"중국의 거대 자본 영국 공략한다" 2025년까지 1680억불 투자 China set to invest £105bn in UK infrastructure by 2025
China set to invest £105bn in UK infrastructure by 2025
A European pressurised reactor under construction at Taishan, China, a design prototype for Hinkley Point C in the UK 영국의 힌클리포인트에 세워질 원전과 같은 타입인 유럽형 고압 원자로가 중국의 타이산에 건설 중이다.
중국의 거대 자본의 영국 공세가 거세다.
세계 2번째 투자자인 중국은 영국에 이미 2005년부터 2013년까지 187억불을 투자했으며
2025년까지영국의 철도 등 인프라에 1680억불을 투입할 계획으로 있다.
<에디터 황기철>
Gill Plimmer in London and Lucy Hornby in Beijing
China is set to invest £105bn in British infrastructure by 2025, with energy, property and transport the biggest recipients, according to research.
The world’s second-biggest economy has already invested £11.7bn in Britain between 2005 and 2013, including a 10 per cent stake in Thames Water, Britain’s biggest water utility, held by the China Investment Corporation, the sovereign wealth fund.
This is expected to rise rapidly as Chinese capital seeks a safe haven for outbound investment, according to a report by the London-based Centre for Economics and Business Research and the law firm Pinsent Masons, which is due to be launched by the Chinese International Contractors Association in Beijing next month.
Richard Laudy, a partner at Pinsent Masons, described the prospect of greater Chinese investment as a “game changer” for the UK, adding: “We expect this to be the beginning of a major trend as a trickle of Chinese investment turns into a wave over the coming decade.”
The report expects the UK to rank third out of 144 countries for attractiveness to foreign investment from China, behind the US and Japan.
Investment flows from China into Britain rose rapidly in the first half of 2014, with a total £2bn invested in UK infrastructure including property, the report found. This included Sanpower’s $790m investment in April into House of Fraser and the $187m real estate investment by China Construction Bank into Old Broad Street in the City of London. China General Nuclear Power Corp is also expected to take a minority stake in the EDF nuclear power project at Hinkley Point in Somerset, although the final agreement has not been signed.
However,, despite successive attempts by the UK government to encourage China to invest in new-build infrastructure, almost all the investment so far has been in property or assets that are active and delivering safe returns, such as CIC’s 10 per cent stake in Heathrow airport. This would change with Hinkley Point.
The chief obstacle to Chinese investment so far has been the shortage of new shovel-ready projects after the British government froze or cut large infrastructure projects during the financial crisis.
China is competing against Canadian and east Asian pension funds and the sovereign wealth funds of the Middle East, which are also waiting to release vast sums of cash to invest in infrastructure.
Nevertheless, Mr Laudy said the Chinese stood out from other investors for their appetite to take construction risk. He pointed to the billions of renminbi of investment in infrastructure projects in Africa and eastern Europe as examples of where Chinese groups sell equipment as part of the deal and win construction and engineering opportunities at the same time.
Despite their willingness to deploy their vast engineering and construction capability in Britain, Chinese investors also face particular obstacles, the report found. Chinese wind turbine technology has not attracted UK financial backing because of its short track record, for example. There are also concerns that Chinese engineering qualifications may not be recognised in the UK.
Consequently, Chinese companies are more likely to form partnerships with UK companies as a route into the European market. Beijing Construction Engineering Group has partnered with Carillion, the British construction company, on the £800m Manchester City Airport project, one of the largest Chinese investments in Britain.
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China agreed with this view. “As Chinese investment into UK infrastructure has just begun, Chinese enterprises may look favourably towards the formation of joint ventures as they can provide many potential benefits,” said a spokesperson. “However, from cumulative lessons learned from international experiences, strategic alliances will gradually transform into independent investment.”
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/501808f6-5b89-11e4-b68a-00144feab7de.html#axzz3HPHnMehC
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