中國在馬新高鐵競標中領先

Tadashi Maeda was visibly agitated. Addressing an investment forum in Kuala Lumpur, the senior managing director at Japan Bank for International Cooperation assured the packed hall that Japan would redouble its efforts to secure a contract to build the proposed 350km high-speed railway to link the Malaysian capital to Singapore, at an estimated cost of between $9.7bn and $14.5bn.

去年10月，在馬來西亞首都吉隆坡的一個投資論壇上，日本國際協力銀行(JBIC)執行董事前田匡史(Tadashi Maeda)向滿場觀衆保證日本將加倍努力獲取馬新高鐵的建設合同。這條擬建的高鐵全長350公里，將連接吉隆坡和新加坡，預估費用在97億美元到145億美元之間。前田匡史講話時，可以明顯看出他的不安。

Mr Maeda had good reason to be agitated. He was speaking last October, a month aFTer the Indonesian government surprised many by awarding a $5.5bn, 150km Jakarta to Bandung high-speed railway contract not to Japan — which had spent five years on feasibility studies and pushing Jakarta to get the project going — but to China. It shocked the Japanese establishment , which had been certain of success.

他的不安是有充分理由的。就在那之前的一個月，印度尼西亞政府將投資55億美元，全長150公里的雅加達—萬隆高鐵項目給了中國，而不是日本，令許多人感到驚訝。此前，日本已經花了五年時間對這個項目進行可行性研究，並推動印尼政府實施這個項目。這件事震驚了一直覺得自己勝券在握的日本當局。

Mr Maeda should brace himself again. FT Confidential Research, a unit of the Financial Times, believes China is the early favourite to win the Malaysian contract, too.

眼下前田匡史應該再次做好心理準備。英國《金融時報》旗下“投資參考”(FT Confidential Research)認爲，中國在爭取馬新高鐵合同的競爭中也初步領先。

Japan was the favoured development partner for Malaysia under former premier Mahathir Mohamad in the 1980s and the 1990s. But under Najib Razak, prime minister since 2009, China has moved to the fore.

上世紀八九十年代，馬來西亞前總理馬哈蒂爾•穆罕默德(Mahathir Mohamad)執政期間，日本曾是馬來西亞所青睞的開發合作伙伴。但自現任總理納吉布•拉扎克(Najib Razak)2009年上臺以來，中國跑到了前頭。

Over the past five years, China-based companies have successfully participated in high-profile infrastructure projects. The $1.1bn Second Penang Bridge — partly financed by an $800m loan from the Chinese government — was built by the state-owned China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) together with Malaysia-based UEM Group.

過去5年裏，中國企業已成功地參與了一些備受矚目的基礎設施項目。國有的中國港灣工程(CHEC)與馬來西亞UEM Group一起建造了“檳城第二大橋”(Second Penang Bridge)，這座橋投資11億美元，部分資金來自中國政府提供的8億美元貸款。

More significantly, in the rail sector about 80 per cent of Malaysian rolling stocks are Chinese made. The Malaysian rail business is so lucrative that China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) opened a $97m rolling stock manufacturing plant in the country in July 2015.

更值得注意的是，馬來西亞鐵路部門80%的列車是中國製造的。2015年7月，中國鐵建(CRCC)在馬來西亞投資9700萬美元開設了一家鐵路車輛製造廠，從中可以看出馬來西亞鐵路業務利潤多麼豐厚。

CRCC is part of the Chinese consortium led by freight transporter China Railway bidding for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore line. The party also includes China Railway Signals & Communication and China Communications Construction (the parent company of CHEC).

中國鐵建是競標馬新高鐵的中國聯合體成員之一，聯合體由中國中鐵(China Railway)牽頭，其他成員還包括中國鐵路通信信號(China Railway Signals & Communication)以及中國交通建設（China Communications Construction，中國港灣工程的母公司）。

China’s cause may have been helped by its support for 1MDB, the controversial state investment fund at the centre of corruption allegations bedevilling Mr Najib. The prime minister and 1MDB deny any wrongdoing over $680m that landed in his personal bank accounts from a mysterious foreign source.

中國在馬來西亞的事業可能受益於其對馬來西亞國家投資基金“1MDB”的支持。該基金備受爭議，處於困擾納吉布的腐敗指控的核心。對於納吉布個人銀行賬戶上來自海外不明來源的6.8億美元鉅款，納吉布本人與1MDB都否認存在任何不法行爲。

1MDB was at risk of default until China saved it in November and bought a set of power assets from the fund for $2.3bn. 1MDB also sold part of its stake in a large plot of prime land in Kuala Lumpur to China Railway, the same plot which the Najib government has designated as the Malaysian terminus of the planned high-speed line.

1MDB原本已面臨違約風險，直至去年11月中國施以援手——以23億美元購入該基金旗下電力資產。1MDB還將其在吉隆坡一大片黃金地塊的部分股份賣給了中國中鐵，納吉布政府已將這一地塊指定爲規劃中的馬新高鐵馬來西亞段終點站。

Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah, head of Malaysia’s Public Land Transport Commission, denies the land sale gives China an advantage in the race. He insists Malaysia and Singapore will award the contract through an open tender to be held this year, with 2023 as the target completion date.

馬來西亞陸路公共交通委員會(Public Land Transport Commission)首席執行官阿扎魯丁(Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah)否認此筆土地出讓會讓中國在高鐵競標中獲得優勢。他堅稱，馬來西亞和新加坡將在今年通過舉行公開招標決定合同歸屬，工程預定完工時間爲2023年。

But the denial will be of little comfort to the Japanese consortium comprising East Japan Railway, Sumitomo, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

但言辭上的否認並不能讓由東日本旅客鐵路(East Japan Railway)、住友(Sumitomo)、日立(Hitachi)及三菱重工(Mitsubishi Heavy Industries)組成的日本聯合體感到安心。