美国批评英国加入亚投行的决定

The White House accused the UK on Thursday of a “constant accommodation” of China after the British government decided to join a new China-led financial institutionthat could become a rival to the World Bank.

白宫周四指责英国“不断迁就”中国。此前英国政府决定参加以中国为首的新金融机构——亚洲基础设施投资银行(Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank，简称亚投行)，该机构可能成为世界银行(WB)的竞争对手。

The rare rebuke of one of the US’s closest allies comes as Britain prepares to announce it will become a founding member of the $50bn Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, making it the first G7 country to join an institution launched by China last October.

对美国最亲密的盟友之一发出这一罕见谴责之际，英国正准备宣布将成为亚投行创始成员国之一，成为首个参加该机构的七国集团(G7)国家。亚投行由中国于去年10月发起，资金规模为500亿美元。

The reprimand is a rare breach in the “special relationship” that has been a backbone of western policy for decades. It also underlines US concerns over China’s efforts to establish a new generation of international development banks that could challenge Washington-based global institutions. The US has been lobbying other allies not to join the AIIB.

对于数十年来一直是西方政策主心骨的美英“特殊关系”，美国的这次谴责是一次罕见的翻脸。它还凸显出美国对中国试图创建新一代国际开发银行的担忧，这类银行可能挑战那些总部位于华盛顿的全球机构。美国一直在游说其他盟友不要参加亚投行。

Relations between Washington and David Cameron’s government have been strained over recent weeks, with senior US officials criticising Britain over falling defence spending, which could soon fall below the Nato target of 2 per cent of gross domestic product.

最近几周，华盛顿和戴维•卡梅伦(David Cameron)政府之间的关系渐趋紧张，美国高官批评英国降低国防支出。英国的国防支出与国内生产总值(GDP)之比不久可能跌破2%这个北约(NATO)目标。

A senior administration official told the Financial Times that the British decision was taken after “virtually no consultation with the US” and at a time when the G7 had been discussing how to approach the new bank.

奥巴马政府一名高官告诉英国《金融时报》，英国“几乎没有与美国磋商”就做出了这一决定，而且七国集团此前还在讨论如何应对新成立的亚投行。

“We are wary about a trend toward constant accommodation of China, which is not the best way to engage a rising power,” the US official said.

这名美国官员表示：“我们对于那种不断迁就中国的倾向十分警觉，这不是同一个崛起中的强国打交道的最佳方式。”

British officials were publicly restrained in criticising China over its handling of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests while Mr Cameron has made it clear he has no further plans to meet the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader — following a 2012 meeting that prompted a furious response from Beijing.

在批评中国处理香港民主抗议的问题上，英国官员在公开场合十分克制。同时卡梅伦已明确表示没有会晤达赖喇嘛(Dalai Lama)的进一步计划，他在2012年会晤这位西藏精神领袖之后，曾引发北京方面的激烈反弹。

While Beijing has long been suspicious about US influence over the World Bank and IMF, China also believes that the US and Japan have too much control over the Manila-based Asian Development Bank. In addition to the AIIB, China is the driving force behind the creation last year of the Brics development bank and is promoting a $40bn Silk Road Fund to finance economic integration with Central Asia.

长期以来，中国政府一直怀疑美国对世界银行和国际货币基金组织(IMF)的影响力过大。此外，中国还认为美国和日本对总部位于马尼拉的亚洲开发银行(Asian Development Bank)控制过多。除了亚投行以外，中国还是去年成立的金砖四国(Bric)开发银行的推动力量，并在积极推进规模为400亿美元的丝绸之路基金(Silk Road Fund)，以便为与中亚国家的经济整合提供资金。

The Obama administration has said it is not opposed to the AIIB, but US officials fear it could become an instrument of Chinese foreign policy if Beijing ends up having veto power over the bank’s decisions.

奥巴马政府曾表示不反对亚投行，但美国官方担心，如果中国政府最终拥有对该行决策的否决权，该行可能成为中国对外政策的工具。

The UK Treasury said George Osborne, chancellor of the exchequer, had discussed his intention to become a founding member of the new bank with Jack Lew, his US counterpart. Mr Osborne was aware his decision would not be popular with Washington.

英国财政部(Treasury)表示，财政大臣乔治•奥斯本(George Osborne)曾和美国财政部长杰克•卢(Jack Lew)讨论过成为亚投行创始成员国的意图。奥斯本知道，他的决定不会受到华盛顿的欢迎。

Mr Osborne was unrepentant, arguing that Britain should be in at the start of the new bank, ensuring that it operates in a transparent way. He believes it fills an important gap in providing finance for infrastructure for Asia.

奥斯本并不认为自己的决定有错。他辩称，英国应该在亚投行成立之初就参与，确保该行透明运营。他相信，该行填补了为亚洲基础设施提供融资的重要空白。

“Joining the AIIB at the founding stage will create an unrivalled opportunity for the UK and Asia to invest and grow together,” Mr Osborne said. He expects other western countries, which have been making positive noises privately about the new bank, to become involved.

奥斯本表示：“在亚投行的成立阶段就加入该行，会为英国和亚洲创造共同投资和增长的举世无双的机遇。”他预计其他西方国家也会参与进来，这些国家私下里对亚投行的反响相当积极。

Beijing launched the AIIB in October with the backing of 20 other countries, but Japan, South Korea and Australia — America’s main allies in the region — did not become founding members. There has been a strong debate with the Australian cabinet about whether to join, after US pressure to stay on the sidelines.

去年10月，北京方面在其他20个国家的支持下发起了亚投行，但是美国在亚洲的主要盟友日本、韩国和澳大利亚并未成为创始成员国。在美国施压澳大利亚保持观望后，该国内阁就是否加入亚投行展开了激烈辩论。

A decision by the major economies to join now would give up leverage they might have over the AIIB as it was being set up, the US official said: “Large economies can have more influence by staying on the outside and trying to shape the standards it adopts than by getting on the inside at a time when they can have no confidence that China will not retain veto powers.”

前述美国官员称，主要经济体现在决定加入，将放弃其在亚投行成立过程中可能掌握的筹码。他说：“相比在不确定中国将不保留否决权的情况下加入其中，大型经济体如果暂且观望并试图影响亚投行所用的标准，可以拥有更大的影响力。”

Mr Osborne’s decision reflects London’s desire to pursue commercial relations with China aggressively, even at the expense of antagonising Washington.

奥斯本的决定反映出伦敦方面渴望积极发展英中商业关系，即便付出惹恼华盛顿的代价也在所不惜。

When Mr Osborne visited Beijing in 2013 he said he wanted to “change Britain’s attitude to China”; last October the chancellor hailed the British government’ssovereign renminbi bond issue, the first by a western government. It has been keen to establish the City of London as a platform for overseas business in the Chinese currency as it starts to play a bigger role in the global economy.

2013年奥斯本出访北京时曾表示，他希望“改变英国对中国的态度”；去年10月，这位财政大臣宣布英国政府发行人民币计价的主权债券，这是西方国家首次发行人民币主权债券。随着人民币开始在全球经济中扮演更重要的角色，英国热衷于将伦敦金融城打造成人民币离岸中心。

Last week, the House of Commons foreign affairs committee said the British government should press China harder to introduce political reforms in Hong Kong. The committee also said it was “profoundly disappointed” at the “mild” response of the government when its members were prevented from visiting Hong Kong in November during the protests.

上周，下议院外交事务委员会称，英国政府应当加大力度敦促中国在香港推行政治改革。该委员会还表示，去年11月香港抗议期间在该委员会成员被阻止访问香港时，政府表现出的“温吞”反应令委员会“深感失望”。