经济学人66:一个中国-老挝边境经济特区如何走向衰落

 　　Busted¹ flush

　　好景不再

　　How a Sino-Lao special economic zone hit the skids²

　　一个中国——老挝边境经济特区如何走向衰落

　　May 26th 2011 | BOTEN, LAOS | from the print edition

　　AT HOME and abroad, China is a byword for fast-track development, where yesterday’s paddy field is tomorrow’s factory, highway or hotel. Less noticed is that such development can just as quickly go into reverse. Golden City, in Boten, just over the border from China in tiny Laos, is a case in point.

　　无论是在国内还是国外，中国都是超速发展的代名词。在那里，也许昨天还是一片稻田，而明天就发展成为工厂、高速公路或宾馆。然而很少有人会意识到，这种发展也可能会迅速走向萧条，位于中国老挝边境老挝一侧的磨丁黄金城经济特区就是这样。

　　When a Hong Kong-registered company signed a 30-year, renewable lease with the Lao government in 2003 to set up a 1,640-hectare special economic zone built with mainland money and expertise³, Golden City was touted⁴ as a futuristic hub for trade and tourism. The builders promptly⁵ went to work, and a cluster of pastel blocks rose amid the green hills of northern Laos. Thousands of Chinese tourists and entrepreneurs poured into the enclave, drawn⁶ largely by the forbidden pleasures and profits of gambling⁷, which is illegal in China, except in Macau. Today the main casino, inside a three-star hotel, lies abandoned, its baize tables thick with dust.

　　2003年，一家香港注册的公司同老挝政府签订了一份30年可续期的合约。合约规定利用中国大陆的资金和技术建立一个1640公顷的黄金城经济特区，并致力于把那里打造成一个未来的旅游商贸中心。建设者们立刻开始行动，许多漂亮的社区出现在老挝的崇山峻岭之间。除了澳门外，赌博业在中国是违法的，然而出于赌博所带来的快感和暴利的诱惑，成千上万的中国人开始涌入这块飞地——黄金城经济特区。现在特区最大的拥有一座三星级宾馆的赌场已经关张，赌桌上落了厚厚的灰尘。

　　The trouble started in December, when Chinese gamblers found that the operators refused to let them leave until they had coughed up for betting losses. Officials from Hubei province apparently⁸ negotiated the release of several “hostages”, but many more continued to be held against their will. Accounts in the Chinese media say that casino recruiters lured⁹ gamblers with offers of free travel and hotel rooms, only to be kept captive and beaten when their credit ran out. Lao villagers swap¹⁰ grisly tales of corpses¹¹ dumped in the river.

　　去年12月开始出现麻烦。中国的赌客发现如果不能还清欠赌债，就别想离开赌场。尽管河北省政府已经解救了一些“人质”，但仍有很多人被继续扣押。据中国媒体报道，这些赌场的外联人通过免费机票和住宿引诱赌客，当他们输光所有的筹码后，就会被拘禁和毒打。老挝村民中一直流传着尸体被丢到河里的恐怖故事。

　　Chinese authorities have since put the boot into Boten. In March the foreign ministry¹² warned citizens not to gamble in Laos and accused Golden City of cheating its cross-border customers. It said it had demanded that Laos close down the casino. Last month the casino duly shut, and the smaller gaming halls have since gone too. The 232-room hotel, which is almost empty, will be next.

　　中国政府已经开始关注磨丁问题。3月份，外交部警告中国公民不要去老挝赌博，谴责黄金城欺诈中国跨境消费者，同时提请老挝政府关闭赌场。上个月，赌场适时地关闭了，一些小的游戏厅也消失了，接下来轮到一个有232个房间的边关，那里现在已经空无一人。

　　Most shop and restaurant owners have packed up and left, as have the Thai transvestite show and the legions of prostitutes. Stricter visa rules for Chinese tourists have added to the squeeze. A Lao policeman, who admits to having nothing to do, puts the town’s dwindling¹³ population at 2,000, down from 10,000 at its peak. The enclave’s economy seems to have collapsed¹⁴ just as the builders hit their stride with a new high-rise hotel and a shopping centre bristling¹⁵ with columns in the classical style.

　　很多商店餐馆的老板，甚至是人妖表演团和妓女都离开了这里，中国更加严格的签证管理更是雪上加霜。一个老挝警察说，他们什么都没做，但这里的流动人口还是从高峰时期的10000减少到了现在的2000。建设者原本想再新建一个高层的宾馆和一座有很多古典风格廊柱的购物中心，正当他们准备大干一场的时候，这块飞地的经济似乎突然要崩溃了。

　　Golden City says it has pumped $130m into the project’s first phase, including funds from outside investors¹⁶. A company official, Ginger¹⁷ He, puts a brave face on things, arguing that the slump¹⁸ is a chance to rebrand the enclave as a wholesome¹⁹ tourist destination and import-export zone. She blames the bad publicity²⁰ on shady Chinese concessionaires who ran the card games in the casino—as if the company had expected angels. Golden City has since declared force majeure to revoke²¹ its contracts. Investors might wish to sue under Lao law. But Miss He points out that China had ordered Laos to close the casino. “Little brother cannot fight with big brother,” she says

　　黄金城方面表示公司在该项目一期共投入130万美元，其中包括部分外部融资。一位公司负责人Ginger He对这次突变似乎很不以为然，并表示这是一次很好的机会，特区可以借此步入正轨，并重新将自己打造为一个旅游目的地和进出口贸易集散地。她把外界的负面报道都归罪于那些在赌场里代理经营纸牌项目的丑恶中国人——似乎公司原本一直认为他们是守法良民。黄金城宣布因为不可抗力解除合约，投资者准备依据老挝法律进行起诉，不过He小姐说，中国政府已经要求老挝关闭赌场，胳膊拧不过大腿啊。

　　At the best of times, cross-border casinos are risky²² investments, since China often cracks down on outbound gamblers. Warlords in Myanmar have previously²³ felt the consequences, with gambling dens²⁴ left to rot in the jungle after borders grew tighter. Business folk in Boten say the action may have moved to casinos elsewhere in Laos and Myanmar. A Macau-based company has recently completed a giant riverside casino in the so-called Golden Triangle, where Laos meets Thailand and Myanmar.

　　即便是在情况最好的时候，境外开设赌场也是高风险的投资，因为中国政府经常会打击出境的赌徒。缅甸军政府就尝过这样的苦果，随着中国边境吃紧，那里的赌场就在丛林里荒废了。磨丁的生意人说，现在的打击行动可能会使赌场转移到老挝或者缅甸的其他地方。一个总部在澳门的公司刚刚在老挝泰国和缅甸交界处建成了一座规模宏大的河景赌场——金三角。

　　But Golden City was supposed to represent more than just a fast buck²⁵. The developers persuaded Laos of the benefits of allowing a Chinese-run enclave. Its residents, they said, would “form a huge community and a modern society”, in the words of their brochure. The zone also took on some of the trappings of the Chinese state, including uniformed security guards, development slogans and even the Chinese currency. This gave the false impression that it enjoyed official backing. Instead, it became an irritant that Beijing had to put in its place.

　　但是黄金城并非只做一些投机的生意，开发商还向老挝政府许诺了许多建设一块中国人管理的飞地的好处，在他们的宣传册上，他们扬言要把当地建成一个庞大的社区和现代化的社会。他们还在开发区里应用了很多中国元素，例如保安的服装、开发的口号甚至使用中国货币。这些都给人们一种假象，他们背后有中国官方背景。这些也刺激了北京尽快平息这里的混乱。

1 busted   

adj. 破产了的，失败了的，被降级的，被逮捕的，被抓到的 动词bust的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• You are so busted! 你被当场逮住了！
• It was money troubles that busted up their marriage. 是金钱纠纷使他们的婚姻破裂了。

2 skids   

n.滑向一侧( skid的名词复数 )；滑道；滚道；制轮器v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的第三人称单数 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区

参考例句：

• The aging football player was playing on the skids. 那个上了年纪的足球运动员很明显地在走下坡路。 来自辞典例句
• It's a shame that he hit the skids. 很遗憾他消沉了。 来自辞典例句

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

5 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

6 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

7 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 lured   

吸引，引诱（lure的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车，但又设法逃掉了。
• Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下，继续奋力向前。

10 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

11 corpses   

n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

12 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

13 dwindling   

adj.逐渐减少的v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The number of wild animals on the earth is dwindling. 地球上野生动物的数量正日渐减少。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is struggling to come to terms with his dwindling authority. 他正努力适应自己权力被削弱这一局面。 来自辞典例句

14 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

15 bristling   

a.竖立的

参考例句：

• "Don't you question Miz Wilkes' word,'said Archie, his beard bristling. "威尔克斯太太的话，你就不必怀疑了。 "阿尔奇说。他的胡子也翘了起来。
• You were bristling just now. 你刚才在发毛。

16 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

17 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

18 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

19 wholesome   

adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的

参考例句：

• In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。
• It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

20 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

21 revoke   

v.废除，取消，撤回

参考例句：

• The university may revoke my diploma.大学可能吊销我的毕业证书。
• The government revoked her husband's license to operate migrant labor crews.政府撤销了她丈夫管理外来打工人群的许可证。

22 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

23 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

24 dens   

n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋

参考例句：

• Female bears tend to line their dens with leaves or grass. 母熊往往会在洞穴里垫些树叶或草。 来自辞典例句
• In winter bears usually hibernate in their dens. 冬天熊通常在穴里冬眠。 来自辞典例句

25 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。