美國監(jiān)管機構明確反對高通被收購

A secretive US national security committee has issued an unusual public warning against Broadcom’s proposed $142bn hostile takeover of San Diego-based Qualcomm, saying a deal might lead to China overtaking the US in critical 5G technology.

美國一個神秘的國家安全委員會發(fā)布了一項不尋常的公開警告，反對博通(Broadcom)對總部位于加州圣迭戈的高通(Qualcomm) 1420億美元的敵意收購，稱該交易可能導致中國在關鍵的5G技術上超過美國。

The letter from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (Cfius), which can block foreign takeovers of American companies, is an unprecedented case of the normally publicity-shy regulator pre-empting a negotiation to protect US technology from Chinese competition. The move comes only days after President Donald Trump invoked a cold war national security statute to justify tariffs on steel and aluminium.

美國外國投資委員會(CFIUS)可以阻止外國企業(yè)收購美國公司。該委員會發(fā)出的這封信是一個前所未有的案例，顯示這個通常不愿曝光的監(jiān)管機構提前阻止談判，以保護美國技術遠離中國競爭對手。就在采取此舉的幾天前，美國總統(tǒng)唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)援引冷戰(zhàn)時期國家安全法律，為其對鋼鐵和鋁進口征收關稅提供依據(jù)。

In its letter to the companies, Cfius criticised Singapore-based Broadcom’s “private equity-style” plans for Qualcomm, saying it would reduce long-term investment in research and development in search of quick profits.

在致相關公司的信函中，美國外國投資委員會批評了總部位于新加坡的博通為高通制定的“私募股權風格”計劃，稱這將減少用于研發(fā)的長期投資，以尋求快速盈利。

Cfius argued this would help Chinese competitors develop 5G, a communications advance that offers faster speeds and underpins the push towards “smart cities” and autonomous driving.

美國外國投資委員會認為，這將有助于中國競爭對手開發(fā)5G，這項通信技術提供更快速度，并將支撐以“智能城市”和自動駕駛為目標的努力。

Cfius singled out Broadcom chief executive Hock Tan, a Malaysian-born US citizen, for his plans to “reset” Qualcomm’s business model without specifying how he would fund R&D.

美國外國投資委員會專門提到了博通首席執(zhí)行官、馬來西亞出生的美國公民陳福陽(Hock Tan)，稱他計劃“重置”高通的商業(yè)模式，卻沒有具體說明他將如何資助研發(fā)工作。

“Reduction in Qualcomm’s long-term technological competitiveness and influence in standard settings would significantly impact US national security,” Cfius said in the letter.

美國外國投資委員會在信中稱：“高通的長期技術競爭力和在標準制定方面影響力的下降，將顯著影響美國國家安全。”

“This is in large part because a weakening of Qualcomm’s position would leave an opening for China to expand its influence on 5G standard-setting.”

“這在很大程度上是因為，高通地位的削弱將為中國擴大其在5G標準制定上的影響力留下機會。”

Qualcomm is one of the largest makers of chips for mobile devices. The innovative US hardware group developed technology that was used in the first mobile phones in the 1990s.

高通是全球最大的移動設備芯片制造商之一。這家有創(chuàng)新精神的美國硬件集團曾開發(fā)上世紀90年代首批移動電話所用的技術。

“This is a sea-change in the behaviour of Cfius and how they analyse risk over and above foreign ownership,” said a top Cfius lawyer in Washington.

華盛頓一名高級CFIUS律師表示：“這是美國外國投資委員會的行為方式，尤其是在他們如何分析外資所有權以外的風險方面的巨大轉變。”