China's Railways To Spend Stimulus Funds At Home

中国铁道部发言人王勇平周四接受采访时说，中国铁路部门今年预期将从中国规模庞大的经济刺激计划中获得20亿美元的额外投资，其中大部分将用于发展国内铁路事业。王勇平说，这笔资金将来自去年为提振中国经济而发行的政府债券。他说，根据铁道部的经验，新的开支可以创造15万个工作机会。整个中国铁路系统员工约200万人。王勇平说，政府投资铁路建设也是为经济考虑。王勇平说，铁道部迫切地想帮助国内经济度过短期难关，同时这笔投资也为实现战略目标提供了资金；中国想打造具有国际竞争力的铁路行业，要做到这点，铁道部会将大部分资金用于向国内公司采购，而不是海外。王勇平说，我们欢迎外国投资者，不过是作为生产轨道车的中国公司的合资伙伴。外国公司通过提供技术获得回报，中国公司则可能在国内运用这些技术生产产品。王勇平说，在引进国外技术并融会吸收之后，我们就可以创建自己的中国品牌。学习了他们的技术后，我们不会完全照搬，而是根据中国国情进行改造。今年3月德国工程巨头西门子公司(Siemens AG)与铁道部之间的争论引发了诸多疑问，王勇平的话是对此作出的回应。西门子宣称其获得了向新建的京沪高铁提供列车的10亿美元订单。中国政府却表示该铁路项目应当会采用中国技术，铁道部随后否认与西门子达成了交易。但西门子则坚称交易仍然有效。王勇平周四说，西门子的任何交易都不是跟铁道部，而是与中国公司达成的。在改革方面，王勇平说铁道部不太可能实行大规模私有化，这个问题此前随着中国进入市场经济而浮出水面。王勇平说，每个国家都有自己的需求，而中国必须通过集中的组织架构才能够最大限度地利用有限的资源。他说，我们的能力无法满足需求，因此我们必须从国家和人民的利益出发来调配这些资源。由政府掌控的体系的优势在去年中国遭受重大雪灾和地震时显露出来。铁路部门被动员起来，向受困旅客提供帮助，并向受灾地区运送物资。王勇平说，中国民众亲眼看到这样一个体系仍然有活力。Ian Johnson相关阅读数据预示中国经济或已走出谷底 2009-04-16铁路相关股或从铁路投资中受益 2009-02-03（更正并致歉：铁道部发言人应为王勇平，而非原译文中所说的王永平。我们为此错误造成的不便深深致歉。）


China's railway sector is due to get $2 billion in additional investment this year -- its share of China's huge stimulus plan -- most of which will go to bolster the domestic rail industry, the Ministry of Railways' chief spokesman said in an interview Thursday.Wang Yongping said the funding will come from government bonds issued late last year to bolster China's economy. The new spending could create 150,000  jobs, he said, based on the ministry's experience. The entire Chinese railway system employs about 2 million. 'The government considered the economy when it invested in the railway,' Mr. Wang said.While the ministry is eager to help out with the domestic economy's short-term troubles, Mr. Wang said the investment will serve strategic goals, too. China wants to create an internationally competitive railway industry and to do that it will spend most of the money on domestic companies rather than buying from abroad, he said.Foreign investors are welcome, but as joint-venture partners for Chinese firms producing rail cars, Mr. Wang said. Foreign companies would be paid for their technology, which Chinese companies are likely to use in domestically made products.'After introducing it, after being digested by us, we'll create our own Chinese brand,' Mr. Wang said. 'After studying their technology, we don't completely copy it; according to China's situation we recreate it.'Mr. Wang was discussing the issue in response to questions about a dispute that arose in March between German engineering giant Siemens AG and the ministry. Siemens announced it had a contract to sell $1 billion in trains for the new Shanghai-Beijing high-speed line. The government has said the rail project was supposed to use Chinese technology and the ministry subsequently denied a deal existed with Siemens. Siemens, however, has said the deal stands. Mr. Wang said Thursday that any deal Siemens made was not with the ministry but with Chinese companies.In terms of reforms, Mr. Wang said the ministry wasn't likely to move aggressively toward privatization, an issue that has surfaced as China moves to a market economy. Each country, he said, has its own needs and China must maximize its limited resources through a centralized structure. 'Our ability can't match demand, so we have to go according to national and the people's interests to manage these resources,' he said.The benefits of a state-controlled system were on display last year when China was hit by a crippling blizzard and earthquake. The railways were mobilized to help stranded passengers and transport supplies to stricken areas. 'The Chinese people saw this structure still has vitality,' Mr. Wang said.Ian Johnson