在華商會報告警示產能過剩加劇中國經濟放緩

BEIJING — The failure of Chinese leaders to tackle the problem of excess industrial production has intensified an economic slowdown in the country and threatens to wreak havoc on global markets, a prominent European business association said in a new report on Monday.

一個重要的歐洲企業協會在週一發佈報告指出，由於中國領導人無法有效對付工業生產過剩這個難題，從而加劇了該國經濟放緩的程度，也可能由此引發全球市場的動盪。

Warning that the effects of overcapacity had become “ever more destructive,” the report by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China blamed government policies and recalcitrant officials for inefficiencies across many of China’s major industries, including steel, cement and chemicals.

中國歐盟商會(European Union Chamber of Commerce in China)發表的這篇報告警告，產能過剩造成的影響已“惡化”，並將中國許多主要產業缺乏效率這一現象，歸咎於政府政策與不願配合上級的地方官員。這些主要產業包括了鋼鐵、水泥、化工等等。

“Without a sustained effort to address it now, overcapacity may well seriously impede the effectiveness of China’s economic reform agenda,” said Joerg Wuttke, president of the chamber. He said ineffective policies and parochialism among provincial officials had exacerbated the problem.

中國歐盟商會主席伍德克(Joerg Wuttke)表示：“如果不能有效解決，產能過剩將會嚴重阻礙中國經濟改革進程。”他也表示，不良政策與地方官員的狹隘心態使得問題更趨嚴重。

China has for decades grappled with overcapacity, which occurs when demand for a product falls below what an industry is capable of producing. But the problem has worsened significantly in recent years, as the government has pumped capital into heavy industries like shipbuilding and glassmaking, even as global demand has fallen.

產能過剩已糾纏中國數十年之久，而過剩之所以會發生，是因爲對某項產品的需求量，小於該產業所能提供的產量。而這個問題在近年來大幅惡化，因爲即便全球市場需求已經下降，中國政府仍對造船、玻璃製造等重工業投入了大量資本。

Demand for steel, for example, has weakened in recent years. But the production of steel in China has continued to rise, surpassing the combined output of India, Japan, Russia and the United States, according to the report, titled “Overcapacity in China: An Impediment to the Party’s Reform Agenda.”

這篇名爲《中國的產能過剩如何阻礙黨的改革進程》的報告舉例說明，近年來市場對鋼鐵的需求已經降低，不過中國的鋼鐵產量仍持續攀升，超越了印度、日本、俄羅斯、美國這四國的鋼鐵產量總合。

The issue of overcapacity has exacerbated trade tensions, as Chinese producers have sought to export surpluses. Several foreign governments, including the United States, have imposed tariffs on some Chinese steel products, and European steelworkers have protested the import of cheap Chinese steel.

產能過剩這一問題加劇了貿易緊張的局面，因爲中國生產者已開始尋求對外輸出他們過剩的產品。包括美國在內的多國政府都對一些中國鋼鐵產品課以關稅，而歐洲的鋼鐵從業人員則對進口廉價中國鋼鐵一事進行了抗議。

“Trade frictions hamper supply chains,” the report said. “This poses a major threat to the positive effects of globalization.”

“貿易摩擦對供應鏈造成了束縛，”該報告稱。“嚴重威脅了全球化的積極作用。”

Chinese officials have in turn criticized the protests in Europe, saying that overcapacity is a global problem and that the Chinese government is working to restructure the steel industry. Chinese officials have pledged to cut production in several industries plagued by overcapacity.

中國官員則對歐洲的抗議事件加以抨擊。他們表示，產能過剩是全球性問題，而中國政府正在重建鋼鐵工業的秩序。中國官員已誓言要降低爲產能過剩問題所困擾的數個行業的產量。

As China’s economy slows after more than two decades of breakneck growth, government leaders are facing increasing pressure to find ways to expand the service sector, increase consumer spending and shift resources away from traditional industries.

中國經濟在歷經二十多年的高速成長之後開始放緩。其政府領導人正面臨與日具增的壓力，需要找出方法來擴大服務產業、增加消費者的支出，並將資源移出傳統工業。

Their efforts to overhaul the economy have been hampered by protectionism among local officials, who worry that closing factories will result in the loss of important sources of tax revenue.

然而他們想要整頓經濟的努力，遭到了來自地方官員的保護主義的阻礙。這些地方官員擔心，關閉工廠會導致他們失去重要的稅收來源。

In its report, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China offered several suggestions to Chinese leaders, including cutting capital expenditures in some industries and imposing a value-added tax to offer local governments alternative sources of revenue.

中國歐盟商會在這份報告中向中國領導人提出數項建議，包括了削減對某些行業的資本支出，以及用推動增值稅的方式爲地方政府開闢其他的稅收渠道。