4月中国贸易额受AI设备进口推动恢复增长
China’s trade returns to growth on back of AI equipment imports
Beijing has prioritised high-tech manufacturing as it seeks to offset moribund property market and consumer demand. 6park.com 中国政府优先发展高科技制造业,以抵消房地产市场和消费需求低迷的影响。
China’s imports of critical equipment for developing artificial intelligence have surged this year, official data has shown, driving a return to trade growth for the world’s second-biggest economy as the global race for AI supremacy intensifies. 6park.com 官方数据显示,今年中国用于开发人工智能的关键设备进口激增,在全球争夺人工智能霸主地位的竞争加剧之际,这推动这个全球第二大经济体恢复贸易增长。 6park.comThe value of China’s imports of automatic data processing equipment — which includes computers and their components — surged 50 per cent year on year in the first four months of 2024, according to official statistics released on Thursday. Imports of computer chips and other high-tech products recorded double-digit gains from the same period last year. 6park.com周四公布的官方统计数据显示,2024年前4个月,中国自动数据处理设备——包括计算机及其零部件——的进口额同比飙升50%。电脑芯片等高科技产品的进口也较去年同期实现了两位数的增长。 6park.comThe boom in AI equipment purchases helped Chinese trade return to growth in dollar terms in April following declines in the previous month. It comes as the country contends with rising geopolitical tensions over trade and industrial policy. 6park.com人工智能设备采购的火热使得以美元计价的中国贸易额继前一个月下滑后,于4月份恢复增长。与此同时,中国正在应对围绕贸易和产业政策的地缘政治紧张局势加剧。 6park.comThe value of imports expanded 8.4 per cent in dollar terms in April compared with a year earlier, beating analysts’ expectations of just below 5 per cent and reversing a decline of 1.9 per cent in March. 6park.com以美元计价,中国进口总值4月份同比增长8.4%,高于分析师略低于5%的预期,且扭转了3月份1.9%的降幅。 6park.comExports also expanded, rising 1.5 per cent, meeting analysts’ forecasts and overturning an annual decline of 7.5 per cent in March, when lower prices battered producers. 6park.com出口也有所扩大,增长了1.5%,符合分析师的预测,并扭转了3月份7.5%的同比下降,当时较低的价格打击了中国生产商。 6park.com“For imports, strength was heavily concentrated in a few categories,” said Lynn Song, ING’s chief China economist. “The main theme in our view is the goal to compete in the AI race.” By comparison, many other import categories, including agricultural products, coal and cosmetics, remained “heavily in contraction”. 6park.com荷兰国际集团(ING)首席中国经济学家Lynn Song表示:“就进口而言,增长主要集中在少数几个类别。在我们看来,人工智能竞赛的目标才是主旋律。”相比之下,包括农产品、煤炭和化妆品在内的许多其他进口类别仍“严重萎缩”。 6park.comTrade also expanded by value in the first quarter, with exports rising 1.5 per cent year on year in the January-March period and imports climbing 3.2 per cent. 6park.com中国的贸易额在今年头4个月也呈现增长,按美元计价,出口同比增长1.5%,进口同比增长3.2%。 6park.comChina’s government is leaning on a manufacturing revival, particularly in its high-tech industries, to boost economic growth and offset flagging property investment, weak consumer confidence and inefficient infrastructure spending. 6park.com中国政府正倚重制造业复苏,尤其是高科技产业复苏,以提振经济增长,并抵消房地产投资萎靡、消费者信心疲软和基础设施支出效率低下造成的影响。 6park.comChina last month reported a GDP expansion of 5.3 per cent in the first quarter against a year earlier, and policymakers have set a target of 5 per cent growth for 2024, but analysts have warned that achieving it may be ambitious. 6park.com中国上月公布,第一季度国内生产总值(GDP)同比增长5.3%。政策制定者为2024年设定了5%的GDP增长目标,但分析人士警告称,这是一个雄心勃勃的目标。 6park.comBeijing has stopped short of implementing sweeping stimulus but has announced more support for factories, including a programme for industries to “upgrade” equipment and consumers to buy new appliances. 6park.com虽然中国政府没有实施全面的刺激措施,但也已宣布为工厂提供更多支持,包括一项为工业“更新”设备和促进消费者购买新家电的计划。 6park.comIn AI, China has sought to create a supportive regulatory environment to encourage growth, using tax breaks and subsidies. However, domestic technology companies have also been hampered by increasing restrictions on technology exports from the US and its allies, which have threatened to cut off access to semiconductors and chipmaking equipment vital to AI development. 6park.com在人工智能领域,中国试图通过税收减免和补贴来创造一个支持性的监管环境,以鼓励增长。然而,中国国内科技公司也受到美国及其盟友对技术出口限制日益加大的阻碍,它们威胁要切断中国获得对人工智能发展至关重要的半导体和芯片制造设备的渠道。 6park.comEconomists have also called on Beijing to do more to boost consumer and investor confidence through direct stimulus measures and strengthening the welfare safety net. The economy has struggled with deflation, with consumer prices rising just 0.1 per cent in March. China reports April consumer and producer price indices on Saturday. 6park.com经济学家还呼吁北京方面采取更多措施,通过直接刺激措施和加强福利保障网络,提振消费者和投资者信心。中国经济一直在与通缩作斗争,3月份居民消费价格指数(CPI)仅上涨0.1%。中国将于周六公布4月份CPI和工业生产者价格指数(PPI)数据。 6park.comHSBC analysts said the return to positive trade growth might in part reflect “some of green shoots” in global demand. 6park.com汇丰(HSBC)分析师表示,贸易恢复正增长可能在一定程度上反映出全球需求出现了“一些萌芽”。 6park.comThe US and Europe have accused Beijing of unfair trade practices and driving up supply far in excess of domestic demand, leading Chinese exporters to dump artificially cheap, subsidised goods on international markets. 6park.com美国和欧洲指责中国政府采取不公平的贸易做法,造成供应远远超过国内需求,导致中国出口商向国际市场倾销人为的廉价补贴商品。 6park.comIn response, Chinese officials have become increasingly outspoken about the country’s industrial policy. 6park.com作为回应,中国官员对本国产业政策越来越直言不讳。 6park.comLast month, Xi told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was visiting Beijing, that the country’s exports were helping to ease global inflation and supporting the clean energy transition. 6park.com上个月,习近平对访问北京的德国总理奥拉夫•朔尔茨(Olaf Scholz)说,中国的出口缓解了全球通胀压力,也为绿色低碳转型作出巨大贡献。 6park.comOn Monday, he told European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron that China did not have an overcapacity problem. 6park.com本周一,他还对欧盟委员会(European Commission)主席乌尔苏拉•冯德莱恩(Ursula von der Leyen)和法国总统埃马纽埃尔•马克龙(Emmanuel Macron)说,中国不存在产能过剩问题。
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