2019年经济学人 一周要闻 阿里巴巴香港二次上市 华为效应席卷全球 中国拟对美限制稀土出口（在线收听）

The world this week

本周要闻

Business

商业

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed that it was seeking a merger with Renault, a combination that would create the world’s third-largest car company behind Volkswagen and Toyota. FCA and Renault hope the merger will save cash to bolster investments in electric vehicles and self-driving cars. But Renault is also in a close partnership with Japan’s Nissan and Mitsubishi. That alliance has been strained since the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, its former boss, on charges of financial misconduct at Nissan (which he denies) and its future is now in question.

菲亚特克莱斯勒汽车证实，正寻求与雷诺合并，这一合并将缔造出仅次于大众和丰田的全球第三大汽车公司。菲亚特克莱斯勒和雷诺希望这项合并能节省资金，以支持对电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车的投资。而雷诺还与日本的日产和三菱建立了密切的合作关系。自从上一任老板卡洛斯·戈恩因被控在日产存在财务不端行为(当事人否认了这一指控)被捕以来，雷诺与日产的联盟关系一直处于紧张状态，现在日产的未来也受到了质疑。

The Huawei effect

华为效应

Alibaba was reportedly considering a second listing of its shares, but in Hong Kong rather than New York, where its $25bn stockmarket debut in 2014 remains the world’s biggest IPO. This time it is seeking to raise $20bn. Its decision to list in Hong Kong comes amid uncertainties over the future treatment of Chinese companies by the American authorities. Alibaba is using its profits from e-commerce to invest in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and other sensitive tech areas where America and China are competing aggressively.

据报道，阿里巴巴正考虑在香港二次上市，而不是在纽约。2014年，阿里巴巴在纽约进行了规模达250亿美元的IPO,这至今仍是全球最大规模IPO。这一次，该公司拟融资200亿美元。该公司决定在香港上市之际，美国当局未来对待中国企业的态度尚不明朗。阿里巴巴正利用从电子商务中获得的利润，正在对人工智能、量子计算和其他中美两国正积极竞争的敏感技术领域进行投资。

The latest skirmish in the trade war saw China threaten to limit supplies to America of rare earths, a group of 17 metals vital to fast-growing businesses such as electric cars but also widely used in the defence industry. China accounts for the vast bulk of rare-earth production; for some of the metals it is the sole producer. In 2010 it cut exports to Japan during a maritime dispute.

在最新的贸易战冲突中，中国威胁要限制对美国的稀土供应。稀土由17种金属组成，不仅对电动汽车等快速增长的企业至关重要，而且也广泛用于国防工业。中国稀土产量占全球总量的绝大比重;中国是某些金属的唯一生产国。2010年，中国因一次海上争端削减了对日本的稀土出口。

Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping company, gave a downbeat assessment of the effect of global-trade tensions on its industry. It estimates that container trade grew by 1.7% in the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. That is less than half the average for 2018.

全球最大的航运公司马士基对全球贸易紧张对其行业的影响给出了悲观的评估。据该公司估计，其第一季度集装箱贸易同比增长1.7%。还不到2018年平均水平的一半。

Boeing’s 737 max aircraft is unlikely to return to service until at least August, according to the International Air Transport Association. A recent meeting of global safety-regulators avoided putting a date on a return for the max, which has been grounded following two crashes. iata stressed that it will be regulators who make the final decision.

据国际航空运输协会称，波音737 max飞机至少要到8月份才能复飞。在最近召开的一次全球安全监管会议上，监管机构没有给出因两起空难事故被停飞的max飞机具体复飞日期。国际航空运输协会强调，最终决定权在于监管机构。

The Food and Drug Administration approved a gene therapy developed by Novartis for treating spinal muscular atrophy in children. Priced at $2.1m, Zolgensma is the world’s most expensive drug, though it costs half the current treatment for SMA over the first ten years of a child’s life.

美国食品和药物管理局批准了诺华(Novartis)开发的一种基因疗法，用于治疗儿童脊髓性肌萎缩症（SMA）。售价210万美元的Zolgensma是全球最昂贵的药物，尽管其成本只有目前儿童前十年治疗脊髓性肌肉萎缩症费用的一半。