中國將再向委內瑞拉提供50億美元貸款
China will loan Venezuela $5bn to boost oil output, the Venezuelan president said in a televised broadcast from Beijing, in a show of continued support for the troubled Latin American economy from one of its main creditors.
委內瑞拉總統尼古拉斯氠嵐坧(Nicolas Maduro)在發自北京的電視畫面中表示，中國將向委內瑞拉提供50億美元貸款，以提高其石油產量。此舉表明，這個陷入困境的拉美經濟體繼續得到中國的支持。中國是委內瑞拉的主要債權國之一。
China has lent $50bn to Venezuela in oil-backed loans secured under former president Hugo Chávez but has become much less enthusiastic about adding to its exposure as the Venezuelan economy has worsened. Venezuela is the eighth-largest oil supplier to China, primarily of heavy crude that trades at lower than benchmark prices.
中國已向委內瑞拉提供了500億美元以石油作擔保的貸款，這些貸款是在委內瑞拉前總統烏戈查韋斯(Hugo Chávez)任內敲定的。然而，隨着委內瑞拉經濟發生惡化，中國擴大對委投資的熱情已大大降低。委內瑞拉是中國第八大石油供應國。該國供應的主要是重質原油，價格比基準油價要低一些。
Nicolas Maduro, Venezuelan president, said in a broadcast aired in his home country on Tuesday evening that the deal would “increase oil production in a gradual way in coming months”. Mr Maduro is visiting China ahead of a military parade on Thursday to celebrate the end of the second world war in Asia.
週二晚，在委內瑞拉播出的電視節目中，馬杜羅表示，這筆交易將“在今後幾個月裏逐步提高石油產量”。馬杜羅眼下在中國訪問。週四，北京將舉行紀念二戰亞洲戰事結束的閱兵式。
Analysts said Venezuela’s economic woes combined with a global slide in oil prices posed China with a dilemma over its dealings with the Latin American country.
分析人士表示，委內瑞拉遭遇的經濟困境以及全球油價的下滑，令中國在與這個拉美國家打交道時左右爲難。
“There are two points of view in China”, said Lin Boqiang, energy expert at Xiamen University and an adviser to state oil company PetroChina. “One is that ‘they are on the rocks, don’t lend more’ and the other is that oil prices are so low, it’s an opportunity to secure supply because we know the price will surely go up. You can’t say that either view is incorrect.”
廈門大學(Xiamen University)能源專家、國有石油企業中國石油(PetroChina)的顧問林伯強表示：“在中國有兩種觀點。一種認爲，‘他們已經破產了，別再借錢給他們’。另一種則認爲，油價這麼低，正是搞定供應的良機，因爲我們知道油價肯定會漲。這兩種觀點哪種你也不能說是錯的。”
Venezuelan production has slipped steadily because of chronic under-investment in the country’s ageing and complex oilfields, despite their importance to its economy and export revenues. Crude oil sales account for 96 per cent of Venezuela’s exports, and every $1 drop in the price of oil equates to a $700m hit to government revenues.
委內瑞拉的石油產量持續下滑，原因是該國老化而複雜的油田長期投資不足，儘管這些油田對該國經濟和出口創收非常重要。原油出口收入佔委內瑞拉出口收入的96%，油價每下跌1美元，該國政府收入就減少7億美元。
Mr Maduro said Venezuela currently sent about 700,000 barrels a day of oil to China.
馬杜羅表示，目前委內瑞拉每日向中國輸送約70萬桶原油。
A drop in oil prices to six-year lows has eroded Venezuelan state revenues as well as its ability to meet its payments on debt from China. Beijing extended the schedule for payment late last year, in the face of falling crude prices.
油價跌至6年低點不僅侵蝕了委內瑞拉的政府收入，還降低了該國向中國償債的能力。去年底，面對原油價格的不斷下跌，中國政府延長了委內瑞拉的還款期限。
