2010年3月12日

台湾监管部门审查南山买家资金背景 AIG SALE OF NAN SHAN DELAYED BY TAIWAN PROBE INTO CHINA LINK

一家香港财团拟以22亿美元收购美国国际集团(AIG)台湾保险业务的交易,正面临台湾监管部门的严审。监管部门担心的诸多问题中,包括买家是否存在中国大陆的资金背景。

去年10月,AIG同意将台湾第二大寿险公司南山人寿(Nan Shan)出售给由金融服务基金博智金融(Primus Financial)牵头的财团,但调查行动却让这宗交易的批准遭到推迟。

该财团的最大成员为香港上市的电池生产商中策集团(China Strategic)。中策将新的业务重心放在金融服务领域。

中策参与收购让台湾方面担心,该财团可能会有陆资背景。台湾对于大陆投资的许可上限设有严格限制。博智和中策均否认有陆资背景,并表示有信心获批。

尽管AIG渴望出售资产,但在拟以355亿美元将旗下亚洲寿险资产出售给英国保诚集团(Prudential)、以155亿美元将美国人寿(Alico)出售给美国大都会保险(MetLife)后,AIG背负的融资以向美国政府偿还债务的压力已有所减轻。

中策似乎已经攻克了一道障碍。台湾经济部次长 黄重球(Huang Chung-chiu)昨日对立法委员表示,在审查了文件后,证明中策的资助者并非中国大陆公民,而持有英国和香港护照。

台湾金融监督管理委员会(Financial Supervisory Commission)副主任吴当杰(Wu Chung-chuan)表示,在审查了中策最初的申请后,他所在部门仍"有40多个待解问题"。

吴当杰表示,金管会的担心包括,中策和博智是否具有经营南山的专业技能,以及是否有能力进一步融资以支撑南山。

吴当杰说,审查并未设定最后期限。但金管会官员认为,有望在两个月内对此案做出裁定。

译者/陈云飞


http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001031709


The proposed $2.2bn purchase of AIG's Taiwan insurance unit by a Hong Kong consortium is facing scrutiny amid regulatory concerns that include whether the buyers are backed by Chinese funds.

AIG agreed in October to sell Nan Shan, Taiwan's second-largest life insurer, to a consortium led by Primus Financial, a financial services fund, but the probe has delayed approval.

The largest member of the consortium is China Strategic, a Hong Kong-listed battery maker whose new business focus is financial services.

China Strategic's involvement has fuelled concerns in Taiwan that the consortium could be backed by Chinese funds. Taiwan has strict limits on permitted levels of investment from the mainland. Primus and China Strategic have denied having mainland backing and are confident they will secure approval.

While AIG is keen to secure a sale, the pressure to raise funds to repay its debts to the US government has receded with the proposed sale of its Asian life insurance assets to the UK's Prudential for $35.5bn and the sale of Alico to MetLife for $15.5bn.

China Strategic appeared to have passed one hurdle as Huang Chung-chiu, Taiwan's deputy economics minister, told legislators yesterday that a review of documents showed its backers were not mainland Chinese nationals, but carried British and Hong Kong passports.

However, Wu Chung-chuan, deputy director-general of the insurance bureau at the Financial Supervisory Commission, said his department still had "more than 40 unanswered questions" after reviewing China Strategic's initial application.

Mr Wu said concerns included whether China Strategic and Primus had the professional skills to run Nan Shan, or would be able to raise further funds to support the company.

Mr Wu said there was no deadline for the case review, but officials believed it could be decided within two months.


http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001031709/en

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