【禁聞】外商直接投資創新低 失去信心?

【新唐人2014年08月21日訊】中共商務部18號通報,今年7月外商直接投資同比下降了17%,創下兩年來最低,外界普遍認為,中國的政治環境和經濟環境造成外商對中國投資失去信心,特別是最近被外企抗議為「不公平」的「反壟斷」行為,使很多外企望而生畏。

8月18號,中共商務部召開例行發佈會,通報了外商直接投資情況。數據顯示,7月份中國實際外商投資78億美元,同比下降17%,創前年7月以來新低,環比6月的144.2億美元,下降了45.9%。

中共國務院發展研究中心金融研究所研究員吳慶指出,中國投資空間正在變小,以及人民幣單邊升值的趨勢已經結束,是導致外商直接投資下降的主要原因。

大陸經濟學者鄧先生:「肯定兩個原因,一般是政治環境和經濟風險,中國人很善於變通,把風險變相,變通,進行轉移轉換,把它分散。困難是早就面對的,因為很多問題一直都存在,只是有這些熱錢不停地引進來,好像也掩蓋、遮掩了很多的問題。」

外界還質疑,中共近期對外企的所謂「反壟斷」,導致外企望而生畏。

過去幾週,中共針對包括「微軟」(Microsoft Corp.)、晶元生產商「高通」(Qualcomm Inc.)和汽車製造商「奧迪」(Audi AG)、「戴姆勒」(Daimler AG)和「克萊斯勒」(Chrysler)等外資企業展開了一系列的「反壟斷」調查。

中國歐盟商會(European Chamber of Commercein China)上週發佈聲明稱,在被調查的一些行業中,中國公司存在類似的違法行為,但沒有成為調查目標。而在一些案例中,中國監管機構要求外國公司不要質疑調查,不要帶律師參加聽證會也不要向母國政府求助。中國歐盟商會稱這些做法是「恐嚇」。

旅美經濟評論家馬傑森:「外國企業對中國投資環境是有些擔心,特別是最近這種利用壟斷為名義給外國企業出難題,當然也有其他的原因,人民幣發行資金非常大,經濟發展的速度又在減緩,房地產又有危機,人民幣升值的概念又逐漸在消失,熱錢往中國走的動力就不大。」

鄧先生:「『反壟斷』從來不能真正的『反壟斷』,『反壟斷』是一種策略,是政府干預的一種手段,通過這種方式來引導經濟往好的方面去,同時也是為了分散一下注意力,轉嫁一些矛盾。」

今年4月,正當全球關註解放軍總後勤部副部長谷俊山案件進展時,德國製藥商「葛蘭素史克」等外國企業陷入腐敗調查。而這一次對國外企業進行的反壟斷調查,正值前中共軍委副主席徐才厚,和前中共政法委書記周永康案件向公眾公開。

事實上,近年來越來越多的外資企業撤離中國。網路巨頭「谷歌」和「雅虎」、美國電子零售商「百思買」(Best Buy)和德國「萬得城」(Media Markt)都已經離開。美國化妝品公司「露華濃」(Revlon),一月份宣佈退出中國,並裁撤1,100個職位,世界最大化妝品公司法國「歐萊雅」(L'Oreal),也在一月決定將旗下「卡尼爾」(Garnier)系列產品退出中國市場。

而一些留下來的外國公司在中國苦苦掙扎。「IBM」說,去年最後一個季度在中國的盈利下跌23%。法國飲料集團「人頭馬君度」(Remy Cointreau)報告說,去年的前三個季度,「人頭馬乾邑」的銷售下降超過30%。

《新華社》今年5月份的一份報導說, 5年前,面對打算在哪裡開設下一家工廠的問題,10位首席執行官至少有9位會回答:中國。而今天,給出同樣回答的不會超過兩三位,而多達5位會說:美國。10年來,有多達200家美國公司把生產搬回國內。

採訪編輯/劉惠 後制/陳建銘


Foreign Direct Investment Into China Dropped To A Two-Year Low

China Ministry of Commerce data showed that foreign
direct investment (FDI) in July fell 17 percent year-on-year.
This is the lowest monthly figure in two years.

Observers say that China 's political and economic
environment caused foreign investors to lose confidence.
In particular, the recent anti-monopoly probe into foreign
companies could be the main cause.

On Aug. 18, the Ministry of Commerce announced
the FDI figure at a news briefing.
Data shows that foreign investment in China stood at $7.8
billion in July, a 17 percent drop, its lowest since July 2012.
Compared with £14.4 billion in June, foreign investment
dropped by 45.9 percent.

Wu Qing, researcher at Institute of Finance of China 's State
Council Development Research Center says that China 's
investment space is getting smaller, and the RMB appreciation
trend has ceased, likely are the main cause of the FDI 's fall.

Mr. Deng, China-based economist: "Two causes
political and economic risks.
Chinese people are good at change,
to divert risks and scatter it.
Difficulties have already existed, because many problems
still remain, the hot money consistently flows in,
thus reality is consistently covered up,
many problems have been covered up."

Observers speculate that the recent antitrust probes into
foreign companies have scared foreign investors away.

Over the past few months, China launched an anti-monopoly
investigation which probes foreign companies
including Microsoft Corp, Qualcomm Inc., Audi AG,
Daimler AG and Chrysler.

The European Chamber of Commerce in China said that
amongst companies under investigation, some Chinese
companies have put similar practices in place that violate
the country 's law yet they haven 't been investigated.
In some cases, Chinese regulators requested foreign
companies not to question the investigation,
not to attend hearings with lawyers, and
not to ask help from their native countries.
The European Chamber of Commerce in China
said these moves are intimidations.

Jason Ma, US-based economic commentator: "Foreign firms
are worried about China 's investment environment.
In particular, they used anti-monopoly as an excuse to give
foreign companies a hard time, and certainly
they have other reasons.
China printed a great amount of RMB, its economic growth
declined, its real estate business faces crisis, the RMB
appreciation concept is gradually disappeared, thus the hot
money flowing into China decreases."

Mr. Deng: "There is no real anti-monopoly.
Anti-monopoly is its tactic, a method by which
the government can intervene.
This method is used to guide the economy in a good direction.
Meanwhile the focus is diverted away from internal conflicts."

In April, when the focus was on the case of Gu Junshan,
former deputy logistics chief in the army, German drug
maker GSK and other foreign firms faced a corruption
investigation.
Now, the anti-monopoly investigation into foreign firms
took place while the cases of Xu Caihou, deputy chairman of the military committee and Zhou Yongkang,
former Secretary of the Political and Legislative Affairs
Committee, was about to be announced in public.

In fact, increasingly more foreign firms
left China in recent years.
Google, Yahoo, Best Buy and Media Markt withdrew
from China.
The US cosmetic producer Revlon announced its withdrawal
of businesses in China and laid off 1,100 workers.
One of the world's biggest cosmetic companies, France 's
L 'Oreal, decided in January to pull its Garnier products in China.

Foreign companies remaining in China are struggling.

IBM says that their profits dropped 23 percent
last season in 2013.
French alcoholic beverage group Remy Cointreau
said that in the first three quarters of last year, Remy Martin sales had dropped over 30 percent.

Xinhua News Agency reported that five years ago in May,
when US businessmen faced the question of where to set up
a company next, nine out of 10 CEOs would respond
with China.
If faced with the same question now, as many as five CEOs
would answer America.
Within 10 years, about 200 American companies
have moved their factories home.

Interview & Edit/LiHui Post-Production/Chen Jianming