俄下院议案限制战略领域外国投资

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The lower house of Russia's parliament, the Duma, passed legislation Friday limiting the ability of foreigners to invest in industrial sectors considered as strategic. This came shortly after the Russian government announced the arrest of two Russian-Americans on charges of industrial espionage.

俄罗斯议会下院杜马上星期五通过一项议案，限制外国人在被认为具有战略意义的工业领域投资。此前不久，俄罗斯政府宣布逮捕两名被控从事工业间谍活动的俄罗斯裔美国人。

The Duma passed a bill restricting foreign investment in 42 sectors labeled strategic, including the manufacture and sale of military hardware, the nuclear industry, the extraction of mineral resources and mass media.

俄罗斯国家杜马通过一项议案，对42个战略领域的外国投资作出限制，其中包括军用设备的制造和销售、核工业、矿物资源的提炼以及大众媒体。

The bill says that any foreign private investor wanting to buy more than a 50 percent share of a company in any of the designated sectors will need approval from a commission composed of economic and security officials.

这项议案规定，外国民间投资者要收购任何一个战略领域的公司50%以上的股份，必须得到一个由经济和安全官员组成的委员会的批准。

Foreign state-controlled companies will have to go through the same procedure if they want to acquire more than a 25-percent stake in a Russian company on the list.

如果外国的国营企业要收购任何一个战略领域的俄罗斯公司25%以上的股份，也必须经过相同的程序。

The measure still needs upper house approval and the president's signature.

这项议案还需要得到俄罗斯议会上院的批准和总统签署。

Nikolai Petrov, a scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center, tells VOA the bill reflects a dramatic change from 10 years ago when Russia actively sought foreign investment. He says state control is key to industrial policy in contemporary Russia.

卡内基-莫斯科中心的学者彼得洛夫说，这项议案显示俄罗斯的情况与10年前相比已经大不相同，当时俄罗斯积极寻求外国投资。他说，如今俄罗斯工业政策的关键在于国家控制。

Petrov says the law adopted by the Duma is one in a series of measures aimed at imposing more stringent conditions on foreign investment in industries the government wants to keep under control.

彼得洛夫说，国家杜马通过这项议案是俄罗斯采取的一系列措施之一，这些措施的目的是更严格地限制外国人在俄罗斯政府打算控制的工业领域进行投资。

The bill was approved as one of Russia's largest foreign companies came under intense state scrutiny.

在俄罗斯的那些最大的外国公司受到当局严密的核查，而这项议案就是在这种形势下通过的。

Earlier this month, two Russian-American brothers were arrested on charges of industrial espionage. One was identified by the FSB -- Russia's state security service -- as Alexander Zaslavsky, a member of the British Council alumni club. The other, Ilya Zaslavsky, was a manager of the joint Russian-British venture, TNK-BP.

3月早些时候，两名被控从事工业间谍活动的俄罗斯裔美国人被逮捕。他们两人是兄弟。俄罗斯国家安全机构联邦安全局说，其中一人是英国委员会校友俱乐部的亚历山大.扎斯拉夫斯基，另一人是一家英俄合资企业“秋明-英国石油”的经理伊利亚.扎斯拉夫斯基。

Russia's state news agency, Interfax, quoted the FSB as saying the suspects were collecting classified information for a number of foreign oil and gas companies.

俄罗斯国家通讯社国际文传电讯社援引联邦安全局的话说，这两个嫌疑人为一些外国石油和天然气公司搜集机密情报。

Russian authorities also raided the offices of TNK-BP Wednesday, seizing documents and files. In an online statement, the company said it operates strictly within the law.

此外，俄罗斯当局星期三还突击搜查“秋明-英国石油”的办公处，没收了一些文件和档案。“秋明-英国石油”在互联网上发表声明说，该公司严格遵照法律运作。

Nikolai Pakhomov is an independent political columnist based in Moscow. He says industrial espionage among competitors is not uncommon.

莫斯科的独立政治专栏作家尼古拉.帕克霍莫夫说，竞争对手之间进行间谍活动是很普通的事，他认为不应当对这一事件小题大做。

He says he does not think one should dramatize this event. He says industrial espionage and sharp competition between government sections of different companies is a frequent occurrence.

他表示，工业间谍活动以及各公司的政府部门之间进行激烈竞争是司空见惯的。

TNK-BP faces additional problems. On Friday, Russia's natural resource protection agency, Rosprirodnadzor, announced it would inspect Samotlor, the largest oil field in Siberia run by TNK-BP.

另外，“秋明-英国石油”还面临着其他问题。上星期五，俄罗斯自然资源保护机构宣布，将对“秋明-英国石油”在西伯利亚经营的规模最大的萨莫特洛油田进行检查。

Leading the inspection will be Oleg Mitvol, who also investigated Royal Dutch Shell for its environmental violations in 2006 on the site of its Sakhalin-2 project.

主持检查工作的是奥列格.米特弗尔，他曾经负责调查荷兰皇家壳牌公司的萨哈林二号项目2006年污染环境事件。

The company sold control in the $22-billion project to state run natural gas company, Gazprom, and the investigation ended.

结果，壳牌公司把这个价值220亿美元的项目的控股权转售给俄罗斯国营的天然气工业公司，随后调查宣告结束。

Yevgeny Volk, manager of the Heritage Foundation in Russia, says the probe has less to do with ecology and more to do with economics. He says it is part of the government effort to gain control over Russia's natural resources.

传统基金会在俄罗斯的负责人沃尔克说，这次调查的着重点不是生态，而是经济。他认为，这是俄罗斯政府为控制本国自然资源而做出的努力。

Volk says this is how Russia's foreign policy elite is striving to gain control over the most profitable area of the Russian economy. He says the sectors of the economy involving arms, natural resources and oil are very attractive to the government and need to be controlled.

沃尔克说，制定外交政策的俄罗斯精英们正在努力争取控制俄罗斯经济中最有利可图的领域。他表示，涉及军事装备、自然资源和石油的经济领域对俄罗斯政府具有强大的吸引力，因此务必要把这些领域置于自己的控制之下。

The charges against TNK-BP are coming during a transition period in the Kremlin and only weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Dmitry Medvedev on May 7th. President Vladimir Putin is expected to assume the role of Prime Minister. Currently, as First Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Medvedev is also chairman of the board of Gazprom.

Yevgeny Volk says the actions against TNK-BP are indicative of the Kremlin's internal politics. He adds that this is likely a way for those in the Putin administration to solidify their influence before the May transition takes place.

Volk says the the Kremlin is trying to strengthen its power before Medvedev's arrival.

Russia's oil and gas companies have played a vital role in the country's recent economic boom. Though estimates vary, one study by the World Bank and the IMF concluded Russia's oil and gas sector generated 64 per cent of the country's export revenues in 2007.