慎。

　　But last year, to the surprise of many, Britain’s government launched a new initiative of economic co-operation with China that the two sides said would bring forth¹ a “golden era” in bilateral² relations.

　　但出人意料的是，去年英国政府出台了一项中英经济合作的新协议，双方表示这一协议将会开启中英双边关系的“黄金时代”。

　　Britain became one of the first Western countries to sign up for the new, China-led Asian Infrastructure³ Investment Bank, to America’s annoyance⁴.

　　在中国发起筹建亚洲基础设施投资银行（AIIB）的倡议后，英国成为首个与中方签订协议加入亚投行的西方国家。这一行为引起美国的不满。

　　George Osborne, then chancellor⁵ of the exchequer⁶, visited Beijing, to make clear that cash-strapped Britain was open for infrastructure investment.

　　英国财政大臣乔治·奥斯本曾亲自造访北京，表示英国目前资金短缺，欢迎中国投资英国基础设施。

　　He launched the ￡12 billion ($16 billion) procurement⁷ process for HS2, a railway between London and the north of England, in the Chinese city of Chengdu.

　　他在成都签署了120亿英镑(160美元)的采购，用于建设HS2高速铁路，这条铁路从伦敦出发，上行至北英格兰。

　　Then came a double shock.

　　两重意外，接连而至。

　　First the vote on June 23rd to leave the European Union.

　　先是在6月23日英国公投退出欧盟。

　　Then on July 28th the surprise decision by the new prime minister, Theresa May, to delay approval of a nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, due to be part-funded by Chinese investment.

　　紧接着7月28日，英国新首相特蕾莎·梅做出了让人意外的决定，在萨默塞特郡欣克利角的一座核电站建设的准许被推迟，因为这一核电站是由中国投资共同出资的。

　　If the review cancels the project, the golden era could be over before it has begun, says Kerry Brown of King’s College London.

　　国王学院的凯瑞·布朗说，如果复审取消了这一工程的话，那这一黄金时代来不及开始就会结束了。

　　Since 2000 China has poured more direct investment into Britain than it has into any other EU country.

　　自从2000年以来，中国在英国倾注了大量直接投资，这远多于中国在其他任何欧洲国家的投资。

　　The Chinese are keen to prove themselves as solid partners in Western infrastructure projects, and hope, after Hinkley, to design and build an entire nuclear plant in Essex.

　　中国急切地想要证明自己是西方基础设施建设工程的有力合作伙伴，同时还希望，在欣克利角核电站合作项目完成之后，能够在英国埃塞克斯郡设计建筑一整座核电站。

　　But critics felt the sudden British embrace of China was too gung-ho.

　　有人对此表示反对，他们认为英国突然对中国敞开怀抱未免太过热情。

　　The same sceptics had, for security reasons, already warned about a decision to allow Huawei, a Chinese firm, to supply equipment for Britain’s telecoms infrastructure.

　　出于安全保障考虑，疑心重重的人早先提出过警告，质疑让中国公司华为提供英国电信基础设备的这一决定。

　　Many feared getting too close to China tied Britain’s hands diplomatically.

　　很多人担心，与中国走得太近会束缚英国的外交手腕。

　　Mrs May’s delay on Hinkley has clearly annoyed China’s leaders.

　　英国首相梅女士叫停了欣克利角核电站工程，这明显惹怒了中国领导人。

　　In an editorial Xinhua, the official news agency, denied that China would put any “back doors” into the project, saying that ditching it would “stain” Britain’s credibility as an open economy and “might deter⁸ possible investors⁹ from China” in the future.

　　在中国官方新闻机构新华社的一篇社论中，中国表明不会在这个项目中开任何“后门”，如果这一工程被英国弃置，英国必将“抹黑”自己作为开放经济体的信誉，并且将来“还可能会遏制中国潜在投资者在英投资”。

　　Xinhua also pointed¹⁰ indirectly¹¹ to a sensitive issue about the British delay: Brexiteers had promoted a vision of Britain outside the EU with closer ties to emerging markets like China.

　　就此次英国叫停核电站建设一事，新华社还间接提及了一个敏感的话题：退欧派曾预测，退出欧盟的英国会与其他新兴市场建立更加密切的联系，比如中国。

　　1.gung-ho 同心协力的

　　例句:Senate Republicans are less gung-ho about tax cuts.

　　共和党的参议员对减税并不太热衷。

　　2.emerging market 新兴市场

　　例句:This slowdown will undoubtedly¹² affect demand for emerging market exports.

　　这一放缓无疑将影响到对新兴市场出口产品的需求。

　　3.open economy 开放经济

　　例句:The trend of economic globalization, the development of an open economy has become the mainstream¹³ choice.

　　在经济全球化的趋势下，发展开放型经济已成为各国的主流选择。

　　4.power plant 发电厂

　　例句:In an electric power plant the heat converts water into high-pressure steam.

　　在发电厂里，热能将水转化成高压蒸汽。

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

4 annoyance   

n.恼怒，生气，烦恼

参考例句：

• Why do you always take your annoyance out on me?为什么你不高兴时总是对我出气？
• I felt annoyance at being teased.我恼恨别人取笑我。

5 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

6 exchequer   

n.财政部；国库

参考例句：

• In Britain the Chancellor of the Exchequer deals with taxes and government spending.英国的财政大臣负责税务和政府的开支。
• This resulted in a considerable loss to the exchequer.这使国库遭受了重大损失。

7 procurement   

n.采购；获得

参考例句：

• He is in charge of the procurement of materials.他负责物资的采购。
• More and more,human food procurement came to have a dominant effect on their evolution.人类获取食物愈来愈显著地影响到人类的进化。

8 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

11 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

12 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

13 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。