Ukraine is set to become China’s top supplier of corn in the first half of 2015 as both countries reap the benefits of closer trade relations and Beijing looks to diversify¹ its grain and oilseed purchases.

乌克兰将成为今年上半年中国最大玉米供应国，两国都从更为紧密的贸易关系中受益，而中国正试图实现粮食和油籽采购的多元化。

The latest customs data for May shows China imported 403,881 tonnes of corn — mainly used as livestock² feed — of which almost 95 per cent came from Ukraine.

5月的最新海关数据显示，中国玉米进口为40.3881万吨（主要用于牲畜饲料），其中近95%来自乌克兰。

This takes the total imports from Ukraine, the bread basket of eastern Europe, to 1.55m tonnes for the first five months of the year, or nearly 90 per cent of China’s overseas corn purchases.

今年头5个月，来自乌克兰这个东欧产粮区的玉米进口总量达到155万吨，占中国海外玉米采购的近90%。

Ukraine has established itself as China’s top corn exporter at a surprising pace since its first shipment to the country in 2012 after Kiev and Beijing signed a $3bn loan-for-corn deal. Ukrainian agricultural groups have sought investment and export deals with Chinese companies such as Cofco, the state-owned grains trader.

2012年，乌克兰与中国签订价值30亿美元的贷款换玉米协议。自首批玉米发运以来，乌克兰以惊人的速度成为中国最大的玉米供应国。乌克兰农产品集团一直寻求与国有粮食交易商中粮(Cofco)等中国企业达成投资和出口协议。

The eastern European country’s ascent³ has come at the expense of the US, which until last year was the top corn exporter to China. For the first five months of this year, China imported a total of 45,000 tonnes from the US, down 95 per cent from the same time last year.

乌克兰地位的上升是以美国市场占有率下滑为代价的，直到去年，美国一直是中国最大玉米供应国。今年头5个月，中国从美国进口的玉米总量为4.5万吨，较去年同期减少95%。

Ukraine’s deepening relationship with China will support the country’s struggling agricultural sector⁴ amid continuing tensions with neighbouring Russia. Meanwhile, imports from Ukraine help satisfy China’s growing demand for grains and meat.

在与邻国俄罗斯关系持续紧张之际，乌克兰与中国关系的加深将支撑乌克兰步履维艰的农业产业。与此同时，来自乌克兰的进口将满足中国与日俱增的对谷物和肉类的需求。

“Ukraine is on the new trade route to Europe that China wants to develop. It also meshes⁵ with China promoting investment and infrastructure⁶ in parts of the world that are neglected,” said Fred Gale⁷, senior economist⁸ at the US Department of Agriculture.

美国农业部(US Department of Agriculture)高级经济学家家弗雷德•盖尔(Fred Gale)表示：“乌克兰处于中国希望发展的通往欧洲的新的贸易线路上。这也与中国在世界上某些被忽视的地区促进投资和基础设施建设的战略相符。”