中國貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)新武器：打擊美企全球交易

Qualcomm, the American chip maker, spent two years hammering out a $44 billion deal to acquire a Dutch semiconductor manufacturer. Then, as the trade war with the United States erupted, Chinese regulators effectively killed it.

美國芯片制造商高通(Qualcomm)花了兩年時間敲定440億美元收購一家荷蘭半導體制造商的交易。然后，隨著與美國貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)的爆發(fā)，該交易實際上已被中國的監(jiān)管機構(gòu)扼殺。

Now China is looking for new ways to retaliate in the intensifying trade drama — and experts warn that some corporate deals with American buyers could be in jeopardy.

眼下，中國在日益激烈的貿(mào)易戲碼中，正在尋找各種新的方式進行報復;專家警告，與美國買家有關(guān)的一些企業(yè)交易可能不妙。

A number of global deals involving American companies are under review by Chinese market regulators. Among the biggest is Walt Disney Company’s $71 billion acquisition of 21st Century Fox, which has an Oct. 19 deadline. United Technologies — owner of Pratt & Whitney, the jet engine maker, and other industrial businesses — is waiting to close a $30 billion purchase of Rockwell Collins, the aerospace parts maker.

中國市場監(jiān)管機構(gòu)正在審查一系列涉及美國公司的全球交易。其中最大的一筆是華特迪士尼公司(Walt Disney Company)710億美元收購21世紀?？怂?21st Century Fox)一案，交易截止日期為10月19日。旗下?lián)碛酗w機引擎制造商普惠(Pratt & Whitney)等工業(yè)企業(yè)的聯(lián)合技術(shù)公司(United Technologies)，正等待以300億美元收購航空零部件制造商羅克韋爾-柯林斯公司(Rockwell Collins)交易的達成。

China’s antitrust regulators disclose little about their deliberations. But some companies worry that this opacity could provide cover for retaliation in response to tariffs that the United States has placed on Chinese goods — and wonder if long-negotiated deals could become collateral damage in the trade war.

中國的反壟斷監(jiān)管機構(gòu)很少披露他們的審議情況。一些公司擔心，這種不透明可能為報復美國對中國商品征收關(guān)稅提供掩護，并且想知道長期談判達成的協(xié)議是否會成為貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)的附帶損害。

“Given the level of trade tensions now, in some exceptional cases you cannot exclude the possibility that individual transactions may be implicated,” said Fay Zhou, a partner at the law firm Linklaters in Beijing.

北京年利達律師事務所(Linklaters)的合伙人周非(音)表示：“鑒于目前貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)的緊張程度，在某些特殊情況下，不能排除個別交易牽涉其中的可能性。”

Officials at China’s antimonopoly agency, the State Administration for Market Regulation, did not respond to requests for comment.

中國反壟斷機構(gòu)國家市場監(jiān)督管理總局的官員沒有回應置評請求。

American companies have prospered by exploring new markets and taking risks to extend their global reach. But President Trump warned last week that these were early days in his trade strategy — “China wants to talk, very badly, and I said, ‘Frankly, it’s too early to talk” — and American companies may encounter some backlash from Beijing.

美國企業(yè)通過開拓新市場、冒著風險把觸角伸向全球而獲得蓬勃發(fā)展。但特朗普總統(tǒng)上周警告，這是他貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)略的初期階段——“中國想談判，非常想，我說，‘坦率地說，現(xiàn)在談為時過早’”——而美國企業(yè)可能會面臨北京方面的激烈反應。

China is looking for ways to retaliate because it has more or less run out of American imports to tax. China matched Mr. Trump’s initial tariffs on about $50 billion in Chinese goods, but last month he placed a 10 percent tax on $200 billion of Chinese goods. China doesn’t import enough from the United States to match that dollar for dollar.

中國正在尋找報復的方法，因為它幾乎已經(jīng)沒有美國進口商品可以征稅了。一開始，特朗普對大約500億美元的中國商品征收關(guān)稅，中國提出了金額相當?shù)膱髲痛胧?但上個月，他又對2000億美元的中國商品征收了10%的關(guān)稅。中國從美國進口的商品不足以進行對等報復。

So China has only so many avenues to inflict pain. They could include slow inspections for imports at Chinese ports and tighter regulatory scrutiny of American companies doing business in China.

因此，中國只能通過多途徑來制造痛苦。這些措施可能包括減慢進口商品在中國港口的通關(guān)速度，以及對在華開展業(yè)務的美國企業(yè)進行更嚴格的監(jiān)管審查。

Deals are a ripe area, too.

并購交易也是一個適宜的領(lǐng)域。

“This is a way for China to put pressure on American corporations to get them to work on the U.S. government,” said Chen Zhiwu, a professor of finance and the director of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong.

香港大學亞洲環(huán)球研究所所長、金融學教授陳志武表示：“這是中國向美國企業(yè)施壓，讓它們給美國政府做工作的一種方式。”

Blocking American deals comes with some cost. Aggressive regulators could spur foreign companies to retreat from China just when economic growth there is slowing.

阻止美國的交易需要付出一定的代價。在中國經(jīng)濟增長放緩之際，激進的監(jiān)管機構(gòu)可能會刺激外國企業(yè)撤離中國。

“China has valid reasons to be angry with the Trump administration’s protectionist tariffs,” said Fred Hu, the chairman of Primavera Capital Group and a former chairman of Goldman Sachs for China. But, he added, “it is unlikely to direct its anger at American businesses.”

“中國有理由對特朗普政府的保護主義關(guān)稅感到憤怒，”春華資本集團(Primavera Capital Group)董事長、高盛(Goldman Sachs)前大中華區(qū)主席胡祖六表示。不過，他又說，“它不太可能把怒火直接撒在美國企業(yè)身上。”

“On the contrary, China is trying to cultivate ties with them,” Mr. Hu said.

“相反，中國正試圖與它們建立關(guān)系，”胡祖六說。

Regulators in China have a wide scope for denying deals by American buyers, even if Chinese companies aren’t involved. Chinese officials can block a deal for any new venture that they deem would have too much market control in China. The country’s broadly defined antimonopoly law allows regulators to consider more than what an individual deal might cost consumers or a specific Chinese business.

即使中國公司沒有參與，中國的監(jiān)管機構(gòu)也可在很大程度上拒絕美國買家的交易。中國官員可以阻止任何他們認為在中國擁有太多市場控制權(quán)的新企業(yè)的交易。中國定義寬泛的反壟斷法允許監(jiān)管機構(gòu)考慮更多因素，不僅限于個別交易可能會使消費者或特定的中國企業(yè)付出什么代價。

“Authorities are obliged to consider not just the competition merits of a deal but also the impact of a deal on China’s national economy,” said Ms. Zhou, a former official at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, which until recently was in charge of greenlighting deals.

“當局不僅要考慮交易的競爭價值，還要考慮交易對中國國民經(jīng)濟的影響，”中國商務部前官員周非說，直到前不久，她還在負責批準交易。

China’s approach has been reciprocated, to a point. American regulators have taken a tighter stance on international deals that they believe could benefit China or its companies. In August, Congress strengthened the ability of the government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to block foreign deals.

中國的做法已經(jīng)得到了回應。美國監(jiān)管機構(gòu)對他們認為可能使中國或其公司受益的國際交易采取更嚴厲的立場。8月，國會加強了政府的外國投資委員會在美國阻止外國交易的能力。

United Technologies said it was still on track with regulatory approvals needed for its Rockwell Collins deal. But when asked on a conference call in June whether the trade war could prevent the deal from going through, Akhil Johri, United Technology’s chief financial officer said: “That is something you always have to think about or worry about.”

聯(lián)合技術(shù)公司表示，與羅克韋爾-柯林斯的交易所需的監(jiān)管部門批準仍在進行中。但在6月份的一次電話會議上，當被問及貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)是否會阻止該交易通過時，聯(lián)合科技的首席財務官阿希爾·約里(Akhil Johri)表示：“你總是要考慮或擔心這種事。”

Last Monday, United Technologies received a green light from regulators in the United States. “The process for closing on Rockwell Collins is moving forward with the recent U.S. Department of Justice approval being the latest milestone,” said Michele Quintaglie, a spokeswoman for United Technologies. China’s approval is the last step.

上周一，聯(lián)合技術(shù)公司獲得了美國監(jiān)管機構(gòu)的批準。聯(lián)合技術(shù)公司發(fā)言人米切爾·昆塔格利(Michele Quintaglie)說：“羅克韋爾-柯林斯交易的最后過程正在向前推進，最近美國司法部的批準是最新的里程碑。”而中國的批準是最后一步。

Fox and Disney executives have said in private discussions that they expect their deal to be cleared without any problems. In a regulatory filing from June, Disney listed Chinese approval as a potential hurdle that the deal would have to overcome.

福克斯和迪士尼高管在私下討論中表示，他們希望他們的交易能夠毫無問題地得到解決。在6月份的一份監(jiān)管文件中，迪士尼將中國的批準列為該交易必須克服的潛在障礙。

Some large deals have cleared Chinese regulators despite the tensions. Earlier this year, China’s regulators approved Microchip Technology’s acquisition of Microsemi and Bain Capital’s acquisition of Toshiba’s microchip unit.

盡管局勢緊張，一些大型交易已經(jīng)掃清了中國監(jiān)管機構(gòu)的障礙，今年早些時候，中國的監(jiān)管機構(gòu)批準了微晶片科技公司(Microchip Technology)收購美高森美(Microsemi)，以及貝恩投資(Bain Capital)收購東芝(Toshiba)的微芯片部門。

The Disney-Fox and United Technologies-Rockwell Collins deals may be less likely to attract scrutiny because they aren’t as central to Chinese business as Qualcomm. The chip maker supplied essential parts for the country’s big smartphone manufacturers.

迪士尼與?？怂?，以及聯(lián)合技術(shù)公司與羅克韋爾-柯林斯公司的交易或許不太可能引起審查，因為它們不像高通公司那樣，對中國企業(yè)至關(guān)重要。這家芯片制造商為該國的大型智能手機制造商提供重要部件。

Even before the trade war, China applied more scrutiny to foreign companies. Mergers of foreign companies in China are six times more likely to be reviewed by the authorities there than deals between two Chinese companies, according to data compiled by the Rhodium Group. Chinese regulators have unfairly focused on foreign companies, including General Motors and Microsoft in recent years, instead of domestic companies, according to Liu Xu, a researcher at the Intellectual Property and Competition Law Research Center at Tongji University in Shanghai, who has studied the cases.

甚至在貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)之前，中國就對外國公司進行了更多的審查。根據(jù)榮鼎集團(Rhodium Group)匯編的數(shù)據(jù)，中國當局審查外國公司在華并購交易的可能性，是兩家中國公司之間交易的六倍。據(jù)研究相關(guān)案例的上海同濟大學知識產(chǎn)權(quán)與競爭法研究中心研究員劉旭稱，中國監(jiān)管機構(gòu)近年來過多地關(guān)注外國公司，包括通用汽車和微軟，而不是國內(nèi)公司。

It is unclear whether the Chinese authorities will scrutinize the Disney-Fox deal in particular, but experts said a deep review would be consistent with traditionally tight regulatory controls over foreign content and information.

目前尚不清楚中國當局是否會特別審查迪士尼與?？怂沟慕灰?，但專家表示，深入審查符合對外國內(nèi)容和信息的嚴格監(jiān)管控制的傳統(tǒng)。

“The party has been more interested in containing American influence in the cultural space and entertainment space,” Mr. Chen, of the Asia Global Institute, said. “Blocking such a deal would serve to keep the American influence away and also make a point to America.”

“黨對于遏制美國在文化空間和娛樂領(lǐng)域的影響力更感興趣，” 亞洲環(huán)球研究所的陳志武表示。“阻止這樣的協(xié)議將有助于遠離美國的影響，同時也能向美國表明立場。”