VOA慢速英语2021 哥伦比亚的非法开采严重损害中国矿产企业（在线收听）

A large Chinese mining company says illegal operations at its gold mine in Colombia are seriously harming its production.

中国一家大型矿业公司表示，该公司在哥伦比亚的金矿遭到非法开采，这严重损害其生产。

Zijin Mining Group paid $1 billion for the Buritica gold mine in 2019. The mine is near the Colombian community of Buritica in the Andes Mountains.

紫金矿业集团在2019年以10亿美元的价格收购了武里蒂卡金矿。该矿位于哥伦比亚安第斯山脉的武里蒂卡社区附近。

Zijin knew there were security risks in the area when it bought the mine. But local government officials and police tell Reuters that illegal mining activities there have increased.

紫金矿业在收购该金矿的时候就知道该地区存在安全隐患。但是当地政府官员和警察对路透社表示，那里的非法采矿活动有所攀升。

They say there are now thousands of illegal miners working in difficult, sometimes-deadly conditions around the Buritica mine. Officials say the illegal miners work in many tunnels and at more than 150 secret processing centers in the area.

他们表示，现在武里蒂卡金矿周边有数千名非法矿工在艰苦、有时还会致命的环境中工作。有关官员表示，非法采矿者在该地区的诸多矿井坑道和150多个秘密加工中心工作。

Police say the tunnels are controlled by the Clan del Golfo criminal group, known locally as "The Ten." The name comes from the 10 percent that members take from the illegal miners' production. The group buys the remaining illegal production. It pays miners by permitting them to keep some gold or giving them money or liquid mercury.

警方表示，这些坑道是由“海湾黑帮”犯罪组织所控制，该组织在当地也被称为“The Ten”。这个名字源于其成员从非法采矿者的产出中拿走10%。该组织会收购剩下的非法产品。它允许矿工保留一些黄金，或是以现金、液态汞来支付矿工的报酬。

In addition to harming legal mining operations, the illegal activities present security threats to the nearby community. Local leaders fear violence related to criminal activity and mercury poisoning of natural water supplies. Mercury is used by the miners to separate gold from dirt.

除了损害合法的采矿作业之外，非法活动还对附近社区构成安全威胁。当地领导人担心会发生跟犯罪活动相关的暴力事件，以及天然水供应的汞中毒。矿工使用汞将黄金与杂质分离。

James Wang is the head of Zijin-Continental Gold, the company operating the Buritica mine. He told Reuters that production is being "seriously affected" by the presence of illegal miners.

詹姆斯·王是管理武里蒂卡金矿的紫金-大陆黄金公司的负责人。他对路透社表示，非法采矿者的存在严重影响其生产。

The company's losses in the first three months of the year were 20 percent of total production, Wang said. As a result, the company has lowered its production target for the year by about 16 percent.

王表示，该公司今年首季度的损失占到了总产量的20%。因此该公司已经将年度生产目标降低了16%左右。

"They occupy high-grade areas, that's the problem," Wang said. He added that the company never meets its output target of at least 500 kilograms each month because of illegal operations.

王表示：“他们占领了高质区，这就是问题所在。”他还表示，由于非法采矿作业，该公司从未达到其每月至少500公斤的生产目标。

The problems facing Zijin in Buritica are the latest test of Chinese miners' ability to deal with security concerns in Latin America. Mining companies in Latin America have struggled with illegal miners, community tensions and crime for a long time.

紫金矿业在武里蒂卡地区面临的问题，是对在拉丁美洲的中国矿产企业应对安全问题能力的最新考验。在拉美地区，矿产企业长期以来一直在跟非法矿工、社区紧张局势以及犯罪活动作斗争。

China especially depends on South America for a large amount of its copper and zinc imports. State-run Chinese companies have also taken ownership of mines in Peru and Ecuador.

中国尤为依赖南美大量进口铜和锌。中国国有企业还拥有秘鲁和厄瓜多尔的矿山所有权。

Zijin's production losses in Buritica could reduce industry interest in Colombia. The country is seeking new investments in development of its supplies of gold, copper and other minerals.

紫金矿业在武里蒂卡的生产损失可能会降低对哥伦比亚的行业兴趣。该国正在寻求新的投资用于开发其金、铜和其它矿产的供应。

In addition, Colombia faces problems related to deadly protests over inequality, poverty and police violence.

此外，哥伦比亚还面临由不平等、贫穷和警察暴力引发的致命抗议相关的问题。

Wang said it has become "really, really challenging" dealing with such issues in Colombia. He added that establishing good relations with local governments can help solve the problems, but "it will take time."

王表示，在哥伦比亚处理这类问题已经变得极具挑战性。他还表示，与地方政府建立良好关系有助于解决这类问题，但是这需要时间。

Wang said that while the government had offered "very strong support," more action was needed "to implement law and order." He did not say if that meant an increase in military or police presence was needed, saying it "depends on the situation."

王表示，尽管政府给予了非常有力的支持，但需要采取更多行动来贯彻法律和秩序。他并未言明这是否意味着需要增加军队或警察人数，而是称这取决于现状。