高虎城 鋼鐵業產能過剩是全球問題

China’s government hit out at EU steel anti-dumping penalties on Tuesday, saying it would defend Chinese business and denied it was exporting its own overcapacity problems as critics have suggested.

中國政府週二抨擊了歐盟(EU)對中國鋼鐵的反傾銷懲罰措施，表示將維護中方企業，並否認了批評者提出的中國對外輸出產能過剩問題的說法。

Gao Hucheng, minister of commerce, told a press conference in Beijing that overcapacity in the metals industry was not just a Chinese problem. “Steel oversupply is a global problem and a global problem requires collaborative efforts by all countries,” he said.

商務部部長高虎城在北京的新聞發佈會上表示，鋼鐵行業的產能過剩並不僅僅是中國的問題。“就鋼鐵來說，這是全球性的產能過剩。全球性問題必須大家一起坐下來解決，”他說。

“China safeguards the right to defend Chinese businesses in accordance with the rules of the World Trade Organisation,” he added, in an apparent threat to impose tit-for-tat penalties.

“我們要按照世貿組織有關的貿易救濟規則，維護中方企業的合法權益，”他補充道，此言顯然是威脅中國可能實施針鋒相對的懲罰措施。

“Consumers and some other businesses benefit from the lower prices, so let us make the point that this is purely market behaviour, not the behaviour of the Chinese government or the EU governments.”

“進口企業和消費者從中獲利。這些鋼材都是歐盟進口商或者消費者從中國按照合理的定價去購買的……企業提起申訴也是市場行爲，不要把這點解讀成政府或者歐委會的行爲。”

Brussels has imposed tariffs on a type of steel from China to try to defend Europe’s manufacturers from a flood of cheap imports.

歐盟對從中國進口的一類鋼鐵產品開徵關稅，試圖維護歐洲製造商不受廉價進口鋼材洪流的影響。

The EU said last month it would slap provisional duties on “high-fatigue performance reinforcement bars”, known as rebar, used in the UK and Ireland to strengthen concrete.

歐盟上月表示將對俗稱螺紋鋼的“高抗疲勞性能混凝土鋼筋”徵收臨時性關稅，這類鋼筋在英國和愛爾蘭用於加強混凝土。

Steel producers worldwide accuse China of triggering a global collapse in prices by dumping its excess output — meaning selling below home market prices or the cost of production.

世界各地的鋼鐵生產商指責中國傾銷過剩產出，即以低於國內市場價格或者生產成本的價格出售鋼材，引發全球鋼材價格大幅下滑。

However, Mr Gao rejected the charge China was to blame, saying the price falls have occurred in many commodity industries, not just steel.

然而，高虎城駁斥了鋼鐵價格下滑應歸咎中國的說法，稱許多大宗商品行業都出現了價格下滑，而不僅僅是鋼鐵行業。

“It boils down to changes in global supply and demand,” he said. “Overcapacity is a pronounced problem facing all countries... is still the problem of oversupply with steel and energy products and other commodities. ”

“不可迴避，也必須正視的，就是供需關係問題，”他說，“產能過剩成爲全球性問題……鋼鐵如此，能源如此，其它產品也是如此。”

China’s steel exports rose 20 per cent to hit a record 112.4m tonnes last year.

去年中國鋼鐵出口量提高20%，達到1.124億噸的創紀錄高點。

Job losses in European steel plants have put pressure on Brussels to halt the flow of cheap Chinese steel to Europe. Last month Tata Steel announced than 1,000 job cuts, adding to the thousands already lost over the year, along with several plant closures.

歐洲鋼鐵廠的裁員問題使歐盟蒙受壓力，要求其遏止廉價中國鋼材涌入歐洲。上月，塔塔鋼鐵(Tata Steel)宣佈裁員逾1000人，而去年一年已經有數千個工作崗位流失，還有幾家工廠關閉。

This week the EU Chamber of Commerce in Beijing said in a study of Chinese industries that overcapacity in China is a growing problem.

北京的中國歐盟商會本週表示，對中國幾個行業的調查表明，中國的產能過剩問題日益嚴重。

Six out of eight industries studied by the chamber, ranging from glass to paper to steel, show signs that factories are operating at even lower rates than they were in 2009 in the immediate aftermath of the global financial crisis. In all of the industries studied, Chinese companies compete with large European businesses.

從玻璃業、紙業到鋼鐵業，該商會研究的8個行業中，6個行業有跡象顯示，業內工廠的開工率比2009年全球金融危機過後更低。在這些被研究的產業，中國企業與歐洲大型企業展開競爭。