中國承認(rèn)鋼鐵產(chǎn)能仍將過剩

Significant overcapacity will remain in China’s steelsector even after planned restructuring, industryexecutives said at the weekend, suggesting no let-upfor the beleaguered industry’s plant closures and joblosses across the globe.

鋼鐵行業(yè)高管周末表示，即便在規(guī)劃中的重組之后，中國鋼鐵業(yè)產(chǎn)能仍將嚴(yán)重過剩，這似乎表明全球陷入困境的鋼鐵業(yè)的工廠倒閉和失業(yè)不會有任何改善。

The acknowledgement by Chinese governmentofficials and the country’s steel association came asthe UK foreign minister and a leading US steel executive added their voices to concerns aboutthe recent surge in exports from China.

在中國政府官員和鋼鐵業(yè)協(xié)會做出上述承認(rèn)之際，英國外交大臣和美國鋼鐵業(yè)一位領(lǐng)先高管也加入了對中國最近出口飆升表示擔(dān)憂的行列。

Luo Tiejun, an official with China’s industry ministry, said at a conference that planned cutswould reduce annual steel capacity to about 1.1bn tonnes by 2020 while domesticconsumption was unlikely to exceed 700m tonnes.

中國工業(yè)和信息化部官員駱鐵軍在一次會議上表示，規(guī)劃中的重組將讓年度鋼鐵產(chǎn)能到2020年降至11億噸左右，同時國內(nèi)消費(fèi)不太可能超過7億噸。

“We need to cut [an additional] 200m tonnes for the situation to become acceptable,” Mr Luosaid, noting that China also currently exported about 100m tones of steel annually.

駱鐵軍表示：“要想讓情況變得可以接受，我們需要(額外)削減2億噸產(chǎn)能。”他指出，中國目前仍在每年出口約1億噸鋼鐵。

The growing international controversy surrounding China’s steel industry comes at anawkward time for the Chinese government, which is seeking to secure EU “market economystatus” by the end of the year.

對中國政府來說，圍繞中國鋼鐵業(yè)的爭議愈演愈烈的時機(jī)頗為尷尬，因為中國正在爭取歐盟在今年底之前承認(rèn)其“市場經(jīng)濟(jì)地位”。

Beijing argues that the designation, which would make it harder to prove that Chinese steelplants were “dumping” their products overseas at below cost, should be granted automaticallyunder the terms of its 2001 World Trade Organisation accession agreement.

北京方面辯稱，按照2001年加入世貿(mào)組織(WTO)的相關(guān)條款，中國應(yīng)該被自動授予“市場經(jīng)濟(jì)地位”。這將使貿(mào)易伙伴更難證明中國鋼廠以低于成本的價格在海外“傾銷”產(chǎn)品。

But EU officials, many of whom were initially favoured granting China MES, face a growingbacklash from European unions, industry and politicians, especially after Tata Steel said it woulddispose of a Welsh steel plant that employs 4,000 workers. The Indian group has blamedcheap Chinese exports for the pressure building on its European operations.

但歐盟官員——其中有許多最初支持授予中國市場經(jīng)濟(jì)地位——遭遇來自歐洲工會、行業(yè)和政客們?nèi)找鎻?qiáng)烈的反彈，尤其是在塔塔鋼鐵(Tata Steel)宣布將關(guān)閉威爾士一家雇用4000名員工的鋼廠之后。塔塔鋼鐵指責(zé)中國鋼鐵的廉價出口導(dǎo)致其歐洲業(yè)務(wù)日益承壓。

The crisis at Tata’s Port Talbot facility in Wales even featured at a weekend meeting of the UKand Chinese foreign ministers, where trade disputes are seldom on the agenda. “I urged Chinato accelerate its efforts to reduce levels of steel production,” Philip Hammond, UK foreignsecretary, said after a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing.

塔塔在威爾士塔爾伯特港(Port Talbot)工廠發(fā)生的危機(jī)，甚至成了英中外交部長周末會晤的一個話題——貿(mào)易糾紛一般很少出現(xiàn)在這種會議上。英國外交大臣菲利普•哈蒙德(Philip Hammond)在北京與中國外長會晤后表示：“我敦促中國加快削減鋼鐵產(chǎn)量水平的努力。”

But Mr Hammond also welcomed “potential interest” by Chinese companies in the UK steelsector, as David Cameron’s government attempts to cash in on its new status as Beijing’s “bestfriend” in Europe.

但哈蒙德也對中國公司對英國鋼鐵行業(yè)的“潛在興趣”表示歡迎。目前戴維•卡梅倫(David Cameron)政府正試圖利用英國作為中國在歐洲的“最好朋友”這一新地位。

In contrast to the EU, the US is extremely unlikely to agree to Beijing’s demand for MES,especially in an election year during which the frontrunners for the Democratic and Republicanparties’ presidential nominations have threatened to roll back the Trans-Pacific Partnership andother free trade agreements backed by the Obama administration.

與歐盟相反，美國不太可能同意授予中國市場經(jīng)濟(jì)地位的要求，尤其是在選舉年——民主黨和共和黨的總統(tǒng)候選人提名領(lǐng)跑者均威脅要逆轉(zhuǎn)《跨太平洋伙伴關(guān)系協(xié)定》(TPP)以及奧巴馬政府支持的其他自由貿(mào)易協(xié)定。

In a further acknowledgement that China’s planned capacity cuts will not be enough to quellthe growing controversy, the head of the country’s leading steel association said that“controlling steel output is more important” than cutting capacity.

中國主要鋼鐵協(xié)會會長表示，“控制鋼鐵產(chǎn)量比削減產(chǎn)能更重要”，進(jìn)一步承認(rèn)中國規(guī)劃中的產(chǎn)能削減將不足以平息愈演愈烈的爭議。