2017年CRI Iranian market not a land of golden opportunities: Chinese investors

 

On January 16th of last year, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that Iran had done enough to curb¹ its nuclear development for international sanctions to be lifted.

The terms of the deal were originally agreed to in July of 2015 between Iran and six major world powers, including China.

Since the sanctions have been lifted, a number of Chinese companies have moved to invest in Iran.

However, Tang Yuezhen, head of the Chinese Chamber² of Commerce in Iran, is warning Chinese investors³ to keep their expectations in check.

"The Iranian market is not as promising⁴ as it may have been advertised. Its business environment, national governance and financial regulations are all based on a local set of rules. Even though many projects are open for bidding, the process is usually carried out by their own ways of doing things here. If a newcomer is not familiar with the rules, it can suffer quite a bit."

The China Gezhouba Group, an international engineering company, is among the most successful Chinese firms operating in Iran, having already constructed two major hydropower stations there.

Even given the company's notable achievements, Li Hongbo, a manager with Gezhouba Group, says Chinese investment in Iran is still subject to tremendous uncertainties⁵.

"New comers to the Iranian market must be aware of a very special nature of this environment, and that is it's subject to constant change. The government here does not have a comprehensive blueprint⁶ for development. Secondly⁷, the rules governing foreign investment always seem to be changing. Finally, the local people, their ways of doing things and their moods are also ever changing. One can never say he's got a winning formula to conducting business here."

Chinese auto⁸ manufacturer JAC Motors has also developed a visible presence in Iran.

However, Xie Fang⁹, a sales manager with the company, says they have begun to notice a growing level of protectionism in Iran, which he says is posing challenges to his company's operations.

"There have been many changes since the nuclear deal was announced, as there is an increasing protectionist trend. When Chinese companies come to Iran, the first question they are asked is always whether their investment can form a joint¹⁰ venture with local firms. Additionally, there are growing barriers in technical specification¹¹ and tariffs¹² when it comes to the auto industry."

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Iran is suggesting that an increasing number of investors from other countries are also going to create growingcompetition for Chinese firms.

1 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

6 blueprint   

n.蓝图，设计图，计划；vt.制成蓝图，计划

参考例句：

• All the machine parts on a blueprint must answer each other.设计图上所有的机器部件都应互相配合。
• The documents contain a blueprint for a nuclear device.文件内附有一张核装置的设计蓝图。

7 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

8 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

9 fang   

n.尖牙，犬牙

参考例句：

• Look how the bone sticks out of the flesh like a dog's fang.瞧瞧,这根骨头从肉里露出来，象一只犬牙似的。
• The green fairy's fang thrusting between his lips.绿妖精的尖牙从他的嘴唇里龇出来。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 specification   

n.详述；[常pl.]规格，说明书，规范

参考例句：

• I want to know his specification of details.我想知道他对细节的详述。
• Examination confirmed that the quality of the products was up to specification.经检查，产品质量合格。

12 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。