[E325]Better than barbarians|经济学人
本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist《经济学人》2016年第3期，Business版块。
Rich-world firms are warming to the idea of being Chinese-owned
| SHANGHAI
DESPITE the anaemic state of the global economy, companies from mainland China are investing abroad like never before[从来都没这样过]. Chinese firms closed overseas deals worth $61 billion last year, according to a new analysis by the Rhodium Group, a consulting firm[荣鼎咨询(咨询公司)]. This was up by 16% on 2014, and is the highest level on record. What is more, these firms are not all chasing natural resources such as oil and copper['kɒpə][铜], as in the past.
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▷ anaemic [ə'ni:mik]
adj. 贫血的.患贫血症的;无活力的
Over half of women in India and two-fifths of those in Indonesia are anaemic—deficient in iron.
超过一半的印度妇女和五分之二的印尼妇女都患有贫血症——缺铁。
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On January 12th Dalian Wanda, a Chinese property and entertainment conglomerate[kən'ɡlɑːmərət][企业集团], confirmed its long-rumoured[传言已久的] purchase of Legendary Entertainment[传奇影业] for about $3.5 billion. The acquisition[,ækwɪ'zɪʃən][收购] of the American film studio behind “Jurassic World[侏罗纪世界]”, “The Dark Knight[黑暗骑士]” and other blockbusters fulfils the dream of Wang Jianlin, Wanda’s boss, of becoming a global movie mogul[全球电影大亨]. The same day, news surfaced that Beijing Kunlun Tech[北京昆仑万维科技], a Chinese online-games firm, has acquired a majority stake[(占)大部分股份] in Grindr, an American social network for gay men, for about $93m.
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▷ blockbuster ['blɑkbʌstɚ]
n. 轰动;巨型炸弹;一鸣惊人者
hollywood blockbuster
好莱坞大片
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However, perhaps the most intriguing Chinese foreign purchase of the week is the acquisition by a state-owned chemicals firm[化工类国企] of an obscure[朦胧的;不著名的,无名的] German maker of machinery to process rubber and plastic[加工/处理橡胶和塑料]. China National Chemical Corp[中国化工集团公司], more commonly known as ChemChina[中国化工], bought KraussMaffei for about $1 billion.
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▷ intriguing [ɪn'triɡɪŋ]
adj. 有趣的; 迷人的
v. 引起…的兴趣;策划阴谋
These discoveries raise intriguing questions.
这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
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ChemChina itself rose from obscurity[默默无闻;朦胧;阴暗;晦涩] thanks in large part to Ren Jianxin, its chairman. Three decades ago he borrowed 10,000 yuan (less than $2,000 at today’s rates) to start a solvents factory[溶剂厂]. In the following years, he forged[建立;锻造] the ChemChina empire by taking under his wing more than 100 distressed state-owned chemical plants[化工厂] across the country, with the government retaining ownership[保留所有权]. He minimised lay-offs[下岗人员] by shifting[轮班;轮岗] workers to one of the group’s sidelines[外围;副业], Malan Noodle, a restaurant chain. He professionalised management by bringing in outside consultants. Even a foreign chemicals boss who insists that “90% of ChemChina’s assets are rubbish” grudgingly praises Mr Ren’s vision and management style[远见和管理风格/才能].
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▷ distressed [di'strest]
adj.(经济上)窘迫的,贫困的,贫苦的,多难的
贫困(或困难)地区的,地区)失业多的
(出售的商品)受损的;二手的;积压过时的;削价的,廉价的,特价处理的
(扣押物)低价抛售的,贱卖的,(扣押物)被取消赎回权而出售的
He is in bad , distressed circumstances.
他景况贫困, 生活痛苦.
▷ grudgingly ['grʌdʒiŋli]
adv. 勉强地;不情愿地
He grudgingly acknowledged having made a mistake.
他勉强承认他做错了.
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ChemChina is now emerging as the most dynamic globaliser among China’s state enterprises. Already, it has a string of foreign acquisitions[外资并购] under its belt. Most notable['nəʊtəb(ə)l]值得注意的，显著的；著名的] among these is its $7.7 billion deal last year to buy Pirelli, an Italian tyremaker[倍耐力意大利轮胎公司], which will be completed shortly. That was the largest Chinese purchase yet seen in Italy, and the KraussMaffei deal will be the biggest foray['fɔre][初次尝试;涉足][大手笔] by a mainland Chinese firm into Germany. ChemChina is also in a bidding war[竞价战;投标战;竞标战] with Monsanto, an American agribusiness firm[孟山都公司(美国农业生化公司)], for control of Syngenta, a big Swiss rival. If ChemChina prevails[pri'vel][盛行,流行;战胜,获胜] with its latest reported bid for 70% of Syngenta, valuing it at $44 billion, it will be the biggest Chinese foreign acquisition yet.
Why are Chinese firms so keen to go abroad? Some pundits['pʌndɪt][时事评论员;博学者] suspect that the firms’ bosses, afraid of getting caught up in President Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption purge[净化;清洗], are parking assets abroad. Yet there are easier and quieter ways to get yuan through China’s porous currency controls[货币管制/管理;货币政策]. Anyway, some of the firms buying abroad, such as ChemChina, are owned by the state itself. Others think investment opportunities are drying up on the mainland. But even if Chinese growth is only 5-6% rather than the reported rate of around 7%, it would still be stronger than in the rich countries where Chinese firms are buying.
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▷ porous ['pɔrəs]
adj. 多孔渗水的;能渗透的;有气孔的;多漏洞的;松懈的
The water slowly drained away, down through the porous soil.
水慢慢流走了，渗入了疏松的土壤。
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The main reason for Chinese firms’ buying spree[抢购;狂购乱买] is to get the brands, technologies and talent they lack, to capitalise on future waves of growth at home[中国企业并购狂欢的主要原因是获得他们所缺少的品牌、技术和人才，以便在国内未来的发展热潮中能够充分利用]. That is not new in itself; what has changed is the warmth of the welcome they get. In the past, ruthless['rʊθləs][无情的,残忍的] mainland firms, gobbling up[狼吞虎咽;贪婪地抓住] resources firms, caused a backlash in the countries they entered. Today’s Chinese globalisers, says Klaus Meyer of the China Europe International Business School[中欧国际工商学院], are more sophisticated and hands-off[不干涉的;不插手的] with their acquisitions.
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▷ backlash ['bæklæʃ]
n. 反冲；强烈抵制
vt. 强烈反对；发生后冲
The government is facing an angry backlash from voters over the new tax.
政府正面临选民对新税项的强烈反对。
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“ChemChina could be a good owner” of Syngenta, agrees Jeremy Redenius of Sanford C. Bernstein[桑福德伯恩斯坦], a research firm, pointing to the success of its earlier acquisition of Adama, an Israeli firm[安道麦(以色列公司)]. Some rich-world firms[发达国家公司] may now find Chinese ownership more attractive than suffering the rules of Western stockmarkets[股市] or the meddling[干预;插手] of private-equity firms[私募股权公司]. The marauders[mə'rɔ:də][掠夺者] from the Middle Kingdom[中王国时代(古埃及十一王朝时期)] may be more welcome than the barbarians[ba:'bɛəriənz][野蛮人;蛮夷] at the gate[比起来到门口的野蛮人，可能中王国时期的掠夺者们会更受欢迎].
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以上言论不代表本人立场，摘自《经济学人》杂志，仅外语学习之用。查看来源请点击“阅读原文”。