英国向其他西方国家靠拢,加强监管中资收购

Britain on Tuesday joined a growing group of Western nations hardening their use of national security as a litmus test for Chinese investments, with the government in London unveiling a blueprint to sharply tighten its oversight of foreign takeovers.

英国周二宣布了一项大幅收紧外国收购监管的行动计划，从而加入越来越多的西方国家行列，进一步利用国家安全作为检验中国投资的试金石。

The proposal, which follows a pledge by Prime Minister Theresa May to protect sensitive industries, widens the scope of deals that Britain can thwart to protect its competitive edge. The new rules being suggested extend the government’s reach when it comes to foreign takeovers, lowering the threshold to include acquisitions of even small companies, intellectual property, individual assets or company shares.

英国首相特丽莎·梅(Theresa May)此前曾誓言要保护敏感行业，该计划扩大了英国为保护自己的竞争优势而否决并购交易的范围。拟议中的新规定加大了政府在外资收购方面的影响力，同时也降低了介入小企业、知识产权、个人资产或公司股份收购的标准。

The move aligns Britain more closely with the United States, Canada, Australia and major European economies, which have been strengthening foreign investment and takeover criteria. In Washington, lawmakers are expected to soon expand the powers of a body that investigates international deals for national security risks.

此举使英国进一步向美国、加拿大、澳大利亚和欧洲主要经济体看齐，这些国家一直在强化外国投资和收购的标准。在华盛顿，预计国会议员很快就会扩大一个国际交易国家安全风险调查机构的职权。

Britain and other governments in the West have had to tread a fine line when it comes to handling investment from China.

在处理来自中国的投资时，英国和其他西方政府不得不谨慎行事。

Beijing and its homegrown companies are increasingly a competitive force in the global economy, in sectors ranging from technology to energy. But China is also the second-largest economy in the world, with deep pockets to invest overseas and a large market of consumers at home.

从能源到科技，在全球经济中，中国政府及中国的本土企业越来越具竞争力。但中国也是全球第二大经济体，有雄厚的资本进行海外投资，在国内有一个巨大的消费者市场。

Britain and other countries in Europe are trying to protect strategic industries, while courting Chinese investment and fighting to obtain better access to customers in China for their own companies.

英国和其他欧洲国家在努力保护好战略产业的同时，又在积极争取来自中国的投资，帮助自己的企业更好打入中国的消费群体。

The challenge is especially stark for Britain as the country negotiates its withdrawal from the European Union. Dire warnings abound that companies will leave if they lose access to the 28-nation bloc.

在英国退欧谈判的背景下，挑战尤其巨大。很多人发出了严厉的警告，称如果失去了进入欧盟二十八国集团的渠道，企业将不得不离开英国。

Financial firms have already begun shifting some operations elsewhere. Multinational companies including Airbus and BMW are questioning whether and how to maintain their investments post-Brexit, depending on what kinds of links Britain maintains with the world’s second-largest economic bloc.

金融公司已经开始向其他地方转移业务。包括空中客车(Airbus)和宝马(BMW)在内的跨国企业，都在质疑英国退欧后，是否应该维持以及如何维持它们的投资，这取决于英国与世界第二大经济联盟之间保持怎样的联系。

Greg Clark, Britain’s business secretary, said on Tuesday that the latest proposal would ensure that Britain had “the appropriate safeguards to protect our national security whilst ensuring our economy remains unashamedly pro-business and open to high levels of foreign investment in the future.”

英国商务大臣格雷格·克拉克(Greg Clark)周二表示，新计划将确保英国有“适当的保障措施来保护我们国家安全的同时，确保我们的经济在未来始终对商企有利，并且向高水平的外国投资开放”。

Under the plans, business owners will be encouraged to notify the government of any transaction that might trigger a host of potential national security risks contained in a set of guidelines. They could also face criminal charges for failing to comply with information requests or other steps the government might take to halt what it deems risky transactions.

按照这些计划，企业主应根据一套指导原则，将任何可能引发各种国家安全风险的交易告知政府。如果未能遵守信息索取的规定，他们可能面临刑事指控，政府也可能采取其他措施叫停它认为存在风险的交易。

Those would involve “hostile parties acquiring control over entities or assets with the potential to undermine national security,” including foreign governments acquiring sensitive assets through “traditional and nontraditional means,” or individuals or entities affiliated with hostile states, the British government said.

英国政府表示，这些将涉及“敌对各方获得控制权后可能会损害国家安全的实体或资产”，包括外国政府，或者与敌对国家有关的个人或者实体，通过“传统和非传统手段”来获取的敏感资产。

Currently Britain vets very few deals based on national security. A proposed takeover of Northern Aerospace, a British airplane parts supplier to Airbus and Boeing, by a Chinese rival is the only one this year to be held up by British officials. The deal was eventually called off.

目前英国很少基于国家安全来审查交易。一个中国竞争对手提议收购英国的飞机零部件供应商北方航空航天公司(Northern Aerospace)，是英国官员今年叫停的唯一一笔交易。该公司是空客和波音(Boeing)的供应商。这笔交易最终被取消。

The government said that only a small number of investment activities, mergers and transactions in Britain actually pose a risk to national security. But Britain has noted that it could review as many as 50 a year under the new plan.

英国政府表示，只有少数的投资活动、并购和交易确实会对国家安全构成威胁。但英国已经指出，按照新的计划，每年需要审查的交易数量可达50宗。

The proposed changes could allow the government to clamp down on virtually every sector of the economy, including energy, defense and transportation, and in assets as diverse as energy networks, major airports and health care databases. “The reforms,” the government proposal said, must “be designed to ensure that control over assets themselves cannot be acquired by those who wish our country harm.”

拟议中的改革，使得政府几乎能够对包括能源、国防和交通在内所有经济领域施加压力，以及包括能源网络、主要机场和医保数据在内的各种资产进行限制。

Chinese companies have spent billions of dollars buying strategic real estate and companies in Britain in recent years, including the prominent Leadenhall Building in London, known as the Cheesegrater. And they have been enthusiastic buyers of businesses and properties from New York to Frankfurt.

近年来，中国企业花费数十亿美元在英国购买了具有战略意义的房地产和企业，包括人称“奶酪刨”的伦敦著名建筑利德贺大楼。从纽约到法兰克福，他们都是企业和房地产的热情买家。

But Chinese buyers are facing increased scrutiny around the world.

但中国买家在全球面临着越来越多的审查。

A steady series of attempted deals by Chinese companies in the United States has helped galvanize lawmakers in Washington to call for greater scrutiny of investments from China. The Senate and House of Representatives have agreed on the final text of legislation that would strengthen the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a multiagency body known as Cfius, and are expected to approve the bill soon with a final vote.

中国企业在美国持续进行的一系列并购交易尝试，也在促使华盛顿的国会议员呼吁加强对中国投资的审查。参众两院已经就加强美国外国投资委员会(Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States)的立法最终文本达成了一致，预计很快就能通过最终表决。

The impact of growing concerns has been significant: The value of new Chinese deals in the United States over the first five months of this year fell 92 percent from the same period last year, to $1.8 billion, according to Rhodium Group, which tracks Chinese investment overseas.

根据追踪中国海外投资的荣鼎咨询(Rhodium Group)的数据，不断加剧的担忧已经造成了显著的影响：在今年头五个月，中国在美国新交易的价值较去年同期下降92%，至18亿美元。

In Britain, a Chinese investment in Hinkley Point, a new nuclear power plant on Britain’s west coast, triggered Mrs. May’s determination to raise the bar for what is considered a strategic foreign investment.

在英国，中国对西海岸新建的欣克利角核电站(Hinkley Point)的投资，促使首相特丽莎·梅决心提高被视为战略性外国投资的门槛。

In Canada, which has been more open to Chinese investment in recent years, the government blocked a $1 billion takeover of a construction company, citing national security concerns.

在近年来对中国投资态度更为开放的加拿大，政府也以国家安全考量为由，阻止了中方10亿美元收购一家加拿大建筑公司的交易。

Several splashy deals in Europe have also prompted discussion there about whether to raise the barriers for investment from China. In Germany, the acquisition of Kuka, the country’s largest industrial robot manufacturer, by a Chinese appliance maker triggered a backlash. The deal turned Midea, the Chinese company, into a major player in automation almost overnight.

在欧洲，几笔引人注目的交易引发了是否对来自中国的投资提高壁垒的讨论。在德国，一家中国家电制造商收购德国最大的工业机器人制造商库卡(Kuka)引发强烈反弹。这笔交易几乎在一夜之间，就让名为“美的”的中国企业成为自动化领域的主要参与者。

More recently, a stealth move by the Chinese carmaker Geely to acquire a $9 billion stake in Daimler prompted Germany to take a closer look at its investment disclosure rules.

最近，中国汽车制造商吉利秘密购持戴姆勒(Daimler)90亿美元股份的行动，促使德国仔细研究其投资披露规定。

Despite the pressure, Chinese companies, faced with increased difficulties in the United States, have been able to continue making investments at a good clip in Europe. Over the past six months, the value of newly announced Chinese deals in the region has surpassed that of new deals in the United States by nine times, according to Rhodium Group and Baker Mackenzie, the law firm.

尽管面临压力，在美国遭遇越来越多困难的中国企业，仍能继续在欧洲迅速投资。根据荣鼎咨询和贝克麦坚时律师事务所(Baker Mackenzie)的数据，在过去的六个月，中国在该地区新宣布的交易价值，已经超过在美国新交易价值的9倍。

“Despite the tightening of investment screening practices in several countries, Europe remains relatively open to Chinese investment,” said Thilo Hanemann, director at Rhodium Group.

荣鼎咨询的董事韩其洛(Thilo Hanemann)表示：“尽管一些国家收紧了投资筛选措施，但欧洲对于中国投资仍然是相对开放的。”

“Only a handful of deals are reviewed and instances of intervention remain rare compared to North America. Not to forget, in the era of Trumpian politics, Europe provides Chinese investors with a more stable and predictable political environment,” Mr. Hanemann said.

“与北美相比，只有少数交易受到审查，受到干预的例子也不多。不要忘了，在特朗普式政治的时代，欧洲为中国投资者提供了一个更加稳定的、更具可预测性的政治环境，”赫恩曼说。