經濟廣角:中國企業向伊朗出售汽油

CHINESE COMPANIES SUPPLY IRAN WITH PETROL
Chinese state companies this month began supplying petrol to Iran and now provide up to one third of its imports in a development that threatens to undermine US-led efforts to shut off the supply of fuel on which its economy depends.

The sales come in spite of moves over the past year by international companies, including BP and Reliance of India, to stop selling petrol to Iran, and highlight the difficulties of implementing sanctions aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Traders and bankers familiar with Iran's purchasing said the gap left by the withdrawal of such long-standing suppliers had been filled by Chinese petrol this month.

While Iran is one of the world's biggest oil producers its refineries are dilapidated and it suffers from runaway petrol demand because of generous subsidies.

Foreign ministers from the world's big powers are meeting today in New York to discuss how to convince Iran to curtail its nuclear programme, which Tehran maintains is for peaceful purposes.

Oil traders said that Chinese-state owned oil companies were selling the petrol through intermediaries. The sales are legal as fuel imports are not at present included in sanctions against the country.

A Chinese official in Washington said: “Chinese enterprises conduct normal trade relations with Iran, strictly speaking within the relevant UN resolutions.

“On the UN side, the Chinese government position on the Iranian nuclear issue has been very consistent and clear: China has been working with the relevant parties together for the peaceful resolution of the issue through diplomatic means.”

Other Asian and European oil companies and trading houses also sell petrol to Tehran.

Lawrence Eagles, head of commodities research at JPMorgan, said: “We estimate, based on what we are hearing in the market, that 30,000-40,000 barrels a day of Chinese petrol is making its way from the Asian spot market to Iran via third parties.” His comments reflect the view of several leading traders supplying Iran with petrol.

Iran usually imports 120,000 b/d. The traders did not disclose the identity of the Chinese companies or the names of the intermediaries. In the past, Chinese petrol has been resold through intermediaries within Asia.

Beijing's leading oil companies Sinopec and CNPC have signed $4bn contracts to help Tehran to pump more oil out of its fields, many of which are declining with age.

The US and some of its allies want to shut off Tehran's petrol imports, which have long been depicted as the Iranian economy's most vulnerable point.

中國國有企業本月開始向伊朗供應汽油，如今提供多至三分之一的伊朗進口汽油。這一動態可能損害以美國爲首的努力，即切斷伊朗經濟所依賴的燃料供應。

過去一年，包括英國石油(BP)和印度信實集團(Reliance)在內的國際公司，已紛紛停止向伊朗出售汽油。中國的銷售突顯了執行旨在遏制伊朗核雄心的制裁措施的難度。

熟悉伊朗購買操作的交易員和銀行家們表示，上述長期供應商停止供應所留下的缺口，本月已被中國汽油填補。

儘管伊朗是世界最大產油國之一，但該國煉油廠年久失修，而且由於慷慨的補貼，汽油需求已到失控地步。

全球各大國的外長們今日在紐約會晤，討論如何說服伊朗遏制其核計劃——德黑蘭堅稱，其核計劃是出於和平目的。

石油交易員們表示，中國國有石油企業通過中介向伊朗銷售汽油。這些銷售是合法的，因爲燃料進口目前不在針對伊朗的制裁範圍內。

一名中國官員在華盛頓表示：“中國企業與伊朗開展正常的貿易關係，嚴格說來是符合聯合國相關決議的。

“在聯合國方面，中國政府在伊朗核問題上的立場是非常一致和明確的：中國一直在與有關各方共同努力，致力於通過外交途徑和平解決這個問題。”

其它亞洲和歐洲石油公司及貿易公司也向伊朗銷售汽油。

摩根大通(JPMorgan)大宗商品研究主管勞倫斯•伊格爾斯(Lawrence Eagles)表示：“根據我們在市場上聽到的消息，我們估計每天有3萬至4萬桶中國汽油從亞洲現貨市場通過第三方流入伊朗。”他的話反映了多名向伊朗供應汽油的領先交易員的看法。

伊朗通常每天進口12萬桶汽油。相關交易員沒有透露中國企業或中介的名稱。以往，中國汽油也是通過中介在亞洲市場轉售的。

中國領先的石油公司——中石化(Sinopec)和中石油(CNPC)，已簽署40億美元的合約，幫助伊朗因長期開採而趨向枯竭的油田提高產量。

美國及其部分盟國希望切斷伊朗的汽油進口——長期以來，汽油進口一直被形容爲伊朗經濟最脆弱的要害。