Several of China’s leading banks, including Bank of China and China Construction Bank, are moving forward on joint ventures with foreign partners to accelerate the flow of credit to rural areas as part of the country’s efforts to reduce disparities between the cities and the countryside. BoC and Temasek, the Singapore state investment agency, are planning an ambitious scheme involving hundreds of branches.

　　包括中國銀行(Bank of China)和中國建設銀行(China Construction Bank)在內的中國多家主要銀行，正推進與外資伙伴的合資項目，加速面向農村地區的信貸流動，這是中國縮小城鄉差距的舉措之一。中行和新加坡政府投資機構淡馬錫(Temasek)正在規劃一個雄心勃勃的項目，涉及數以百計的分支機構。

　　The venture, which each will capitalise with $1.5bn, will feature a $30bn balance sheet, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

　　據一位對此事有第一手了解的人士透露，中行和淡馬錫將各自為該合資企業注資15億美元，合資企業的資產負債表規模將達到300億美元。

　　Meanwhile, China Construction Bank is establishing a similar, but slightly less ambitious venture with Spain’s Santander. Temasek is being given a 49 per cent stake and management control of the operation in part because it has held on to its 4.8 per cent stake in BoC, though the Chinese bank will select the chief executive.

　　與此同時，中國建設銀行正與西班牙桑坦德銀行(Santander)合資組建一家規模較小的類似企業。淡馬錫將持有合資企業49%的股份，并掌握該項業務的管理控制權，部分原因是其繼續持有中行4.8%股份，而首席執行官人選將由中行決定。

　　Unlike Temasek, other foreign banks with stakes in their Chinese counterparts have sold down holdings to raise cash during the financial crisis, dismaying the Chinese who had considered them long-term holders. Regulatory approval for the Temasek venture is not expected to be an issue, helped by the fact that the deal has the support of Zhu Min, a former BoC executive now at the central bank.

　　與淡馬錫不同，其它外資銀行都已拋出或減持自己所持的中資銀行股份，以便在金融危機期間籌集現金，這些舉動令曾經將它們視為長期股東的中方不滿。淡馬錫參與的這一合資企業，預計不會在監管審批方面遇到問題，其有利因素包括，中行前高管、現任中國央行副行長朱民支持這一協議。

　　Rural lending does not have a long and profitable history but Temasek hopes that what is rural today may well be urban tomorrow, due to China’s rapid pace of development.

　　中國的農村信貸并沒有很長及盈利豐厚的歷史，但淡馬錫希望，鑒于中國的快速發展，今日的農村很可能成為明日的城市。

　　Temasek officials say they have learned how to lend profitably in rural areas in part based on lessons learned at Danamon, an Indonesian bank Temasek controls, that has extensive operations in the countryside.

　　淡馬錫官員表示，他們已學會如何在農村地區進行有利可圖的放貸，這在一定程度上是基于從淡馬錫控股的印尼Danamon銀行吸取的經驗教訓，該銀行的營業網點遍布印尼農村。

　　Chinese banks are aiming to curb the pace at which their loan books are accelerating overall and fears of a new slug of non-performing loans have grown.

　　目前中資銀行正力求減緩其貸款賬目的總體加速擴張速度，人們對新一波不良貸款的擔心已有所加劇。

　　China has adopted many policies to help narrow the gap between its rural and urban residents and support economic growth in the wake of the global financial crisis. These include higher minimum grain purchase prices and subsidising purchases of durables and cars. But in the countryside, economists note, residents cannot afford to pay for the the electricity to run many of these purchases and often expensive machinery bought on credit sits idle.

　　中國已施行眾多政策，以幫助縮小城鄉居民之間的差距，并在全球金融危機之后支持經濟增長。這些政策包括提高糧食收購的最低價格，以及對耐用品和汽車的購買提供補貼。但經濟學家們指出，農村居民無法負擔很多電器運行所需的電費，用信貸購買的昂貴機械往往閑置著。