Chinese investments now support about 80,000 full-time jobs in the US, a fivefold increase in the past five years and an apparent reversal following decades of American complaints over manufacturing jobs being outsourced to China.
来自中国的投资目前在美国创造了约8万个全职工作岗位,比5年前增加了4倍。这一增长势头,似乎应该让美国人无法再发出此前数十年的抱怨:美国的制造业岗位被外包给了中国。
Chinese companies have invested $46bn in the US since 2000, most of it in the past five years, according to a study this week by US research company Rhodium Group, sponsored by the National Committee on US-China Relations.
根据美国研究公司荣鼎咨询(Rhodium Group)本周发布的一份研究报告,2000年以来,中国企业已在美国投资460亿美元,其中多数投资都发生在过去5年。荣鼎咨询这项研究,得到了美中关系全国委员会(National Committee on US-China Relations)的支持。
The study predicts Chinese investment in the US could increase to between $100bn and $200bn by 2020, creating 200,000-400,000 jobs.
该研究报告预计,截至2020年,中国对美投资或将增至1000亿美元到2000亿美元之间,创造20万到40万个就业岗位。
Chinese investment has been controversial in some sectors, including those with potential military applications, and many US politicians have warned that Chinese investors would take advantage of far cheaper labour in China and transfer jobs back there.
中国的投资在部分产业始终存在争议——其中包括那些有潜在军事用途的产业。此外,许多美国政界人士警告说,中国投资者还会利用中国廉价得多的劳动力,将就业岗位转移回中国国内。
But the report found many investments saved target companies from bankruptcy, most acquisitions led to expansion and examples of downsizing were rare.
然而,这份报告却发现,来自中国的投资令许多美国目标企业免于破产,多数收购案令目标企业的业务出现了扩张,业务规模减小的例子十分罕见。
It also found a significant acceleration in Chinese investments in US manufacturing and service sector projects in the past 18 months.
该报告还发现,过去18个月,中国对美国制造业和服务业项目的投资出现了显著加速。
“While [80,000 jobs] is still modest compared with the total number of jobs provided by foreign firms, it is significant growth from less than 15,000 jobs five years ago,” the report said. “Fears that Chinese acquirers could systematically move acquired assets and related jobs back to China have not materialised.”
该报告表示:“虽然与外国企业创造的工作岗位总数相比,(8万个岗位)仍然较少,但是相对5年前不到1.5万个就业岗位来说,已经是显著增长了。人们对中国收购方会系统性地将所收购资产及相关岗位转移回中国的担忧,并未成为现实。”
The study provided a detailed analysis of Chinese investment by congressional district and found Chinese investors had established nearly 1,600 businesses across the country by the end of last year.
该研究报告按照国会选区,对来自中国的投资开展了细节性分析,发现截至去年底中国投资者已在美国全国成立了近1600家企业。
By state, the biggest recipients of Chinese investment were California, Texas, Illinois, New York and North Carolina, where Chinese investment accounted for 15,000 jobs.
以各州来看,获得中国投资最多的州是加利福尼亚州、德克萨斯州、伊利诺伊州、纽约州和北卡罗来纳州,中国的投资在这些州创造了1.5万个工作岗位。
North Carolina is home to Smithfield Foods, which was bought in 2013 by Chinese meat producer Shuanghui Group, and the state also serves as a US base for Beijing-headquartered computer group Lenovo, which bought IBM’s personal computer business in 2005.
北卡罗来纳州是史密斯菲尔德食品公司(Smithfield Foods)的所在地,该公司于2013年被中国肉制品生产商双汇集团(Shuanghui Group)收购。此外,该州还是总部驻北京的计算机集团联想公司(Lenovo)在美国的基地。2005年,联想收购了IBM的个人电脑(PC)部门。
The current level of Chinese direct investment in the US is roughly on a par with that of Japanese companies in the 1980s, the report says.
报告表示,中国目前对美国直接投资的水平,大致与上世纪80年代日本企业对美投资相等。
When Japan faced rising opposition to its imports and investment it ordered its giant car companies to localise production in the US in order to create jobs and neutralise political opposition to soaring Japanese imports.
当日本商品和投资当年在美国面对日益激烈的抵制时,日本曾要求其车企巨头将生产活动留在美国本地,以创造就业岗位,缓和政治压力。
Some influential voices are calling for greater Chinese investment in the US economy.
一些影响力人物也在呼吁中国加大对美国的投资。
In an article in the June edition of The Atlantic magazine, former US Treasury Secretaries Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin argue that Chinese investment in America’s creaking infrastructure should be welcomed and facilitated.
在今年6月《大西洋月刊》(The Atlantic)刊登的一篇文章中,美国前财长亨利保尔森(Henry Paulson)及罗伯特脠宾(Robert Rubin)声称,美国应欢迎并协助中国投资于前者破败的基础设施。