哥斯達黎加希望中國幫忙填補財政赤字

Despite China’s faltering growth, Costa Rica is looking to Beijing to help it plug a growing hole in its public accounts, as it starts talks on the sale of a $1bn bond.

儘管中國經濟增長乏力，但哥斯達黎加還是希望中國幫助填補其不斷擴大的財政赤字。目前，哥斯達黎加正就發行10億美元債券事宜與中方展開商談。

Commodities producers in Latin America have long seen China as a deep-pocketed ally, and Costa Rica will be hoping it can emulate Venezuela and Ecuador, which have both secured Chinese funding this year as they battle the oil price crash.

長期以來，拉美大宗商品生產國一直把中國視爲資金雄厚的盟友，哥斯達黎加希望自己可以效仿委內瑞拉和厄瓜多爾，後兩個國家都在今年應對油價暴跌之時獲得了中方的資金。

“We’re in the initial stages of negotiations,” Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solís told the Financial Times in New York. He acknowledged, however, it was “not the best time for China”.

“我們正處於談判的初始階段，”哥斯達黎加總統路易斯吉列爾莫∠利斯(Luis Guillermo Solis)在紐約告訴英國《金融時報》。不過，他承認，現在“對中國而言並非最佳時機”。

Costa Rica’s ties with China have deepened since 2007, when the Latin American nation severed ties with Taiwan and established relations with Beijing. Beijing rewarded that decision by buying $300m in bonds at a preferential 2 per cent interest rate. Costa Rica's sovereign debt was cut to junk status last year, and the new bond would again have a favourable rate.

2007年以來，哥斯達黎加與中國的關係一直在加深。那一年，這個拉美國家切斷了與臺灣的關係，並與北京方面建立了外交關係。作爲對這一決定的回報，北京方面以2%的優惠利率購買了3億美元哥斯達黎加國債。去年，哥斯達黎加主權債券評級被下調至垃圾級，此次新發行的債券將再次提供優惠利率。

Mr Pacheco, speaking by telephone from San José, said a proposal had been submitted to the Chinese and he hoped for a reply within six weeks as “2016 is just around the corner and we’d like to have the funds to start the year”.

哥斯達黎加代理財政部長何塞弗朗西斯科帕切科(Jose Francisco Pacheco)在聖何塞接受電話採訪時表示，哥斯達黎加已向中國提交一項方案，他希望中方在六週內作出答覆，因爲“2016年即將到來，我們希望能在年初時獲得資金”。

Mr Solís, who was seeking to drum up investment, referred to China “a strategic partner”. Beijing is building a key highway linking the capital with a $1bn container port at Puerto Moín to double capacity for the world’s top pineapple exporter. Mr Solís visited Beijing this year and the two nations agreed to set up a special economic area in Costa Rica for Chinese investment and to “promote a growing Chinese presence in the region”.

索利斯正竭力招攬投資，他把中國稱作哥斯達黎加的“戰略合作伙伴”。中國正在哥斯達黎加修建一條重要的高速公路，將把該國首都聖何塞與莫因港(Puerto Moín)價值10億美元的集裝箱港口連接起來，令這個全球最大菠蘿出口國的出口能力提高一倍。索利斯今年曾訪問中國，兩國同意在哥斯達黎加設立一個面向中方投資的特別經濟區，並“推動中國增強在該地區的影響力”。