中國將落實鋼鐵減產(chǎn)以減少冬季污染

China is set to implement some of its strictest cuts to steel production this week in a bid to head off choking winter pollution and further consolidate a fractious industry.

中國將在本周實施一些最嚴格的鋼鐵減產(chǎn)措施，以防止令人窒息的冬季空氣污染，并且進一步整合這個難以控制的行業(yè)。

The first wave of production cuts will halve the rate of steel production in the north-eastern city of Tangshan, the largest steel-producing city in China. This will ultimately affect 20m metric tonnes of steel, the equivalent of about 7.5 per cent of national annual production.

第一波減產(chǎn)措施將使中國最大鋼鐵生產(chǎn)城市唐山的鋼產(chǎn)量減半。這將最終影響2000萬噸鋼鐵，相當于全國年產(chǎn)量的7.5%左右。

Three other key steel-producing cities — Shijiazhuang, Anyang, and Handan — are to announce similar cuts. In addition, producers will also be mandated to reduce overall coking coal production by 30 per cent.

另外三個關鍵產(chǎn)鋼城市—— 石家莊、安陽以及邯鄲—— 也將宣布類似的減產(chǎn)目標。此外，生產(chǎn)企業(yè)還將被要求將煉焦煤總產(chǎn)量減少30%。

The production cuts are part of a series of production suspensions in China’s rust belt that will take effect within the next few months as environmental authorities chase public commitments to lower the concentration of particulate matter by 22 per cent this winter.

這些減產(chǎn)是中國“銹帶”在未來幾個月內(nèi)將要落實的一系列暫停生產(chǎn)措施的一部分。目前環(huán)保部門正努力兌現(xiàn)今年冬天將顆粒物濃度降低22%的公開承諾。

About 70 per cent of electricity in north-east China comes from coal, leading to a sharp uptick in airborne pollutants during winter as central heating systems are fired up.

中國北方冬季采暖系統(tǒng)投入運行時，空氣污染物激增。

Authorities have been more rigorously policing steel producers this year as the country cracks down on overcapacity and pollution in heavy industry. China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection is mounting another round of plant inspections in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 other cities until January to enforce more stringent emissions guidelines.

隨著中國整治重工業(yè)產(chǎn)能過剩和污染嚴重問題，今年以來當局對鋼鐵生產(chǎn)企業(yè)進行了更嚴格的監(jiān)管。中國環(huán)保部正對北京、天津和其他26個城市的企業(yè)展開又一輪強化督查，此輪督查定于明年1月結束，目的是執(zhí)行更嚴厲的排放標準。

Tangshan, which produces less than 11 per cent of the country’s total steel output, has come under particular scrutiny. In March, a team of inspectors were sent by the central government to Tangshan to root out the false reporting of mill closures by local governments reluctant to obey shutdown orders.

鋼產(chǎn)量占全國總量不到11%的唐山受到特別關注。今年3月，中央政府派出一個調查小組前往唐山，以解決不愿遵守限產(chǎn)令的地方政府虛報鋼廠關閉的情況。

China has struggled to reduce its renowned smog over fears that tackling pollution could reduce economic activity and raise the number of unemployed.

中國在減少其出名的霧霾方面一直不順利，因為有人擔心防治污染可能減少經(jīng)濟活動，增加失業(yè)人數(shù)。

To mitigate these social effects and improve safety in the steel sector, regulators have instead pursued small, sometimes illegal producers while consolidating production among state-owned enterprises. The latest pollution cuts will further eliminate fringe players, leaving the country’s largest producers unscathed, say analysts.

為了緩解這些社會影響，并提高鋼鐵行業(yè)的安全性，監(jiān)管機構在整合國有企業(yè)生產(chǎn)的同時，重點整治那些小規(guī)模的、有時屬于非法經(jīng)營的生產(chǎn)企業(yè)。分析師們表示，最新的防污染減產(chǎn)措施將進一步取締邊緣參與者，而中國各大生產(chǎn)企業(yè)將不受影響。

“With these production suspensions, smaller producers are the ones that have been wiped out each time pollution or production needs to be reduced,” says Jonas Short, the head of China research at NSBO, an investment bank. “Bigger producers are almost immune from these sorts of pollution cuts and actually benefit as smaller competitors are wiped out.”

“這些停產(chǎn)限產(chǎn)措施的特點是，每一次需要減少污染或產(chǎn)量時，都是較小規(guī)模的生產(chǎn)商遭到淘汰，”投資銀行藍橡資本(NSBO)中國問題研究主任喬納斯•肖特(Jonas Short)表示，“更大的生產(chǎn)企業(yè)基本上免受這些防污染減產(chǎn)措施的影響，實際上反而受益于較小的競爭對手被迫出局。”

Meanwhile, China’s state-owned steelmakers have been posting record-high revenues as they have been constrained by supply-side cuts, which have boosted demand and thus prices for steel domestically.

近來國有鋼鐵企業(yè)紛紛錄得創(chuàng)紀錄水平的營收，因為供給側削減提振了需求，進而推高了國內(nèi)鋼材價格。

Meanwhile, prices for low grade iron ore, one of the key ingredients for steel, have plunged more than 18 per cent in the past month, further buffering the country’s biggest steel producers. With lower cost of inputs, China’s largest state-owned steel producers are expected to enjoy more robust profit margins even as capacity cuts continue to reduce overall output.

與此同時，低品位鐵礦石(鋼鐵的主要成分之一)價格在過去一個月下滑逾18%，這讓中國各大鋼鐵生產(chǎn)企業(yè)得到進一步緩沖。原材料成本降低意味著，各大國有鋼鐵生產(chǎn)企業(yè)即使在產(chǎn)能削減繼續(xù)降低產(chǎn)量的情況下，也將受益于更為強勁的利潤率。