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.

　　包括中国银行(Bank of China)和中国建设银行(China Construction Bank)在内的中国多家主要银行，正推进与外资伙伴的合资项目，加速面向农村地区的信贷流动，这是中国缩小城乡差距的举措之一。中行和新加坡政府投资机构淡马锡(Temasek)正在规划一个雄心勃勃的项目，涉及数以百计的分支机构。

　　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.

　　据一位对此事有第一手了解的人士透露，中行和淡马锡将各自为该合资企业注资15亿美元，合资企业的资产负债表规模将达到300亿美元。

　　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.

　　与此同时，中国建设银行正与西班牙桑坦德银行(Santander)合资组建一家规模较小的类似企业。淡马锡将持有合资企业49%的股份，并掌握该项业务的管理控制权，部分原因是其继续持有中行4.8%股份，而首席执行官人选将由中行决定。

　　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.

　　与淡马锡不同，其它外资银行都已抛出或减持自己所持的中资银行股份，以便在金融危机期间筹集现金，这些举动令曾经将它们视为长期股东的中方不满。淡马锡参与的这一合资企业，预计不会在监管审批方面遇到问题，其有利因素包括，中行前高管、现任中国央行副行长朱民支持这一协议。

　　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.

　　中国的农村信贷并没有很长及盈利丰厚的历史，但淡马锡希望，鉴于中国的快速发展，今日的农村很可能成为明日的城市。

　　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.

　　淡马锡官员表示，他们已学会如何在农村地区进行有利可图的放贷，这在一定程度上是基于从淡马锡控股的印尼Danamon银行吸取的经验教训，该银行的营业网点遍布印尼农村。

　　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.

　　目前中资银行正力求减缓其贷款账目的总体加速扩张速度，人们对新一波不良贷款的担心已有所加剧。

　　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.

　　中国已施行众多政策，以帮助缩小城乡居民之间的差距，并在全球金融危机之后支持经济增长。这些政策包括提高粮食收购的最低价格，以及对耐用品和汽车的购买提供补贴。但经济学家们指出，农村居民无法负担很多电器运行所需的电费，用信贷购买的昂贵机械往往闲置着。