A Chinese food giant has offered $1.4 billion to buy one of Australia's biggest sugar companies. The huge bid could reignite concerns about Chinese investment in Australia.
中国一家食品集团出价14亿美元，计划收购澳大利亚最大的原糖生产企业。这项金额庞大的投标可能重新引发民众对中国在澳大利亚投资行动的关切。
Shanghai's biggest food company, Bright Food Group, is trying to buy the sugar business of CSR, one of Australia's oldest firms.
上海最大的食品公司-光明食品集团，正试图收购澳大利亚原糖生产商西斯尔公司(CSR)，西斯尔公司是澳大利亚历史最久的原糖生产企业之一。
Bright Food has some powerful and wealthy backers. Its majority shareholder is the Shanghai City government, which would fund any takeover of the Australian company.
光明食品集团拥有一些有权势和富有的支持者。集团最大的股东上海市政府会对该集团收购西斯尔的任何计划提供资助。
Industry experts say that such an acquisition would make sound economic sense, as sugar prices have more doubled in the past year.
行业专家说，此类收购计划在经济上站得住脚，因为原糖价格去年翻了一番还多。
CSR has rejected the Chinese offer and it is unclear if Bright Food will return with a sweeter deal to tempt the Australians.
西斯尔公司已经拒绝了中方的收购建议，目前不清楚光明食品集团是否会重新提出一份诱惑力更大的收购建议。
Some analysts believe the move could exacerbate tensions about Chinese investment in Australian firms, amid concerns about foreigners controlling vital and lucrative assets.
一些分析人士认为，此举会加剧中国投资澳大利亚企业所造成的关系紧张，因为当地民众担心外国人会控制澳大利亚关键的获利资产。
China is the third biggest investor in Australia and has recently taken control of coal mines in New South Wales and Queensland. Chinese enterprises also have substantial stakes in minerals heavyweights Rio Tinto and Fortescue Metals.
中国是澳大利亚第三大海外投资国，最近刚刚取得了新南威尔士州与昆士兰州煤矿的控股权。中国企业还拥有澳大利亚矿业巨头力拓集团和Fortescue Metals集团不少的股份。
Mark Causer, a senior investment adviser at Australia's Perspective Group, says that Canberra will always look after national interests first.
澳大利亚透视集团(Perspective Group)资深投资顾问马克·考泽(Mark Causer)说，澳大利亚政府总是会首先照顾到国家利益。
"I still think that the Australian government will protect, at all costs, Australian interests," Causer said. "But they will also look at the opportunities that external capital, in this case from China, what it will offer to Australian companies, the Australian public and the Australian shareholders."
考泽说：“我依然认为，澳大利亚政府会不计代价保护澳大利亚的利益。但是他们会同时考虑海外资本能为澳大利亚公司、公众和股东们带来哪些机会，而这次的海外资本是来自中国。”
In the past year several proposed investments by Chinese companies in Australia have been rejected by the country's Investment Review Board, which oversees foreign acquisitions. This has led to complaints from China that the system is unfair and not transparent.
过去一年中，中国公司对澳大利亚的几项投资计划都遭到澳大利亚投资评审委员会(Investment Review Board)的拒绝，这个委员会专门监督海外收购计划。
Late in 2009, the board publicly rebutted those criticisms, stressing that in the previous 18 months it had approved Chinese investments in Australia worth around $30 billion.
投资评审委员会2009年下半年对这些批评进行了公开反驳。委员会强调说，之前的18个月中，委员会已经批准了一些中国对澳大利亚的投资计划，总价值大约300亿美元。
During the last year, there were concerns that difficult bilateral diplomatic ties would harm business arrangements between Beijing and Canberra.
Relations soured when Stern Hu, a senior Australian mining executive, was arrested by Chinese officials in July on suspicion of stealing classified commercial information. Tensions worsened when an exiled Uighur leader accused by Beijing of terrorism was allowed to visit Australia.
Despite these political problems, the power of money has kept China and Australia on sound commercial terms.
尽管出现这些政治麻烦，对利润的追求让中澳两国依然维持良好的商业关系。
Trade between these Asia-Pacific partners is now worth $60 billion a year, much of it in favor of Australian mining companies.
这两个亚太大国之间的贸易额现在每年达到600亿美元，其中大部分是澳大利亚矿业公司的对华出口。 |