Ausgrid被售予澳大利亚本国公司
Australia has sold the country’s biggest electricity distribution network to an “all-Australian bid” just two months after it controversially blocked companies from China and Hong Kong from bidding on national security grounds.
澳大利亚已将该国最大配电网络Ausgrid出售给一个“纯澳大利亚竞购方”。就在两个月前，澳大利亚以国家安全为由否决了中国内地和香港企业对Ausgrid的竞购，引起了不少争议。
Thursday’s A$16.1bn sale of Ausgrid by the New South Wales government to two domestic pension funds, IFM Investors and Australian Super, took place following an unsolicited bid and without a new public tender. Canadian pension funds and some local investors that had expressed an interest in Ausgrid have been sidelined by the quick sale.
周四，新南威尔士州政府以161亿澳元的价格将Ausgrid出售给两家国内的养老基金IFM Investors和Australian Super。这次出售是在这两家养老基金发起主动收购和未举行新的公开竞标的情况下完成的。在这次快速出售中，曾表示收购Ausgrid的加拿大养老基金和一些本土投资者被晾在一旁。
Mike Baird, New South Wales’ premier, said there was not enough clarity regarding national foreign investment rules to consider foreign bidders for Ausgrid following the earlier knockback of State Grid Corporation and Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure.
新南威尔士州州长迈克.贝尔德(Mike Baird)表示，在之前中国国家电网(State Grid Corporation)和总部位于香港的长江基建(Cheung Kong Infrastructure)发起的收购受阻后，尚不具备足够明确的国家层面的外商投资规定来考虑外国买家对Ausgrid的收购。
“Clearly the foreign investment review board are still wrestling with how to deal with the specific incidence of this asset… It’s unique, it’s a national security interest,” he said.
他表示：“显然，外商投资评估委员会仍纠结于如何应对这一资产的特殊性……它很特别，关乎国家安全利益。
“We haven’t got clarity to the point of who could be involved but what we do know is that if we have an all-Australian bid, which we do, we have a capacity to proceed.”
“我们还没有弄清楚谁能够参与进来，但我们清楚的是，如果我们有一个纯澳大利亚报价的话——我们确实有这样一个——我们就能向前推进。”
Australia has progressively tightened foreign investment rules over the past two years following a wave of investment from China in housing, agricultural and critical infrastructure.
过去两年，澳大利亚逐渐收紧了外商投资规定。此前，中国在澳住房、农业和关键基础设施领域掀起了一波投资潮。
The opposition Labor party in New South Wales has questioned the state government’s decision to sell Ausgrid without a new public tender, saying previously that the unsolicited bid was a “blatant abuse of process”.
新南威尔士州反对党工党(Labor party)对州政府决定在不举行新的公开竞标的情况下出售Ausgrid提出质疑。该党曾表示，这一主动收购是“公然滥用程序”。
Ian Silk, chief executive of Australian Super, said the pension funds’ joint bid for Ausgrid complied with all rules regarding the unsolicited bid process and that he was confident there was no impediment to closing the deal before Christmas.
Australian Super首席执行官伊恩.西尔克(Ian Silk)表示，该基金对Ausgrid发起的联合收购符合所有有关主动收购程序的规定，同时他相信，不存在任何障碍阻止该基金在圣诞节前完成这笔交易。
But he said there was no question that greater clarity around foreign investment rules would benefit everyone.
但他表示，毫无疑问，更明确的外商投资规定有利于所有人。
