2010年3月24日

分析:欧洲不愿因人民币与中国交恶? Europe delivers a muffled complaint

美国国内抗议中国涉嫌操纵人民币汇率的声浪日益高涨,但在欧洲,这种反对更像是在低声发牢骚。

欧洲官员们对华盛顿方面的观点表示支持:即中国政府正采取行动,压低人民币币值,以刺激出口。但他们不愿以任何方式将人民币问题升级,以免影响中欧之间更广泛的关系。

新任欧盟贸易专员卡洛•德古赫特(Karel De Gucht)对英国《金融时报》表示:“我认为人民币被低估了,应该升值。这肯定对他们的出口和贸易模式有影响。人们有不满情绪是合理的。”

但德古赫特补充称,在下月访华期间,他打算就影响贸易的几个因素(从鞋类到外国投资)与中国政府展开磋商,而人民币币值只是其中的一个问题。“眼下,这个问题在欧洲还上升不到政治层面,”他解释道。

经济学家表示,与美国同行一样,欧洲(尤其是德国)制造商很可能会从人民币升值中获益。不过,欧洲方面的反应之所以相对克制,有两个经常被提及的原因。尽管对中国的贸易逆差在逐年扩大,但欧洲没有出现美国那种总体逆差不断膨胀的情况。此外,在欧洲与中国的关系中,没有那么多中美之间的地缘政治冲突。

德古赫特表示:“在美中之间的争议中,(汇率问题)是一个更重大问题的一部分。”这也是欧洲人普遍抱有的一种观点。

中国已成为欧盟第二大贸易伙伴国,仅次于美国,也是欧盟最大的进口来源。2000年至2008年间,欧盟对中国的贸易逆差从520亿欧元(合700亿美元)扩大至1700亿欧元。

尽管欧盟在人民币问题上相对较为沉默,但上述贸易失衡,以及中国决心通过出口摆脱经济危机的做法,令欧洲企业界一部分人颇有怨言。

译者/陈云飞


http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001031900


A rising outcry in the US against China's alleged currency manipulation is being expressed in Europe more as a muffled complaint.

European officials endorse Washington's view that Beijing is acting to suppress the value of the renminbi to stoke exports. Yet they are reluctant to elevate the currency issue in any way to upset the broader relationship.

“I'm of the opinion that the yuan is underpriced and that it should be revalued. It certainly has an impact on their exports and trade patterns. The complaint is legitimate,” Karel De Gucht, Europe's new trade commissioner, told the Financial Times.

But Mr De Gucht added that the value of China's currency would be only one of several trade irritants – from footwear to foreign investment – he intended to raise with Beijing during a visit next month. “At this moment, it is less of a political issue in Europe,” he explained.

European manufacturers – particularly in Germany – stand to reap the same benefits from a stronger renminbi as their US counterparts, according to economists. Yet there are two frequently cited reasons for Europe's restrained reaction. In spite of an increasing trade deficit with China, Europe is not experiencing the yawning overall deficit of the US. And Europe's relationship with China is not fraught with the same geopolitical rivalry as that of the US and China.

“In the dispute between the US and China, [currency] is part of a bigger issue,” Mr De Gucht said, expressing a widely held opinion in Europe.

China has become the EU's biggest trading partner after the US, and its biggest source of imports. Between 2000 and 2008, the EU's trade deficit with China has widened from €52bn ($70bn) to €170bn.

In spite of the EU's relative reticence about the currency issue, that imbalance and China's determination to export its way out of the economic crisis have rankled with parts of the European business community.


http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001031900/en

没有评论: