人民幣匯率逼近7.0關口，或成北京重要貿易武器

BEIJING — As the United States and China swap threats and mete out increasingly punishing tariffs, the world is watching to see whether Beijing turns to one of its most potent economic weapons. It involves the number 7.

北京——隨著美中兩國相互威脅，實施越來越嚴厲的關稅，全世界也在關注北京是否會轉而利用其最有效的經(jīng)濟武器。這個武器涉及數(shù)字“7”。

China’s currency, the renminbi, has been gradually losing value since mid-April, and on Tuesday it was at its weakest point in a decade. If the currency weakens any further, it could fall below the psychologically important level of 7 renminbi to the dollar. The last time it took more than 7 renminbi to buy a dollar was in May 2008, as the world was slipping into a financial crisis.

自四月中旬以來，中國的貨幣人民幣一直在逐漸貶值，周二，人民幣跌至十年來最低點。如果進一步貶值，人民幣可能會跌至兌美元匯率7的重要心理關口以下。上一次，買進一美元需要7元人民幣還是2008年5月，當時全世界正陷入金融危機。

The Trump administration doesn’t like the idea of a weaker Chinese currency. That could give what it considers an unfair advantage to China’s exporters. In the arsenal of trade disputes, currencies can be potent weapons.

特朗普政府不喜歡中國貨幣走弱的情況。在他們看來，這會讓中國出口商獲得不公平的優(yōu)勢。在貿易爭端中，貨幣可以是一個有力武器。

But China has good reason to keep its currency from weakening, and it appears to have acted in recent weeks to prop it up. Currencies may be potent weapons, but they are blunt ones — and they can boomerang against those who use them.

但中國有著不讓本國貨幣貶值的充分理由，而它似乎也已經(jīng)在近幾周內采取行動讓人民幣升值。貨幣可能會是有力武器，但同時它們又是一種鈍器——此外，用貨幣作為武器可能也會搬起石頭砸自己的腳。

What happens if the renminbi falls past 7 to the dollar?

如果人民幣兌美元跌破7，會怎么樣?

There is nothing particularly threatening about the number 7 itself. The renminbi at 7.002 to the dollar is pretty similar to the currency at 6.998 to the dollar.

7這個數(shù)字本身不具有什么特別威脅。人民幣兌美元匯率為7.002與兌美元為6.998的時候沒什么大的差別。

But passing that number would be significant symbolically. It would suggest China is prepared to let its currency weaken further still. That would give China’s factory owners an advantage when they sell their goods in the United States. It would also undermine the tariffs the Trump administration has levied on more than $250 billion in Chinese-made products.

但突破7這個大關具有重大意義。這意味著中國準備好要讓本國匯率進一步貶值。這將讓中國的工廠老板在美國銷售商品時獲得優(yōu)勢。這還將破壞特朗普政府對超過2500億美元中國制造商品征收的關稅。

How would that help China?

這將對中國有何好處?

Say you own a Chinese factory making lawn ornaments, and you sell a lot of pink flamingos to an American retailer. You price each at $1 — they may sell for far more in the United States, but shipping and storage account for most of that. When the renminbi is 6 to the dollar, that translates to 6 renminbi in sales.

假設你擁有一家制造草坪裝飾品的中國工廠，向一家美國零售商銷售大量粉色火烈鳥。每款產品的定價為一美元——他們可能會以高得多的價格在美國出售，但其中運輸及倉儲占了大部分。當人民幣兌美元匯率為6時，這就等于銷售額為6元人民幣。

But when the currency depreciates to 7 to the dollar, that $1 flamingo is worth 7 renminbi in sales to you. Or you can cut the price — say, from $1 to 85.7 cents — and still make your original 6 renminbi in sales. Your American competitor, who has to buy and sell in dollars, has to grudgingly cut prices to compete.

但當人民幣匯率跌至兌美元為7的時候，一美元的火烈鳥在銷售額上就等于7元人民幣?；蛘吣阋部梢越祪r——比如從一美元降到85.7美分——銷售額就仍然是原本的6元人民幣。但你那些必須以美元交易的美國競爭對手為了能與之競爭，就得不情愿地降價。

(It’s a lot more complicated in the real world. The plastic and metal for the plastic flamingo may have been imported to China and are priced in dollars. But bear with us.)

(現(xiàn)實世界中，情況要復雜得多。制造塑料火烈鳥所需的塑料和金屬可能是以美元進口到中國的。但請耐心聽我們解釋。)

A weaker currency can also help Chinese exporters beat President Trump’s tariffs. Right now, the United States imposes tariffs of about 10 percent on a wide variety of Chinese goods that arrive at an American port. If the renminbi has fallen 10 percent, the tariff is basically nullified.

人民幣走弱還能有助于中國出口商擊敗特朗普總統(tǒng)的關稅。目前，美國對多種抵達某個美國港口的中國商品征收約10%的關稅。如果人民幣下跌10%，關稅基本上就失去了效力。

What’s driving the decline?

是什么造成了人民幣貶值?

Some politicians in the United States and elsewhere have long said that China manipulates its currency, even though Washington officials — including in the Trump administration — have stopped short of official accusations. But in this case, many of the forces weakening the currency are beyond Beijing’s immediate control.

長期以來，一些美國及其他地方的政治人士一直在說中國操縱匯率，盡管華盛頓官員——包括特朗普政府內的官員——并沒有做出正式的指責。但具體在這里，許多導致人民幣疲軟的因素都不在北京直接可控的范圍內。

China’s financial system is firmly controlled by the government, giving the country’s leaders a great degree of control over how much the renminbi is worth. Officials set a daily benchmark rate for the renminbi and allow its value to move a smidgen above or below that level in currency markets. Chinese officials say each day’s trading activity helps determine the value they set for the renminbi the next day, but they disclose few details about how that works.

中國金融體系由政府牢牢把控，這讓該國領導人就人民幣價值幾何擁有大量控制權。官員們每日為人民幣設下基準匯率，并且允許其價值在貨幣市場中在該水平上小幅上下波動。中國官員表示，每天的交易活動能有助于為第二天人民幣匯率定價，但他們很少披露運作過程的細節(jié)。

On Tuesday, Beijing set that guidepost at 6.9574, just a hair’s breadth stronger than 7. In the world of foreign exchange, a higher number means a weaker currency.

周二，北京將基準設為6.9574，僅比7強一點。在外匯市場上，數(shù)字越大，貨幣就越走弱。

Right now, traders are sending Beijing a single message: The renminbi should be worth less. The people and companies that hold the currency have become increasingly nervous about China’s slowing economic growth, slumping stock market, fragile real estate market and seemingly intractable trade war with the United States. Inflation has begun to tick upward, and rising prices tend to make holding the relevant currency less attractive.

目前，交易員們正在給北京發(fā)出一條信息：人民幣不應再貶值了。面對中國放緩的經(jīng)濟、暴跌的股市、脆弱的房地產市場及與美國似乎很棘手的貿易戰(zhàn)，持有人民幣的個人和公司愈發(fā)感到緊張不安。通貨膨脹開始上升，上漲的物價也將讓持有相關貨幣變得不那么具有吸引力。

There are other reasons. Since late July, Beijing has tried to prop up the economy by having the state-controlled banking sector increase lending, making money more available. That means even more renminbi sloshing around, weakening the currency’s value.

還有其他原因。自7月底以來，北京一直在試圖通過讓國家控制的銀行業(yè)增加借貸、讓人們能借到錢，來提振經(jīng)濟。這意味著市場上將流通更多人民幣，會進一步削弱人民幣幣值。

While China hasn’t raised interest rates, the Federal Reserve in Washington has. That makes it attractive for many people to sell their renminbi and buy dollars. Would you rather have a one-year renminbi certificate of deposit that pays 1.5 percent interest now, or a one-year dollar C.D. that pays out 2.6 percent or more?

盡管中國還沒有加息，華盛頓的美聯(lián)儲已經(jīng)這么做了。這會引得更多人賣掉手中的人民幣，買入美元。你會更愿意有一張利率為1.5%的人民幣一年存單，還是利率為2.6%甚至更高的美元一年存單?

Is the drop deliberate on Beijing’s part?

人民幣貶值是北京蓄意為之的嗎?

Not quite. If anything, Beijing is trying to keep the renminbi from falling too fast.

不見得。真要說有什么舉措的話，北京反倒在試圖阻止人民幣貶值太快。

China has a number of ways to bolster the currency’s value. One option is to follow the Fed’s example and raise interest rates. That would give Chinese families and companies more incentive to keep their money in China. But that would raise the cost of borrowing in China, just as the economy is slowing.

要想抬高幣值，中國有各種手段。一個選擇就是按照美聯(lián)儲的做法，提高利率。這將讓中國的家庭與公司有更多將資金留在中國的動力。但這個做法會提高在中國借貸的成本，尤其是在經(jīng)濟放緩的時候。

Beijing could buy up its own currency instead. Like anything else, the renminbi’s value rises when it is scarcer.

北京可以通過購買提升人民幣幣值。就像其他東西一樣，當變得更稀有的時候，人民幣幣值會升高。

Thanks to the way it has managed its currency over the years, China has amassed the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves — a $3 trillion stash of money it keeps in dollars, euros, pounds, yen and other currencies. It has begun to tap that stash. When China’s central bank released its monthly balance sheet a week ago, it showed a drop of almost $20 billion in foreign currency just during September.

多虧了中國多年來管理貨幣的方式，中國已經(jīng)積聚起了世界上最大的外匯儲備——價值3萬億美元的資金，分別為美元、歐元、英鎊、日元及其他貨幣。中國已經(jīng)開始動用這筆資金。當中國央行上周公布其月份資產負債表時，表上顯示出9月期間，外匯儲備下降約200億美元。

“Selling almost $20 billion in a month won’t break the bank,” said Brad W. Setser, an economist at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. “But it does indicate the direction of current market pressure.”

“在一個月里賣出近200億美元不會耗盡儲備，”紐約的美國外交關系委員會(Council on Foreign Relations)經(jīng)濟學家布拉德·W·塞策(Brad W. Setser)表示。“但它確實表明了目前市場壓力的方向。”

What are the broader risks?

更廣泛的層面有什么風險?

Three years ago, as its economy slowed, China devalued the renminbi in part to give its factories a helping hand. The financial world was shocked. Markets plunged.

3年前，隨著經(jīng)濟放緩，中國讓人民幣貶值，部分是為了幫中國工廠一把。當時金融世界受到震動，股市暴跌。

As Chinese officials hurried to explain themselves, people and companies began shifting their money — money that China’s economy needed — outside the country. A year later, China had spent more than $500 billion from its reserves in an effort to shore up the renminbi. It later tightened controls on the financial system to shut off many ways people used to get money out of the country.

就在中國官員匆忙為自己的行為作出解釋的時候，個人和公司開始將自己的資金轉出國外，而這些資金正是中國經(jīng)濟所需要的。一年后，為了支撐人民幣，中國已經(jīng)將外匯儲備花掉了超過5000億美元。中國后來收緊了對金融體系的控制，關掉了許多人們曾經(jīng)用來將資金轉出國外的渠道。

Should the trade war intensify, China may look to make more aggressive moves with its currency. But as history shows, there can be a price to pay.

如果貿易戰(zhàn)惡化，中國可能會在貨幣方面考慮更加激進的措施。但歷史表明，這么做是有代價的。