Ausgrid被售予澳大利亞本國公司
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.
澳大利亞已將該國最大配電網絡Ausgrid出售給一個“純澳大利亞競購方”。就在兩個月前，澳大利亞以國家安全爲由否決了中國內地和香港企業對Ausgrid的競購，引起了不少爭議。
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.
週四，新南威爾士州政府以161億澳元的價格將Ausgrid出售給兩家國內的養老基金IFM Investors和Australian Super。這次出售是在這兩家養老基金髮起主動收購和未舉行新的公開競標的情況下完成的。在這次快速出售中，曾表示收購Ausgrid的加拿大養老基金和一些本土投資者被晾在一旁。
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.
新南威爾士州州長邁克.貝爾德(Mike Baird)表示，在之前中國國家電網(State Grid Corporation)和總部位於香港的長江基建(Cheung Kong Infrastructure)發起的收購受阻後，尚不具備足夠明確的國家層面的外商投資規定來考慮外國買家對Ausgrid的收購。
“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：“顯然，外商投資評估委員會仍糾結於如何應對這一資產的特殊性……它很特別，關乎國家安全利益。
“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.”
“我們還沒有弄清楚誰能夠參與進來，但我們清楚的是，如果我們有一個純澳大利亞報價的話——我們確實有這樣一個——我們就能向前推進。”
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.
過去兩年，澳大利亞逐漸收緊了外商投資規定。此前，中國在澳住房、農業和關鍵基礎設施領域掀起了一波投資潮。
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”.
新南威爾士州反對黨工黨(Labor party)對州政府決定在不舉行新的公開競標的情況下出售Ausgrid提出質疑。該黨曾表示，這一主動收購是“公然濫用程序”。
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首席執行官伊恩.西爾克(Ian Silk)表示，該基金對Ausgrid發起的聯合收購符合所有有關主動收購程序的規定，同時他相信，不存在任何障礙阻止該基金在聖誕節前完成這筆交易。
But he said there was no question that greater clarity around foreign investment rules would benefit everyone.
但他表示，毫無疑問，更明確的外商投資規定有利於所有人。
