阿尔及利亚财政危机为中国企业的发展蒙上阴影

吉尔一片天

整理、翻译：美男子天团

来源：This is Africa杂志

A sprawling complex of buildings steadily rising out of the ground along the bay of Algiers.

沿着阿尔及尔海湾一大片建筑综合体的楼宇正在稳健地拔地而起。

At one end, the world's tallest minaret will tower 270 metres (nearly 870 ft) into the sky over Algeria’scapital. Since 2012, state-owned China Construction Engineering Corporation(CSCEC) has been busily building Africa's largest mosque. Once completed, itwill be the world's third largest one.

另一边，高达270米（接近870英尺）的世界最高尖塔即将在阿尔及利亚首都的天空上矗立。2012年以来，国有的中国建筑集团（CSCEC）就一直在紧锣密鼓地施工非洲最大的清真寺。一旦完工，这将是世界上第三大的（清真寺）。

China’s influence in Algeria'seconomy is undoubtedly most pronounced in the construction sector. Chinesefirms have won billions in government infrastructure contracts in the past 15years.

毫无质疑的，中国对阿尔及利亚经济影响力的最大部分在建筑领域。中国公司在过去的15年，赢取了数百亿美元的政府基建合同。

But this is changing. Chinesecompanies are starting to feel the pinch of Algeria's economic downturn. TheOPEC member and major energy exporter is in the throes of a budget crisis amid the plunge in global oil prices.

然而，情况正在变化，各家中国公司开始感受到阿尔及利亚经济下行带来的痛楚。由于全球石油价格跳水，这个欧佩克（OPEC）成员、份额庞大的能源出口国正在经历财政危机的剧痛。

In 2015, Algeria – which relies on hydrocarbon-generated revenues for 95 percent of its export earnings and two thirds of government revenues – saw its oil income halved.

2015年，阿尔及利亚，这个出口收入的95%和政府财政的2/3依赖燃油的国家，石油收入减半。

Chinese construction contracts inAlgeria have included low-cost housing projects, an East-West highway, an airport and shopping centres. According to the Chinese embassy in Algiers,Chinese corporations have built nearly 250,000 homes in the country since thebeginning of the 2000s.

中国建筑在阿尔及利亚的合同包括低成本的房建项目和东西高速公路，一座机场和商业中心。

The country’s first opera house,which opened in August, is a $40m gift from China to Algeria.

8月启用的，这个国家的第一座剧院，是中国政府送给阿尔及利亚的价值4000万美元礼物。

“Algeria's building boom has helped China to rake in money while theAlgerian regime has bought social peace. It was a win-win agreement,”  Thierry Pairault, a sinologist and a senioranalyst at the French National Scientific Research Centre (CNRS), tells This isAfrica.

阿尔及利亚的建造高潮帮助中国公司获得了利润而阿尔及利亚政府则买到了社会和平。“这是一项双赢的协议”，Thierry Pairault，法国国家社会研究中心（CNRS）的汉学家和市场分析师这样告诉本刊。

Now, with its economy tanking,the Algerian regime has implemented stringent import duties and missed project payments. In August, the government announced it had reduced imports by 14percent in a bid to shore up public finances.

现在，经济狂欢之后，阿尔及利亚政府实施了银根紧缩的进口关税并停止了多项工程的支付。8月，为了保障公共开支，政府宣称其降低了14%的进口。

As part of the belt tightening,some infrastructure projects have also been shelved. The government's ambitious housing programme is under strain.

作为勒紧裤带的一部分，一些基建项目同样被搁置。政府雄心勃勃的房屋计划同样受到影响。

“The housing building project has been suffering delays since thebeginning of the year because of late payment. There are construction sites ata stands till while some of our building corporations are providing money to payfor necessary materials,” Zhao Dongliang, head of the Chinese embassy'sdepartment of economic affairs in Algiers, tells This is Africa.

从今年初，房建项目就因为支付滞后遭遇延期。“一些建筑工地仍在支撑，原因在于我们的建筑公司正在垫资供应必要的材料”，中国驻阿尔及利亚大使馆商务参赞赵董良，这样告诉本刊。

Still, the flow of project deals has not stopped entirely. Chinese firms recently signed several newmulti-billion-dollar deals with the Algerian government.

但是，工程发布的浪潮并没有完全停止。中国公司最近同阿尔及利亚政府签署了几个新的数亿美元的合同。

A transhipment seaport is set tobe built 55 miles west of Algiers through a Chinese-Algerian joint venture,according to a $3.3bn agreement signed by Algeria's ministry of Transport,CSCEC and China Harbour Engineering Company in January. Chinese firms will holda 49 percent stake while the Algerian government will retain a 51 percentstake.

根据一份由阿尔及利亚交通部、中国建筑和中国港湾在1月份签署的总额为33亿美元的协议，阿尔及尔以西55km处将建造一座由中国和阿尔及利亚联合体公司承建的中转海港，中国公司将持有49%的股份，阿尔及利亚政府则持有51%。

“This will be a milestone in the history of the Sino-Algerian partnership,” Mr Zhao said.

“这将是阿尔及利亚和中国合作关系的里程碑事件，”赵参赞表示。

“The Algerian authorities have chosen Chinese companies to run this mega-project due to the long-standing ties between the two nations.”

出于两国之间长期的合作关系，阿尔及利亚政府选择了中国公司承建这项重大工程。

Old friends

老朋友

The ties between China andAlgeria do indeed stretch back. Back in the 1950s, China was the first non-Arabcountry to recognise Algeria's nascent nationalist movement as the countrysought independence from France. Five decades later, the two nations have what they term a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, form alised in February 2014.

中国和阿尔及利亚之间的合作历史悠久。回溯到20世纪50年代，中国是第一个在阿尔及利亚民族解放运动初期承认其脱离法国独立的非阿拉伯国家。50年之后，两国在2014年2月确立了“全面战略合作伙伴”关系。

China's engagement in trade and investment with Algeria has been growing over the past decade. Today, some 850Chinese firms, largely state-controlled, invest in Algeria, according toChina's embassy in Algiers.

中国和阿尔及利亚之间的签署的贸易和投资协议在过去十年中快速增长。根据中国驻阿尔及利亚大使馆的数据，时至今日，大约有850家中国公司，大部分是国企，在阿尔及利亚开展投资。

Since 2013, China has even beencrowned Algeria's top export partner, far outstripping European countries.

2013以后，中国成为阿尔及利亚最大出口伙伴国，远超各欧洲国家。

However, as the demand forChinese construction labourers is set to diminish significantly in the shortterm, China's workforce in the north African country is likely to shrink.

但是，由于短期内对中国劳工的需求将显著降低，中国在这个北非国家的劳工总数将会萎缩。

Many of the 40,000 Chineseworkers in Algeria are expecting to leave in the coming months, the embassysays. Chinese workers currently make up the second largest foreign group inAlgeria, after the French.

約40000名在阿尔及利亚劳务的中国劳工将会在未来几个月离开这个国家，赵参赞透露。中国工人目前是排名在法国之后在阿最大的外籍人员团体。

As the Chinese labour force begins to thin, some observers are questioning how much they will have leftbehind.

由于中国劳工减少，一些观察者正在研究会有多少人留下来。

“[The country] was a source of jobs for Chinese housebuilders asAlgeria was looking for a cheap workforce to cope with its galloping housingcrisis. But, finally, it was a waste of money since there was little skillstransfer to Algerian workers,” Mr Pairault concludes.

阿尔及利亚一直寻求廉价劳动力应对住房危机，由此该国成为中国建筑工人的工作提供国。然而，由于最终仅有极少的技术转让给阿尔及利亚工人，事实上这成为一种资金的浪费，Pairault先生得出如上结论。