普京密友 中国无法取代西方融资

A close ally of Vladimir Putin has said Asia cannot replace the west as a source of financing for Russia’s sanctions-hit economy and that the country should continue to pursue integration with Europe despite the stand-off over Ukraine.

俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔•普京(Vladimir Putin)的亲密盟友、俄罗斯国家铁路公司(Russian Railways)总裁弗拉基米尔•亚库宁(Vladimir Yakunin)表示，亚洲无法取代西方，成为受制裁影响的俄罗斯经济的融资来源，尽管因乌克兰问题出现僵局，但俄罗斯应继续与欧洲寻求合作。

The remarks by Vladimir Yakunin, the Russian Railways chief, cast a degree of doubt on the much-vaunted new relationship between Russia and China as Moscow attempts to pivot east following crippling sanctions imposed by the US and EU over Ukraine.

亚库宁的这番言论令人们对备受吹捧的俄中型关系产生怀疑，此际，在美国与欧盟(EU)因乌克兰对俄罗斯实施严重制裁后，俄罗斯试图将重心向东方转移。

“It is over-exaggerated that eastern financial institutions can replace western financial institutions because, objectively speaking, the loans we can raise from western financial markets . . . are much longer-term than what we can raise on Asian markets,” he said.

他表示：“认为东方金融机构能够取代西方金融机构的看法有过分夸大之嫌，客观地来说，我们能够从西方金融市场筹集的贷款……的期限比亚洲市场更长。”

Mr Yakunin blamed the US for imposing a western sanctions regime against Russia that was “stifling” relations between Russia and Europe but said a Washington campaign to sever their relations would fail.

亚库宁指责美国针对俄罗斯实施西方制裁机制，“扼杀”了俄罗斯与欧洲的关系，但他表示美国试图切断俄罗斯与欧洲关系的努力将失败。

Known for his conservative views, Mr Yakunin is a former senior diplomat from Mr Putin’s native St Petersburg, and is part of the inner circle that followed the president to Moscow.

亚库宁以其保守观点闻名，他来自普京的家乡圣彼得堡，曾担任高级外交官，现在是一路追随普京到莫斯科的内部圈子的一员。

His comments deviated from some of the increasingly hostile, anti-western rhetoric emanating from the Kremlin.

他的言论与俄罗斯政府内部一些日益敌对的反西方论调相悖。

Russian companies and banks have been forced to build up hard currency reserves to pay off more than $40bn in debts falling due in November and December that would have once been refinanced almost automatically in the west.

在被西方制裁期间，俄罗斯企业和银行一直被迫建立硬通货储备，以偿还将于11月和12月到期的逾400亿美元的债务，以前，这些债务将几乎自动的在西方获得再融资。

Russia has begun courting China as an alternative source of financing. The two countries made headlines this week by signing a deal to supply natural gas to China from west Siberian fields.

俄罗斯开始寻求中国的支持，作为另一个融资来源。两国本周签订了一项天然气协议，将从西伯利亚西部气田向中国供应天然气。

The gas deal poses a challenge to Europe since it has, until now, been the key export market for the west Siberian fields. But Russia failed to obtain prefinancing from China to build the pipeline needed to send the gas east. The two sides have also not yet agreed on pricing, an area in which China is notorious for taking a hard line.

这一天然气交易对欧洲构成了挑战，迄今欧洲一直是西伯利亚西部气田的主要出口市场。但俄罗斯并未从中国获得用以建造将天然气输往东方所需管道的预融资。双方迄今尚未就定价达成一致，中国在这方面一直态度强硬。

Russia has so far had little success in tapping Chinese funding for its corporate sector. China’s ExIm Bank has agreed to open credit lines of up to $2bn to VTB and VEB and up to $300m to Rosselkhozbank, the Russian state banks; China Development Bank has agreed to lend $500m to Russian telecoms company Megafon. But these deals were all tied to purchases of Chinese equipment.

在为本国企业筹集中国资金方面，俄罗斯迄今成功很少。中国进出口银行(ExIm Bank)已同意向俄罗斯外贸银行(VTB)和VEB开放最高20亿美元的信用额度，向俄罗斯国有银行俄罗斯农业银行(Rosselkhozbank)提供最高3亿美元的信用额度；中国国家开发银行(China Development Bank)已同意向俄罗斯电信企业Megafon贷款5亿美元。但这些交易都与购买中国设备挂钩。