阿泽讲旅游 2024-02-02 河北美国中情局主管威廉·伯恩斯最近在《外交》杂志撰文称，由于中俄的崛起，美国丧失了其在国际舞台上的“绝对领导地位”，使美国感受到了日益增长的存在威胁。伯恩斯非常担心这个趋势，不仅是因为榜单上的变动，更重要的是，他们根本就没有办法阻止中俄的崛起。此外，伯恩斯还指出，由于敌人掌握了更为先进的科技，美国的情报努力正日益艰难。令人忧虑的是，美国各地都出现了这样的忧虑。美国《新闻周刊》1月25号刊登了一份名为《中国资本瞄准了美国的要害》的调查报告，内容涉及拉美的经济，该研究是根据美国专门研究拉美问题的研究机构发布的一份报告。
所以，它是非常专业和典型的。这篇论文的作者和参加调查的专家们都表达了对中国在拉美的投资越来越多的担心。他们把中国在拉美的投资和改变看起来像是打在了美国“要害”上。中国在拉美的总投资额虽然比不上欧美，但其发展潜力很大，美国也没有能力阻止。美国学者认为，中国在拉美的投资在最近几年有所增加，这些投资集中在基础设施建设，矿产开采，通信技术，金融技术和能源转换等领域。而这些，正是美国所不具备的。比如，拉美长期以来一直是贫困和落后的国家，但他们都渴望发展自己的经济，而基础建设则是他们的先行者。用中国人的话来说，那就是：要致富，就得先修路。
素有“基建狂魔”之称的中国，拥有着其他国家无法比拟的优势。美国在欠发达国家的基础上，许诺了无数的基础设施，但这些基础设施，却一个都没能实现。当然，这篇报道故意没有提及中国的另一大优点，即中国不会对外国的基建项目提出任何苛刻的要求。美国公司的情况正好相反！中国在拉美的投资，也是与其他国家共享自身发展的一种方式，这让拉美的民众能够以较低的成本，享受到远超美国的先进技术，比如新能源汽车、先进的网络技术等。中国拥有近乎完整的稀土和其他稀有矿物的产业链，中国新能源企业正在对拉美的关键资源如锂矿进行大量投资。美国企业也能买得起那些矿石，但美国公司并不需要这么大的生意，而且他们也希望能在最短时间内获得丰厚的收益。类似这样的投资项目数不胜数，虽然中国在拉美的投资额只占很小的一部分，但中国拥有强大的制度优势。这类投资通常是政府引导下的长期性行动，而基建先行则能让更多私人资金尽早融入本地。
国企是一种长期的投资，而不是为了短期的高收益，这也使得中国在价格上占据了绝对的优势。美国一向视拉丁美洲为自家后花园，美国也不想看到拉美有什么强国，拉美自从独立以来，虽然没有经历过大规模的战争，但也没能走出贫穷和落后。分析家们将其归咎于美国对世界的掌控与破坏。美国把其他国家的崛起看作是对自身的一种威胁，这似乎并不令人感到意外。美国拉美研究学者和中央情报局的负责人都有一个共同点，即他们在中国合法的、合法的投资上毫无竞争力，而且他们也没有更好的控制手段。美国在过去几十年里一直稳居全球第一，其最大的优势并非在技术上，也非在经济上，而在建立在军事上的强权政治上。美国公司更习惯于在垄断的条件下进行竞争，但如果让他们和其他国家的公司进行公平、平等的竞争，那就太不容易了。众所周知，许多欧美跨国公司之所以能获得如此丰厚的利润，就是因为它们利用了垄断的优势，不断推出高价格的产品。中国制造的产品质量好，质量好，可以和他们一较高下，这是很正常的事情。
更让美国人担心的是中国的高技术公司，比如华为，已经进入了全球市场，势必会挤压美国公司的市场，利润丰厚的年代即将结束。这才是让伯恩斯头疼的地方，一旦美国失去了最大的优势，那么美国的公司，也就不会再有什么优势了。而且在同等条件下，他们非常担心美国公司的竞争能力！
China's Money Aims To Hit US Where It Hurts
https://www.newsweek.com/china-money-latin-america-hit-technology-report-investment-1863865
By Aadil Brar Jan 25, 2024
China's foreign direct investment in Latin America and the Caribbean is undergoing a significant transformation as the economic giant shifts its strategic focus from traditional sectors to technology-driven investments.
This move is poised to have a far-reaching impact, not only on the region's economic landscape, but also on global competition, according to a report published this month by the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington, D.C., think tank focused on the region.
Chinese FDI is changing from putting monies into large infrastructure projects under Chinese leader Xi Jinping's flagship Belt and Road Initiative, to investments focused on industries of the future—a key area in the U.S.-China technology war. It is set to challenge the traditional dominance of U.S. and European funding.
Historically, Chinese companies concentrated their investments in the region's vast agricultural and extractive resources, particularly in South America's largest markets. From 2003 to 2022, Chinese FDI in Latin American and the Caribbean reached $187.5 billion, according to the report.
The sum still falls below the FDI levels of the United States and Europe during the same period, but Chinese companies are actively expanding their presence in the region, pursuing targeted opportunities in the "new infrastructures" field in almost all nations there, the authors said.
"Many of these new, priority areas are described by China as 'new infrastructure,' a term which encompasses industries—telecommunications, fintech, and energy transition, for instance—that are broadly innovation-related, but also key components of China's economic growth strategy," they wrote.
"These sectors are among those that some G7 nations have themselves sought to prioritize in [Latin American and the Caribbean] and other parts of the Global South," they said.
Margaret Myers, one of the coauthors of the report, said: "Our data show a clear shift in Chinese FDI towards specific industries in Latin America and the Caribbean."
In the first half of last year, China's FDI data for the region showed the shift had already begun, with reduced attention on big-ticket projects and notable acquisitions by Chinese businesses in electricity generation and transmission.
Utility deals comprised 40 percent of China's total investments from January to July 2023, the report said, while high-end manufacturing accounting for 28 percent.
In Brazil, Chinese electric carmaker BYD plans to establish a plant. In Chile, a Chinese firm has acquired lithium assets, linking extraction and processing of the critical mineral—used in EV battery manufacturing—to a potential buyer on the same continent.
China currently dominates the global market for rare and critical element mining and refinement, with the U.S. still playing catch-up after offshoring its supply chains to other parts of the world.
Across the region, Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei was among other Chinese firms to have expanded their footprint. Their focus now extends to data centers, cloud computing and 5G technology, the think tank said.
In Colombia, for instance, Chinese companies have been actively expanding 5G infrastructure while integrating Internet of Things technologies, cloud services and cybersecurity solutions.
Computing accounted for a significant 41 percent of total information and communication technology investment in the region between 2018 and the first half of 2023, the report said.
In 2022, Chinese FDI in these industries—strategically targeted as an alternative to American and Western funds—accounted for 58 percent of its $3.7 billion in annual investments in the region. It also constituted more than 60 percent of the total FDI deals announced by Chinese companies in the same year.
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About the writer
Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian security. Aadil previously reported for the BBC World Service. He holds degrees from the University of British Columbia and SOAS, University of London. Send tips or suggestions to Aadil at a.brar@newsweek.com.
Aadil Brar is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers international security, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian ... Read more
