特朗普軟化限制中國投資的立場

更新：周三，特朗普政府放棄了對中國在美投資強硬的新限制計劃，轉(zhuǎn)而支持國會關(guān)于擴大需要審查的外國交易類型的努力。

WASHINGTON — President Trump signaled on Tuesday that the White House may soften a plan to impose sweeping new investment restrictions on China, saying he supported giving more power to an existing government body that reviews foreign investments for national security threats.

華盛頓——特朗普總統(tǒng)周二暗示白宮可能會軟化對中國的全面投資限制計劃，稱他支持增加現(xiàn)有的一個政府機構(gòu)的權(quán)力。該機構(gòu)負責審查外國投資是否對國家安全構(gòu)成威脅。

No final decisions have been made and Mr. Trump could ultimately decide to move ahead with the type of tough bans on Chinese investment in American companies that he has been threatening as part of his crackdown on Beijing’s trade practices. The administration, which has already threatened China with tariffs on as much as $450 billion worth of its products, had promised to outline by Saturday proposed restrictions on Chinese investment to protect American companies it says were pressured to hand over valuable technology and trade secrets to operate in China.

最終決定尚未做出，特朗普最終可能會決定推進一種嚴格的禁令。他一直威脅要對中國投資美國公司實行這種禁令，這是他打擊北京貿(mào)易行為的一部分。特朗普政府威脅要對價值高達4500億美元(約合3萬億元人民幣)的中國產(chǎn)品征收關(guān)稅。此前，政府承諾在周六前就限制中國投資、保護美國公司的方案給出一份綱要。特朗普政府稱，為了在中國開展業(yè)務，這些公司被強迫交出寶貴的技術(shù)和商業(yè)機密。

The White House is still expected to unveil by Saturday restrictions on exporting sensitive American technologies abroad. That could have a more significant effect on United States companies than restrictions on Chinese investment, since it would limit the ability of American companies to sell a range of products to China. The White House has targeted specific products that it wants to prevent China from dominating, including robotics, artificial intelligence and new energy vehicles.

白宮預計仍會在周六之前公布對向海外出口美國敏感技術(shù)的限制。這對美國公司的影響可能比限制中國投資更大，因為它會限制美國公司向中國銷售一系列產(chǎn)品的能力。白宮已把它想阻止中國占據(jù)主導地位的特定產(chǎn)品列為目標，包括機器人、人工智能和新能源汽車。

But people familiar with the discussions said that, at least on the issue of Chinese investment, the White House was now leaning toward endorsing a current effort in Congress to expand the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or Cfius, which reviews investments for security threats.

但知情人士稱，至少在中國投資的問題上，白宮現(xiàn)在傾向于支持國會當前的一項行動，擴大美國外國投資委員會(Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States，簡稱Cfius)的權(quán)力，該委員會負責審查投資是否存在安全威脅。

“We have the great scientists, we have the great brains,” the president said Tuesday. “We’re going to protect it. And that’s what we were doing. And that can be done through Cfius. We have a lot of things we can do it through. And we’re working that out.”

“我們有優(yōu)秀的科學家，我們有聰明的頭腦，”總統(tǒng)周二說。“我們會保護它。這也是我們過去在做的事情。這一點可以通過Cfius來實現(xiàn)。我們可以通過它做很多事情。我們正在往這方面努力。”

The congressional overhaul to Cfius would include a list of “countries of special concern” that allow it to review investments from those nations, but stops short of specifically naming China as the target.

國會對Cfius的改革將包括一個“特別關(guān)注國家”名單。這將使Cfius得以審查來自這些國家的投資，但它沒有明確將中國列為目標。

Such an outcome would be a victory for Mr. Trump’s more moderate economic advisers, including Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, who has tried to use his clout with the president to de-escalate trade tensions with China. Mr. Mnuchin has argued internally that congressional efforts to strengthen current security checks were both sufficient to guard against threats to American technology and targeted enough to avoid disrupting the American economy.

這樣的結(jié)果對特朗普的經(jīng)濟顧問中的溫和派，包括財政部長史蒂文·馬努欽(Steven Mnuchin)來說將是一場勝利。馬努欽一直試圖利用他對總統(tǒng)的影響力來緩和與中國的貿(mào)易緊張關(guān)系。他在私下里稱，國會加強當前安全審查措施的行動既可以防范對美國技術(shù)的威脅，也很有針對性，足以避免擾亂美國經(jīng)濟。

Mr. Mnuchin has tried to prevent the administration from employing aggressive measures against China, including an effort by some in the White House to use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which would allow the administration to take broad action against China by declaring a national emergency. Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, had recently joined Mr. Mnuchin in his arguments, these people said.

馬努欽試圖阻止特朗普政府對中國采取強硬的措施，包括白宮的一些人打算援用《國際緊急狀態(tài)經(jīng)濟權(quán)力法》(International Emergency Economic Powers Act)。該法案允許特朗普政府通過宣布國家進入緊急狀態(tài)來對中國采取廣泛行動。這些知情人士稱，國務卿邁克·龐皮歐(Mike Pompeo)最近同馬努欽達成了共識。

Mr. Trump, who campaigned on punishing China over its trade practices, has been pushed by his hard-line trade advisers, Peter Navarro and Robert E. Lighthizer, to embrace more aggressive measures.

特朗普在競選期間便主張懲罰中國的貿(mào)易行為。他的強硬派貿(mào)易顧問彼得·納瓦羅(Peter Navarro)和羅伯特·E·萊特希澤(Robert E. Lighthizer)一直催促他采取更強硬的措施。

That has frustrated Mr. Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive, who has counseled Mr. Trump against pursuing restrictions that would target China specifically, warning that could create unnecessary diplomatic and legal complications, according to people familiar with the discussions.

據(jù)知情人士透露，這令曾擔任高盛(Goldman Sachs)高管的馬努欽感到惱火。他建議特朗普不要實行明確針對中國的限制，警告稱這么做可能會造成不必要的外交和法律難題。

In late May, Mr. Mnuchin helped orchestrate a meeting among the president, top White House advisers and Republican lawmakers, in which he appealed to lawmakers to help make the case to Mr. Trump that legislation would be a more targeted way to police Chinese investment. But Mr. Navarro and Mr. Lighthizer, the United States trade representative, who were also at the meeting, objected to that approach, and the president ultimately overruled Mr. Mnuchin, saying he supported the congressional legislation but that it alone was not enough.

5月底，馬努欽幫助安排了總統(tǒng)、白宮高級顧問與共和黨議員的一次會議。他在會上呼吁議員幫助向特朗普證明，立法是一種更有針對性的監(jiān)管中國投資的方式。納瓦羅和美國貿(mào)易代表萊特希澤也參加了那次會議，但他們反對這種方式?？偨y(tǒng)最終否決了馬努欽的建議，稱他支持國會的立法，但僅有立法還不夠。

Congress is expected to vote on the legislation as part of a defense-spending bill this year. On Tuesday, the House passed its version of the bill, which would grant Cfius broader authority to block investments over national security concerns.

國會預計會將相關(guān)立法作為今年國防開支法案的一部分進行投票表決。周二，眾議院通過了該法案的參議院版本，后者將賦予Cfius廣泛權(quán)力，可以在存在國家安全擔憂時阻止投資。

Mr. Mnuchin has privately expressed frustration that other members of the administration’s economic team were trying to box him in to taking a more hawkish approach to China, and he has expressed concern to the president that such an approach, combined with the escalating tariffs, could dampen the economy and disturb financial markets.

對于政府經(jīng)濟團隊其他成員試圖逼他對中國采取更強硬的態(tài)度，馬努欽在私下里表示了不滿。他向總統(tǒng)表示，這種做法，加上不斷升級的關(guān)稅，可能會抑制經(jīng)濟和擾亂金融市場。

In recent weeks, Mr. Mnuchin had maintained a low profile as the White House proposed tough trade measures on China that he had opposed. But on Monday, amid growing fears that the Trump trade wars could hurt American companies, Mr. Mnuchin re-emerged. After reports in The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg detailed the rollout this week of draconian Chinese investment restrictions, the secretary fired off a Twitter post “on behalf of” Mr. Trump calling the stories “fake news” and hinting that Treasury would support a broader proposal to protect American intellectual property that would not be “specific to China, but to all countries that are trying to steal our technology.”

最近幾周，在白宮提議對中國采取他反對的強硬貿(mào)易措施時，馬努欽一直保持低調(diào)。但周一，在對特朗普的貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)可能會傷害美國公司的擔憂日漸加劇時，馬努欽再次露面。在《華爾街日報》(The Wall Street Journal)和彭博社(Bloomberge)詳細報道了將于本周公布的對中國投資的嚴苛限制后，這位財政部長在Twitter上“代表”特朗普開口，稱相關(guān)報道是“假新聞”，并暗示財政部會支持一項保護美國知識產(chǎn)權(quán)的大規(guī)模提案，它不是“針對中國，而是所有試圖竊取我們技術(shù)的國家”。

The president appeared to endorse Mr. Mnuchin’s statement on Tuesday, saying that “it’s not just the Chinese.”

周二，總統(tǒng)似乎認可馬努欽的表述，稱“不僅僅是中國人”。

Tensions between the United States and China have threatened to boil over for months as the two countries negotiated over trade relations and brandished threats of rapidly escalating tariffs. The Trump administration plans to impose tariffs on its first $34 billion of Chinese goods on July 6, penalties that Beijing has promised to match in kind.

隨著中美兩國就貿(mào)易關(guān)系進行談判，并威脅要迅速提高關(guān)稅，兩國的緊張關(guān)系可能會持續(xù)數(shù)月。特朗普政府計劃于7月6日對首批340億美元的中國商品征收關(guān)稅，北京已誓言以類似的方式進行報復。

The tariffs, investment restrictions and export controls are all part of the administration’s plans to combat what it describes as intellectual property theft from China and slow the country’s efforts at dominating cutting-edge technologies that will be critical to future economic growth, an industrial plan known as Made in China 2025.

關(guān)稅、投資限制和出口管制是特朗普政府計劃的一部分，旨在打擊它所說的中國盜竊知識產(chǎn)權(quán)的行為，延緩該國主導前沿技術(shù)的努力，這些技術(shù)對名為“中國制造2025”的未來經(jīng)濟增長產(chǎn)業(yè)計劃至關(guān)重要。

The White House had previously said that it would release details on investment restrictions and export controls before Saturday, and put the measures into place days after that deadline.

白宮此前曾表示，它將在周六之前公布投資限制和出口管制的細節(jié)，并在最后期限過后開始實施這些措施。

Some lawmakers have also been looking for ways to curb Mr. Trump’s protectionist tendencies, which go against the Republican Party’s embrace of free trade. On Tuesday, some senators tried to restart an effort to force a floor vote on legislation that would require the president to seek congressional approval before imposing tariffs over national security concerns.

一些議員也一直在尋找遏制特朗普有保護主義傾向的方法，這種傾向與共和黨對自由貿(mào)易的擁護相悖。周二，一些參議員試圖重啟一項努力，迫使全體參議員就一項法案進行投票，該法案將要求總統(tǒng)在以國家安全為由征收關(guān)稅之前，先獲得國會的批準。

A bipartisan effort to add such language to a defense policy bill this month was derailed by Senate Republican leaders, who raised procedural concerns. This time around, however, it appeared more likely that the senators, led by Bob Corker of Tennessee, would secure a vote through an amendment to the farm bill under consideration by the Senate this week.

一項兩黨聯(lián)合行動試圖在本月的一個國防法案中加入相關(guān)表述，但被參議院的共和黨領(lǐng)導人以程序問題為由挫敗。不過，這一次，在田納西州的鮑勃·科克(Bob Corker)帶領(lǐng)下，一群參議員似乎很有可能通過給本周參議院審議的農(nóng)業(yè)法案加入一項修正案，獲得一次表決的機會