经济学人:英首相叫停核电站建设 中国在英投资热下降(上)

 　　Britain: Chinese investment: Not so gung-ho

　　英国：中国在英投资热下降
　　Relations may cool, but the flow of yuan into Britain is unlikely to dry up.
　　两国关系可能会降温，但人民币会继续流向英国。
　　After spending a century trying to prise open the Chinese market in Victorian times, European countries are now seeing the flow reversed, as a tide of Chinese money (if not yet gunboats) goes west.
　　在维多利亚时期，欧洲国家花了一个世纪才撬开中国市场的大门而现在他们却发现局势正在翻转，中国资本（暂时还不是炮艇）正在流入西方。
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　　Some are cautious about allowing Chinese investment in sensitive areas of the economy.
　　对于一些经济敏感领域的中国投资，一些国家表现得很谨慎。
　　But last year, to the surprise of many, Britain’s government launched a new initiative of economic co-operation with China that the two sides said would bring forth 1 a “golden era” in bilateral 2 relations.
　　但出人意料的是，去年英国政府出台了一项中英经济合作的新协议，双方表示这一协议将会开启中英双边关系的“黄金时代”。
　　Britain became one of the first Western countries to sign up for the new, China-led Asian Infrastructure 3 Investment Bank, to America’s annoyance 4.
　　在中国发起筹建亚洲基础设施投资银行（AIIB）的倡议后，英国成为首个与中方签订协议加入亚投行的西方国家。这一行为引起美国的不满。
　　George Osborne, then chancellor 5 of the exchequer 6, visited Beijing, to make clear that cash-strapped Britain was open for infrastructure investment.
　　英国财政大臣乔治·奥斯本曾亲自造访北京，表示英国目前资金短缺，欢迎中国投资英国基础设施。
　　He launched the ￡12 billion ($16 billion) procurement 7 process for HS2, a railway between London and the north of England, in the Chinese city of Chengdu.
　　他在成都签署了120亿英镑(160美元)的采购，用于建设HS2高速铁路，这条铁路从伦敦出发，上行至北英格兰。
　　Then came a double shock.
　　两重意外，接连而至。
　　First the vote on June 23rd to leave the European Union.
　　先是在6月23日英国公投退出欧盟。
　　Then on July 28th the surprise decision by the new prime minister, Theresa May, to delay approval of a nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset, due to be part-funded by Chinese investment.
　　紧接着7月28日，英国新首相特蕾莎·梅做出了让人意外的决定，在萨默塞特郡欣克利角的一座核电站建设的准许被推迟，因为这一核电站是由中国投资共同出资的。
　　If the review cancels the project, the golden era could be over before it has begun, says Kerry Brown of King’s College London.
　　国王学院的凯瑞·布朗说，如果复审取消了这一工程的话，那这一黄金时代来不及开始就会结束了。
　　Since 2000 China has poured more direct investment into Britain than it has into any other EU country.
　　自从2000年以来，中国在英国倾注了大量直接投资，这远多于中国在其他任何欧洲国家的投资。
　　The Chinese are keen to prove themselves as solid partners in Western infrastructure projects, and hope, after Hinkley, to design and build an entire nuclear plant in Essex.
　　中国急切地想要证明自己是西方基础设施建设工程的有力合作伙伴，同时还希望，在欣克利角核电站合作项目完成之后，能够在英国埃塞克斯郡设计建筑一整座核电站。
　　But critics felt the sudden British embrace of China was too gung-ho.
　　有人对此表示反对，他们认为英国突然对中国敞开怀抱未免太过热情。
　　The same sceptics had, for security reasons, already warned about a decision to allow Huawei, a Chinese firm, to supply equipment for Britain’s telecoms infrastructure.
　　出于安全保障考虑，疑心重重的人早先提出过警告，质疑让中国公司华为提供英国电信基础设备的这一决定。
　　Many feared getting too close to China tied Britain’s hands diplomatically.
　　很多人担心，与中国走得太近会束缚英国的外交手腕。
　　Mrs May’s delay on Hinkley has clearly annoyed China’s leaders.
　　英国首相梅女士叫停了欣克利角核电站工程，这明显惹怒了中国领导人。
　　In an editorial Xinhua, the official news agency, denied that China would put any “back doors” into the project, saying that ditching it would “stain” Britain’s credibility as an open economy and “might deter 8 possible investors 9 from China” in the future.
　　在中国官方新闻机构新华社的一篇社论中，中国表明不会在这个项目中开任何“后门”，如果这一工程被英国弃置，英国必将“抹黑”自己作为开放经济体的信誉，并且将来“还可能会遏制中国潜在投资者在英投资”。
　　Xinhua also pointed 10 indirectly 11 to a sensitive issue about the British delay: Brexiteers had promoted a vision of Britain outside the EU with closer ties to emerging markets like China.
　　就此次英国叫停核电站建设一事，新华社还间接提及了一个敏感的话题：退欧派曾预测，退出欧盟的英国会与其他新兴市场建立更加密切的联系，比如中国。
　　1.gung-ho 同心协力的
　　例句:Senate Republicans are less gung-ho about tax cuts.
　　共和党的参议员对减税并不太热衷。
　　2.emerging market 新兴市场
　　例句:This slowdown will undoubtedly 12 affect demand for emerging market exports.
　　这一放缓无疑将影响到对新兴市场出口产品的需求。
　　3.open economy 开放经济
　　例句:The trend of economic globalization, the development of an open economy has become the mainstream 13 choice.
　　在经济全球化的趋势下，发展开放型经济已成为各国的主流选择。
　　4.power plant 发电厂
　　例句:In an electric power plant the heat converts water into high-pressure steam.
　　在发电厂里，热能将水转化成高压蒸汽。