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美国初探缅甸市场

The United States is looking to increase business with Burma following President Barack Obama's historic visit and the easing of economic sanctions.  But some limitations remain and American investors¹ are proceeding² cautiously.

奥巴马总统对缅甸进行历史性的访问后，美国试图增加和缅甸的贸易往来。可是目前的种种局限让美国投资者小心翼翼。

The United States suspended the restrictions³ on imports from Burma just ahead of President Obama's trip.

在奥巴马总统访问缅甸前，美国暂停了对缅甸产品的进口限制。

"America is lifting our ban on companies doing business here, and your government has lifted restrictions on investment and taken steps to open up your economy," said Obama.  "And now, as more wealth flows into your borders, we hope and expect that it will lift up more people."

奥巴马说：“美国正在取消禁止美国公司到缅甸做生意的禁令，缅甸政府也取消了对美国投资者的限制，逐步开放缅甸经济。现在，随着越来越多的财富进入缅甸，我们希望并且期待更多的人提高生活水平。”

But sanctions against Burmese jade⁴ and rubies⁵, considered the world's finest, are still in place.

可是，对缅甸玉石和红宝石贸易的制裁仍然存在。缅甸宝石被认为是世界上最好的。

Members of Burma's previous military government and their cronies still profit from the gem⁶ industry that remains⁷ tainted⁸ by its record using forced labor⁹ and children.

前缅甸军政府官员及其亲信仍然从宝石工业中谋取利润，宝石工业因使用强迫劳工和童工而名声扫地。

Gem mine owner and dealer¹⁰ Aung Kyaw Zin claims labor abuses are a thing of the past and argues U.S. restrictions fail to curb¹¹ the trade in jade while unfairly hurting family-owned businesses like his.

宝石矿主昂奎真（Aung Kyaw Zin）说，虐待劳工是过去的事，美国的限制并没有制止玉石贸易，反而伤害了像他这样的家庭企业。

"Jade is especially for the China market, there is no American market," he said.  "So, the current sanctions are not effective on the jade market and business.  Ninety-five percent of [precious stone] annual profits, $2 billion to $3 billion, are from jade selling.  The profit from gems¹², like ruby¹³ and sapphire¹⁴, selling are less than 5 percent [of the precious stone total].  Therefore, sanctions only affect gem & colored stone dealers¹⁵."

他说：“玉石都是卖到中国市场，在美国没有市场。所以目前的制裁对玉石市场和生意没有影响。珍宝行业每年20到30亿美元的利润中，百分之95来自玉石。宝石的利润，比如红宝石和蓝宝石的销售额，占所有珍宝销售额的不到百分之5。所以制裁只影响到宝石和有色宝石的经销商。” 

Despite lingering concerns over labor practices, there are already signs the stigma¹⁶ of doing business in Burma is fading and American companies are moving in.

虽然劳工问题仍然悬而未决，可是已经有迹象表明，到缅甸做生意的困境正在缓和，美国公司正在进入缅甸。

Thaw¹⁷ Tin says his company plans to open two more shops exclusively selling Apple products.

缅甸商人湍天说，他的公司计划再开两家店，专门销售苹果产品。 他说，尽管进口不容易，可是美国品牌还是很有名。

He says despite import problems American brands are well known.  "It's just a matter of how much we can import in and how many we can get them on shelf," he noted¹⁸.  "They just move by itself."

他说：“关键是我们可以进口多少，有多少可以上架，那些产品都是有多少卖多少。”

Major U.S. investors are also eyeing Burma's markets for opportunities, but are proceeding cautiously.

美国大投资公司也在缅甸寻找市场，可是他们小心翼翼。

YGA Capital Managing Director Thura Ko Ko is advising the largest U.S. equity¹⁹ firm in the world.

美国的YGA投资公司是世界上最大的股权投资公司，

"Sanctions can be lifted or waived²⁰ or suspended within a very short time," he explained.  But, if you cannot wire dollars over, if you cannot convert easily, if you cannot wire funds outside, I think you'll still see challenges in the pace of foreign investment."

它的董事长总经理图拉科克说： “制裁可能在很短时间里被取消、免除或者暂停， 可是如果你不能汇钱过去，如果你不能很容易地兑换货币，如果你不能向境外汇钱，我想，你还是面临外国投资不能迅速进入的问题。”

President Barack Obama's unprecedented²¹ visit underscored the potential the U.S. sees in Burma.

奥巴马总统史无前例地访问缅甸，凸显了美国看到缅甸的潜力。

But his reception here also demonstrated the potential that Burma, long reliant on neighbors China and Thailand, sees in the U.S.

可是，奥巴马在缅甸受到待遇也反映出长期依赖邻邦中国和泰国的缅甸是如何看待美国潜力的。