中资企业拟向英国二线城市投资Chinese group poised¹ to invest ￡220m in Sheffield property deal

A Chinese company will invest ￡220m in Sheffield in what the council says is the largest property deal outside London by a Chinese developer.

中国一家企业将在谢菲尔德投资2.2亿英镑，谢菲尔德的市议会称，这是中国开发商在伦敦以外地区达成的最大规模的房地产交易。

Sichuan Guodong Construction will spend the money on up to five projects in the city centre over the next three years. It is part of a 60-year partnership² between the company and the city council. The projects have yet to be chosen.

未来3年，四川国栋建设(Sichuan Guodong Construction)将在谢菲尔德市中心投资多达5个项目。这是该公司与该市议会达成的60年合作关系的一部分。具体项目尚未选定。

The deal, which has been 18 months in the making, will be welcomed by the government. George Osborne, the former chancellor³, made several trips to China, including some with council leaders, to drum up investment.

这份已经酝酿了18个月的协议将受到英国政府的欢迎。前财政大臣乔治•奥斯本(George Osborne)为争取投资多次前往中国，其中几次带上该市议会的领导人同行。

Wang Chunming, chairman of Sichuan Guodong, first visited Sheffield after his daughter began studying at university there, while the city was twinned with Chengdu, where his company is based.

四川国栋的董事长王春鸣在其女儿开始在谢菲尔德上大学后首次前往该市，而谢菲尔德恰好与他公司的总部所在地成都结为姐妹城市。

Senior Sheffield politicians and officials have paid several visits to the inland industrial city, which this weekend hosts the G20 meeting of finance ministers.

谢菲尔德资深政治人士及官员多次访问了成都这个中国内陆工业城市。本周末，20国集团(G20)财长会议将在成都举行。

Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield city council, said: “This is, we believe, the biggest Chinese investment deal in a UK city outside of London.

谢菲尔德市议会议长朱丽•多尔(Julie Dore)称：“我们相信，这是中国企业在伦敦以外的英国城市达成的最大规模投资协议。”

“This is significant for Sheffield and for the UK. It shows confidence at a time of uncertainty⁴ with Brexit.” She said it showed British cities could go overseas for money when grants were being cut.

“这对谢菲尔德乃至英国来说意义重大。它表明了在英国退欧带来不确定性之际对我们的信心。”她称，这表明在拨款被削减的情况下英国城市可以从海外吸引资金。

The money, a mix of equity⁵ and bank loans, will be in a fund managed jointly⁶ by the city council.

这笔资金（包含股票和银行贷款）将放在一个由市议会联合管理的基金中。

Projects could include apartments, offices, leisure facilities and the city’s first five-star hotel.

项目可能包括公寓、写字楼、休闲设施和该市第一家五星级酒店。

Mr Wang was not available yesterday but has previously⁷ said: “This agreement illustrates⁸ our confidence in Sheffield as a city going from strength to strength, with real growth potential.”

昨日，王春鸣并不在场。但他此前曾说：“这一协议表明我们对谢菲尔德市充满信心，该市具有真正的增长潜力，会变得越来越强。”

Sichuan Guodong makes floorboards and glass as well as investing in property and soda water. A subsidiary is listed in Shanghai but the Sheffield investment has been transferred from it to the unlisted parent company.

四川国栋生产地板板材和玻璃，并投资于房地产和苏打水。一家子公司在上海上市，但是对谢菲尔德的投资已从子公司移交给未上市的母公司。

The listed unit reported paying no taxes and owing debts of RMB1.28bn in 2014, according to local government filings. By the end of 2015, it reported debt of Rmb737m ($110m) on assets of Rmb3.4bn, in its annual report.

监管申报文件显示，2014年该上市子公司报告并未缴税，且负债达12.8亿元人民币。到2015年底，该子公司报告资产为34亿元人民币，而负债为7.37亿元人民币（合1.1亿美元）。