The man who helped Thailand survive the Asian financial crisis says reforms a decade ago have made the region's banks better able to weather the global economic downturn. Former Finance Minister Tarrin Nimmanahaeminda also gave his endorsement to banking-reform programs planned by the United States and G-20 nations.
曾经为泰国度过亚洲金融危机做出贡献的泰国前财政部长他林.尼曼哈明达认为，十年前进行的改革提高了亚洲地区银行应对全球经济下滑的能力。尼曼哈明达支持美国和20国集团所采取的银行业改革的计划。
Thailand led the region into the financial crisis of 1997, when fears about the banks and foreign debt led to a collapse of the baht. Dozens of Asian financial companies shut down, and many banks merged with others, or sold large stakes to foreign investors.
当1997年市场担心银行和外债会造成泰国货币崩溃的时候，泰国头一个进入了那场金融危机。亚洲数十家金融机构垮掉了，许多银行不是跟其它银行合并就是把自己的主要资产出售给外国投资者。
Tarrin Nimmanahaeminda became Thailand's finance minister during the crisis.
他林.尼曼哈明达(Tarrin Nimmanhaeminda)是在那场危机中担任财政部长职务的。
"In 1997 when we had a certain part of Asia affected by systemic problems in the financial system we undertook a lot of reform measures which have made the Asian financial institutions relatively strong," he said. "So you can probably say that there is not much of a problem of the asset side in the Asian banking system."
他说：“1997年，亚洲某些部分受到金融系统性问题的影响，我们采取了很多改革措施，使得亚洲金融机构变得相对来说比较坚实。所以，我们或许可以这样说，亚洲银行系统在资产方面不存在多大的问题。”
While most banks in Asia are relatively sturdy, the global financial crisis is hurting other industries in the region.
亚洲地区大多数银行比较坚实，但全球金融危机却给这个地区的其它行业造成了伤害。
Most economies in the region are heavily dependent on export income and have been hard hit by the slump in the United States and Europe, which has cut export sales. The Thai economy is forecast to contract by as much as four percent this year, leaving as many as two million unemployed.
这个地区大部分经济体都严重依赖出口收入，美国和欧洲的经济滑坡对它们影响很大，迫使它们削减了出口。据预测，泰国经济今年收缩的幅度可能会高达四个百分点，失业人口可能会多达两百万。
Tarrin says ultimately Asian governments will need to look to export markets for economic revival.
他林表示，亚洲国家政府最终还是需要开拓出口市场来推动经济复苏。
"The governments in Asia have started a lot of fiscal stimulus measures. I mean practically every country has gone through the exercise," he said. "But meanwhile you can only do so much for so long. In the end you still need to go back to international trade and international services flows as the way out for the affected Asian economies."
他说：“亚洲国家政府采取了很多财政刺激措施。实际上几乎每个国家都在这样做。不过，眼下人们也只能做这么多了。最终呢，大家还是需要回到国际贸易上来，回到国际服务上来。受到金融危机影响的亚洲经济体只能从这两个方面来寻求出路。”
Tarrin endorses reform measures in the United States set out by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. The U.S. plan includes setting up public-private investments to soak up as much as one trillion dollars in troubled loans and securities.
他林支持美国财政部长盖特纳制定的改革措施。美国的方案包括建立公私合作投资机制来吸收上万亿美元的问题贷款和问题证券。
"As a matter of principle there is no other choice if you want a credit system to function properly, government intervention in the areas of trying to somehow do something with the bad assets is necessary," added Tarrin "And the way the American plan has been detailed out, the Geithner Plan, I think it is quite proper."
他林说：“从根本上讲，要恢复信贷系统的正常功能没有别的选择。政府必须对某些领域进行干预，想办法解决不良资产的问题。美国计划的具体安排，也就是盖特纳计划的具体安排，我认为非常恰当的。”
He also says plans by the G-20 to revive the global financial system are "moving in the right direction". But Tarrin calls for the major industrial countries to ensure continued support to developing economies because they are unable to maintain large stimulus packages like those in the industrial world.
他林还表示，20国集团制定的恢复全球金融系统的方案的方向是“正确的”。不过，他还呼吁主要工业化国家要确保继续给发展中国家提供支持。原因是，发展中国家没有能力像发达国家那样推出大规模的经济刺激方案。 |