埃及總統穆爾西訪華 尋求中國經濟支持

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi on his first official trip outside the Middle East took early steps to tie Egypt more tightly to Beijing, at a time when China's wider reach in the region is posing an increasing challenge to U.S. influence there.

在首次對中東以外地區進行正式訪問的過程中，埃及總統穆爾西(Mohammed Morsi)早早地爲與中國建立更緊密關係採取了行動。中國在中東地區更廣泛的影響力正在對美國在該地區的勢力構成越來越大的挑戰。

Mr. Morsi secured new Chinese credit for economic development in Egypt, and met Chinese President Hu Jintao at Beijing's Great Hall of the People Tuesday, the first day of his state visit. His trip will also include a closely watched stopover in Iran.

週二，在對中國進行國事訪問的第一天，穆爾西就爲埃及的經濟發展爭取到了中國的信貸支持，並在北京的人民大會堂與中國國家主席胡錦濤舉行了會晤。此次出訪期間，他還將在伊朗做短暫停留，這將受到外界的密切關注。

Mr. Morsi's visit underscores that Cairo and others in the region view Beijing as a critical partner. The warming ties come despite Beijing's reluctance to support the revolutions that have swept Mr. Morsi and others into power.

從穆爾西的訪華可以看出，埃及政府以及該地區其他國家把中國視爲一個重要的夥伴。儘管中國政府不願支持將穆爾西等人推上權力之位的革命，兩國的關係仍在逐漸回暖。

The high-profile visit signals China's approach to handling Arab Spring upheaval hasn't jeopardized its ties with regional powers, Chinese analysts said this week. Western leaders, including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have criticized decisions by Beijing and Moscow to block United Nations action against Syria, for example.

中國的分析人士本週說，穆爾西此次高調訪華釋放出的信號是，中國處理阿拉伯之春革命的方式沒有破壞中國與該地區大國之間的關係。包括美國國務卿克林頓(Hillary Clinton)在內的西方領導人曾經譴責中國和俄羅斯反對聯合國制裁敘利亞的決定。

'If China was so bad for the Middle East people, I don't think President Morsi would come to China,' said Wang Suolao, who researches China-Middle East relations at Peking University.

北京大學研究中國與中東關係的王鎖牢說，我認爲如果中國在中東人眼中那麼壞，穆爾西就不會來中國。

China is battling negative perceptions in some parts of the Middle East, particularly after it vetoed with Russia U.N. Security Council resolutions targeting the Syrian regime in February and in July, defying calls for action by a number of Middle Eastern nations. China has long held that it won't support plans that it sees as meddling in other countries' affairs.

中國正在努力消除中東一些地區對它的消極看法，尤其在今年2月和7月不顧中東一些國家的呼籲，與俄羅斯共同否決多項制裁敘利亞政府的聯合國安理會決議草案之後。中國長期以來一直不支持其認爲干涉了其他國家內政的方案。

Nonetheless, analysts said the issue of Syria was unlikely to be the focus of Mr. Morsi's meetings with Mr. Hu and other Chinese leaders this week. Egypt's economy has been largely flattened by political unrest, and Cairo is eager to portray the visit as focused on spurring much-needed investment rather than Arab Spring politics.

儘管如此，分析人士說，敘利亞問題不太可能是穆爾西本週與胡錦濤及其他中國官員會談時的重點。埃及的經濟因政治風波受到嚴重打擊，埃及政府正迫切希望此次訪問能專注於推動埃及急需的投資上，而不是關注與阿拉伯之春有關的政治問題。

'This is not about Syria, it's about bilateral relations with Egypt and the new projection of Egypt internationally,' said Nabil Fahmy, dean of the School of Public Affairs at the American University in Cairo and a former Egyptian ambassador to the U.S.

開羅美國大學(American University in Cairo)公共事務學院院長、前埃及駐美國大使法赫米(Nabil Fahmy)說，此次訪問與敘利亞問題無關，而是關乎中國與埃及的雙邊關係，以及埃及在國際上的新形像。

Egypt's government is struggling with high unemployment rates and credit remains tight amid continuing fears of political uncertainty. At the same time, Cairo is eager to attract Chinese tourists and sell more goods to China, among other efforts aimed at reducing a severe trade imbalance.

埃及政府正在被高失業率問題所困擾，由於對政治不穩定的擔憂仍在持續，埃及的信貸仍然緊張。與此同時，埃及還迫切希望吸引中國的遊客，並向中國出售更多商品，同時採取一些其他行動緩解嚴重的貿易失衡問題。

Total trade between the countries surged to $8.8 billion in 2011 from around $6 billion in 2009, according to official Chinese statistics, though a trade deficit of $5.8 billion in 2011 continued to heavily tilt in China's favor. U.S. trade with Egypt totaled $8.3 billion in 2011, a slight decline from 2010, according to U.S. Trade Representative data.

據中國官方的統計數據顯示，埃中貿易總額2011年增長到88億美元，相比之下，2009年僅爲60億美元左右；不過，2011年埃及對中國貿易逆差爲58億美元，這意味着兩國貿易仍然向中國方向傾斜。據美國貿易代表辦公室(U.S. Trade Representative Office)的數據顯示，美埃貿易總額2011年爲83億美元，略低於2010年的水平。

The most tangible outcome of Tuesday's meeting of the countries' presidents was a new $200 million credit line from China Development Bank to the National Bank of Egypt.

週二兩國領導人會晤所取得的一項最爲實實在在的成果就是中國國家開發銀行(China Development Bank)向埃及National Bank of Egypt提供的2億美元的新信貸額度。

Mr. Morsi's eagerness to deepen ties with China marks the latest sign that Beijing's emergence as a political force in the Middle East is complicating Washington's foreign policy there, analysts said.

分析人士指出，穆爾西渴望加深埃及與中國的聯繫。這一最新跡象表明中國在中東地區作爲一股政治力量崛起令美國在中東的外交政策複雜化。

Egypt's natural resources are much smaller than elsewhere in the Middle East, and China's warming ties there are viewed as a bid to curry favor with a traditional regional power broker rather than as a resource play.

埃及的自然資源與中東其它國家相比要少得多，中國和埃及不斷升溫的關係被視爲中國企圖向埃及這一傳統區域權力掮客示好，而不是在打“資源牌”。

Mr. Morsi's visit 'is part of a larger strategy to basically end Egyptian reliance on the West,' said David Schenker, an Egypt analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. 'And they see China as an integral part to that strategy.'

華盛頓近東政策研究所(Washington Institute for Near East Policy)埃及問題分析師申克(David Schenker)說，穆爾西訪華體現的是埃及試圖結束對西方國家依賴的這一重大戰略。埃及視中國爲這一戰略不可或缺的組成部分。

Mr. Morsi, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, is eager to demonstrate his visit to China, as well as to Iran later this week, as the beginning of a more proactive foreign policy. Mr. Morsi will also soon visit the U.S. and Brazil as part of his diplomatic debut.

得到穆斯林兄弟會(Muslim Brotherhood)支持的穆爾西急於證明他對中國的訪問（以及本週晚些時候對伊朗的訪問）標誌着埃及開始推行更加積極主動的外交政策。作爲其首次外交出訪的組成部分，穆爾西也將很快訪問美國和巴西。

Cairo has long received economic and political backing from Washington, including significant amounts of military aid. Nonetheless, uncertainty is growing in some parts of Washington over Mr. Morsi's Islamist backing, as well as over his government's respect for the rule of law and human rights.

長期以來開羅一直得到來自華盛頓的經濟和政治支持，包括大量軍事援助。不過，由於穆爾西得到伊斯蘭主義者的支持以及他所領導的政府對法治和人權的尊重，美國政府部分人士越來越感到不確定。

U.S policy makers, while still taking the measure of how Mr. Morsi's policies will develop, are finding themselves in the rare situation of vying with their Chinese counterparts for Cairo's attention and will want to avoid the prospect of Cairo leveraging Washington against Beijing in a competition for regional influence.

雖然美國的決策者還在評估穆爾西的政策走勢，但美國也發現自己身處一種罕見的境地，即美國必須同中國競爭來贏得埃及的關注，同時還要避免這樣一種可能，即開羅利用中美兩國在這一地區爭取影響力的形勢爲自己謀得好處。

Mrs. Clinton, who met with Mr. Morsi in July, soon after he took power, made sure to convey that the U.S. is maintaining economic support for Cairo.

穆爾西上臺後不久美國國務卿克林頓於今年7月同他會面，克林頓所傳遞的信息是，美國會繼續向埃及提供經濟支持。

Mr. Morsi will be in the U.S. in September for meetings at the U.N. The White House hasn't yet said whether he will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama.

穆爾西今年9月將到美國參加聯合國會議。白宮尚未說明他是否會同美國總統奧巴馬(Barack Obama)會面。

U.S. officials, meanwhile, are keeping close tabs on China. Senior U.S. officials spent a day in discussions in Beijing earlier this month as part of the U.S.-China Middle East Dialogue. And next week, Mrs. Clinton will stop in China during a trip across Asia that comes as the Obama administration moves to deepen its military and strategic involvement across the region.

與此同時，美國官員則在密切關注中國。在本月早些時候舉行的首輪中美中東對話中，美方高級官員在北京同中方進行了一天的會談。下週，美國國務卿克林頓在亞洲之行期間將在中國停留。克林頓此行的背景是，奧巴馬政府正準備加深美國在亞洲地區軍事和戰略方面的介入程度。

Some analysts, meanwhile, have compared China's deepening ties to Egypt with Beijing's inroads in Iran after its Western-backed shah was toppled in 1979. In the ensuing decades, Iran has played a key role in helping secure Beijing resources to fuel its economic growth, and warming ties with Egypt would serve longer-term and strategic ambitions in the region.

與此同時，一些分析人士將中國加深同埃及的聯繫與1979年西方支持的伊朗政權被推翻後中國進入伊朗的行動進行比較。在隨後的幾十年中，在幫助中國取得資源推動經濟增長一事上，伊朗發揮了關鍵作用。中國同埃及的關係不斷升溫有助於中國實現在該地區的中長期戰略抱負。

China has deepened military and security ties across the Middle East in recent years. That is as growing numbers of its citizens seek business there and state-owned companies acquire larger energy and other assets.

最近幾年中國同中東地區的各個國家加深了軍事和安全聯繫。越來越多的中國公民到中東尋求商業機會，中國國企則在該地區收購大規模的能源及其它資產。

Beijing remains heavily reliant on Middle East oil to fuel its economic growth. Security analysts say China's leaders appear intent on bolstering strategic alliances there and using an increasingly modern navy to safeguard interests in the region.

北京仍然高度依賴中東石油以推動中國經濟增長。安全分析人士說，中國領導人看起來一心想要加強在中東地區的戰略聯盟，並計劃利用日益現代化的海軍維護中國在這一地區的利益。