普京密友 中國無法取代西方融資

A close ally of Vladimir Putin has said Asia cannot replace the west as a source of financing for Russia’s sanctions-hit economy and that the country should continue to pursue integration with Europe despite the stand-off over Ukraine.

俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾•普京(Vladimir Putin)的親密盟友、俄羅斯國家鐵路公司(Russian Railways)總裁弗拉基米爾•亞庫寧(Vladimir Yakunin)表示，亞洲無法取代西方，成爲受制裁影響的俄羅斯經濟的融資來源，儘管因烏克蘭問題出現僵局，但俄羅斯應繼續與歐洲尋求合作。

The remarks by Vladimir Yakunin, the Russian Railways chief, cast a degree of doubt on the much-vaunted new relationship between Russia and China as Moscow attempts to pivot east following crippling sanctions imposed by the US and EU over Ukraine.

亞庫寧的這番言論令人們對備受吹捧的俄中型關係產生懷疑，此際，在美國與歐盟(EU)因烏克蘭對俄羅斯實施嚴重製裁後，俄羅斯試圖將重心向東方轉移。

“It is over-exaggerated that eastern financial institutions can replace western financial institutions because, objectively speaking, the loans we can raise from western financial markets . . . are much longer-term than what we can raise on Asian markets,” he said.

他表示：“認爲東方金融機構能夠取代西方金融機構的看法有過分誇大之嫌，客觀地來說，我們能夠從西方金融市場籌集的貸款……的期限比亞洲市場更長。”

Mr Yakunin blamed the US for imposing a western sanctions regime against Russia that was “stifling” relations between Russia and Europe but said a Washington campaign to sever their relations would fail.

亞庫寧指責美國針對俄羅斯實施西方制裁機制，“扼殺”了俄羅斯與歐洲的關係，但他表示美國試圖切斷俄羅斯與歐洲關係的努力將失敗。

Known for his conservative views, Mr Yakunin is a former senior diplomat from Mr Putin’s native St Petersburg, and is part of the inner circle that followed the president to Moscow.

亞庫寧以其保守觀點聞名，他來自普京的家鄉聖彼得堡，曾擔任高級外交官，現在是一路追隨普京到莫斯科的內部圈子的一員。

His comments deviated from some of the increasingly hostile, anti-western rhetoric emanating from the Kremlin.

他的言論與俄羅斯政府內部一些日益敵對的反西方論調相悖。

Russian companies and banks have been forced to build up hard currency reserves to pay off more than $40bn in debts falling due in November and December that would have once been refinanced almost automatically in the west.

在被西方制裁期間，俄羅斯企業和銀行一直被迫建立硬通貨儲備，以償還將於11月和12月到期的逾400億美元的債務，以前，這些債務將幾乎自動的在西方獲得再融資。

Russia has begun courting China as an alternative source of financing. The two countries made headlines this week by signing a deal to supply natural gas to China from west Siberian fields.

俄羅斯開始尋求中國的支持，作爲另一個融資來源。兩國本週簽訂了一項天然氣協議，將從西伯利亞西部氣田向中國供應天然氣。

The gas deal poses a challenge to Europe since it has, until now, been the key export market for the west Siberian fields. But Russia failed to obtain prefinancing from China to build the pipeline needed to send the gas east. The two sides have also not yet agreed on pricing, an area in which China is notorious for taking a hard line.

這一天然氣交易對歐洲構成了挑戰，迄今歐洲一直是西伯利亞西部氣田的主要出口市場。但俄羅斯並未從中國獲得用以建造將天然氣輸往東方所需管道的預融資。雙方迄今尚未就定價達成一致，中國在這方面一直態度強硬。

Russia has so far had little success in tapping Chinese funding for its corporate sector. China’s ExIm Bank has agreed to open credit lines of up to $2bn to VTB and VEB and up to $300m to Rosselkhozbank, the Russian state banks; China Development Bank has agreed to lend $500m to Russian telecoms company Megafon. But these deals were all tied to purchases of Chinese equipment.

在爲本國企業籌集中國資金方面，俄羅斯迄今成功很少。中國進出口銀行(ExIm Bank)已同意向俄羅斯外貿銀行(VTB)和VEB開放最高20億美元的信用額度，向俄羅斯國有銀行俄羅斯農業銀行(Rosselkhozbank)提供最高3億美元的信用額度；中國國家開發銀行(China Development Bank)已同意向俄羅斯電信企業Megafon貸款5億美元。但這些交易都與購買中國設備掛鉤。