中國(guó)承建克羅地亞橋梁，參與歐洲基建競(jìng)爭(zhēng)

KOMARNA, Croatia — As a quirk of history and the Balkan wars, a corner of Croatia is cut off from the rest of the country by a 12-mile interruption of land belonging to neighboring Bosnia. It is a rift that Croatia has long wanted to repair with a bridge that would unite the disconnected sliver of its coast with the rest of the country.

克羅地亞科瑪納——由于歷史和巴爾干戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的偶然原因，克羅地亞的一個(gè)角落同該國(guó)其他部分之間，被屬于鄰國(guó)波斯尼亞一段12英里寬的地帶分隔開來(lái)?？肆_地亞長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)一直想用一座大橋把這條被隔開的沿海區(qū)域與本國(guó)其他地方連接起來(lái)。

For decades — foiled by war, corruption, political bickering and global financial turmoil — work never got much further on the bridge than abandoned concrete pylons and two bronze angels overlooking the glittering waters of the Adriatic Sea.

幾十年來(lái)，在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)、腐敗、政治紛爭(zhēng)和全球金融動(dòng)蕩的困擾下，建橋工作一直止于幾個(gè)廢棄的混凝土橋墩和兩個(gè)俯瞰亞得里亞海的青銅天使雕塑。

That is, until the Chinese arrived this summer.

直到今年夏天中國(guó)人的到來(lái)。

With drills churning and its engineers arriving daily, a state-owned Chinese construction firm, the China Road and Bridge Corporation, is the latest company to take on the project.

隨著鉆機(jī)聲的響起，隨著工程師的每日到來(lái)，中國(guó)國(guó)有建筑公司——中國(guó)路橋工程股份有限公司成了承接建橋項(xiàng)目的最新一家公司。

For many Croatians, just the possibility that the long-awaited bridge project is now on track to be completed is reason for celebration.

對(duì)許多克羅地亞人來(lái)說，期待已久的橋梁工程現(xiàn)在有望完成，這個(gè)可能性本身就是值得慶祝的理由。

But the project is also a test case for the European Union, which has been wary of allowing state-owned Chinese firms into the market for big European infrastructure projects, fearing that Chinese companies can undermine competition, trample the bloc’s labor laws and depress wages.

但這個(gè)項(xiàng)目也是對(duì)歐盟的一次檢驗(yàn)。由于擔(dān)心中國(guó)企業(yè)可能破壞競(jìng)爭(zhēng)、踐踏歐盟勞動(dòng)法，以及壓低工資，歐盟一直對(duì)允許中國(guó)國(guó)有企業(yè)進(jìn)入歐洲大型基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施項(xiàng)目市場(chǎng)持謹(jǐn)慎態(tài)度。

The bridge, which will span the water separating a peninsula in the disconnected region with the village of Komarna and the rest of Croatia, is the first time that a project funded largely with European Union money has been won by a Chinese firm.

這座大橋?qū)M跨的水域位于被隔開地區(qū)的一個(gè)半島與科瑪納村和克羅地亞其他地區(qū)之間。這是中國(guó)企業(yè)首次贏得一個(gè)主要由歐盟出資支持的項(xiàng)目。

China Road and Bridge won the contract with a proposal that undercut the nearest competitor by nearly $100 million, leading to a legal challenge. The European Commission is also investigating whether Croatia awarded the contract in line with European Union rules.

中國(guó)路橋贏得這個(gè)合同的報(bào)價(jià)比最接近的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手的報(bào)價(jià)低近一億美元，因此引起了一個(gè)法律挑戰(zhàn)。歐盟委員會(huì)(European Commission)也正在調(diào)查克羅地亞是否按照符合歐盟規(guī)定的做法把合同授予中國(guó)公司。

On top of the concerns officials have over competitive practices and lower wages, many of the jobs that come with the project may not even go to workers in the slow-growing economies of Europe.

除了官員們對(duì)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)行為和低工資的擔(dān)憂外，這個(gè)項(xiàng)目帶來(lái)的許多工作崗位甚至可能不會(huì)流向歐洲增長(zhǎng)緩慢的經(jīng)濟(jì)體的工人。

Typically, Chinese state firms bring most of their own workers for construction projects, an often contentious practice. It is not clear if Croatian authorities even know how much the Chinese workers will be paid. China Road and Bridge did not respond to queries, and the Croatian authorities said they did not want to officially comment.

中國(guó)國(guó)有企業(yè)通常的做法是，建設(shè)項(xiàng)目的大部分工人是企業(yè)自己帶來(lái)的，這種做法常常會(huì)引發(fā)爭(zhēng)議。目前還不清楚克羅地亞當(dāng)局是否知道這些中國(guó)工人將得到多少工錢。中國(guó)路橋沒有回應(yīng)有關(guān)問題，克羅地亞當(dāng)局則表示，他們不想發(fā)表官方評(píng)論。

“European companies are increasingly finding themselves in the situation that they cannot compete with Chinese-subsidized companies on price levels,” said Jens Bastian, an economic analyst who has detailed Chinese investments and loans in the Balkans in a report for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

“歐洲公司日益發(fā)現(xiàn)，它們無(wú)法在價(jià)格上與得到補(bǔ)貼的中國(guó)公司競(jìng)爭(zhēng)，”經(jīng)濟(jì)分析師延斯·巴斯蒂安(Jens Bastian)說，他在一篇給歐洲復(fù)興開發(fā)銀行(European Bank for Reconstruction and Development)寫的報(bào)告中詳細(xì)描述了巴爾干地區(qū)的中國(guó)投資和貸款。

China is in the midst of a global infrastructure spending spree known as the Belt and Road Initiative, which is intended to increase Beijing’s economic and diplomatic clout — but which is bringing rising criticism and scrutiny. China is actively cultivating leaders in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, an overture that some in the European Union regard as a veiled effort to undermine the bloc.

中國(guó)正在掀起一場(chǎng)名為“一帶一路倡議”的全球基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施投資熱潮，這個(gè)倡議的目的是增強(qiáng)北京的經(jīng)濟(jì)和外交影響力，但正在招來(lái)越來(lái)越多的批評(píng)和審視。中國(guó)正在積極結(jié)交巴爾干和東歐領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人，這種做法被歐盟的一些人認(rèn)為是暗中破壞歐盟。

In a 2016 report, the European Union Institute for Security Studies concluded that the bloc may “have to acknowledge its limited leverage when it comes to influencing Chinese corporate behavior.”

歐盟安全研究所(European Union Institute for Security Studies)2016年的一份報(bào)告的結(jié)論是，歐盟可能“不得不承認(rèn)，在影響中國(guó)企業(yè)行為方面，歐盟的影響力有限”。

Yet for Croatia, which joined the European Union in 2013, the project has become a neat and relatively cheap fix for a once insolvable problem in a Balkans region where bridges have long played outsize roles in politics and diplomacy.

然而，對(duì)2013年加入歐盟的克羅地亞來(lái)說，這個(gè)項(xiàng)目已經(jīng)成為巴爾干地區(qū)一個(gè)曾經(jīng)無(wú)法解決的問題的一個(gè)干凈利落且相對(duì)廉價(jià)的解決方案。在巴爾干地區(qū)，橋梁長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)一直在政治和外交上起著超過一般的作用。

When rulers sought to unite the region’s ethnic and religious groups, bridges were built across rivers and over valley passes. When leaders wanted to divide people along ethnic lines, those same bridges were often fought over or destroyed to keep communities apart.

當(dāng)統(tǒng)治者尋求團(tuán)結(jié)該地區(qū)的不同民族和宗教團(tuán)體時(shí)，河流兩岸和山谷之間就架起了橋梁。當(dāng)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者想按照種族把人民分裂時(shí)，同樣這些橋梁會(huì)受到爭(zhēng)奪，或?yàn)榱税讶烁糸_而被摧毀。

The gap in Croatia’s territory occurred after the socialist Yugoslavia dissolved and frontiers between its former republics became international borders. The Neum corridor, the strip of Bosnia’s coastline that cuts Croatia in two, is Bosnia’s only access to the Adriatic Sea.

在南斯拉夫社會(huì)主義聯(lián)邦共和國(guó)解體、過去共和國(guó)之間的邊界成為國(guó)界線之后，克羅地亞的國(guó)土不再連貫。涅姆走廊這條將克羅地亞一分為二的波斯尼亞沿海地帶，是波斯尼亞通往亞得里亞海的唯一通道。

As things stand, people traveling from Croatia’s southern coast must endure four border checkpoints to reach the rest of the country, which can mean delays of hours that disrupt one of the nation’s chief economic drivers, tourism.

在目前情況下，來(lái)自克羅地亞南部海岸的旅行者必須經(jīng)過四個(gè)邊境檢查站才能抵達(dá)該國(guó)其他地區(qū)，這可能意味長(zhǎng)達(dá)好幾個(gè)小時(shí)的延誤，擾亂了該國(guó)主要的經(jīng)濟(jì)驅(qū)動(dòng)之一——旅游業(yè)。

In June 2017, the European Union announced an allocation of 357 million euros, or $413 million — about 85 percent of the bridge’s cost — with a touch of fanfare.

2017年6月，歐盟有點(diǎn)大張旗鼓地宣布撥款3.57億歐元，約合4.13億美元，相當(dāng)于大橋造價(jià)的85%。

“This project genuinely embodies our commitment to removing barriers, uniting territories and bringing people together,” Corina Cretu, the union’s commissioner for regional policy, said at the time.

“這個(gè)項(xiàng)目真正體現(xiàn)了我們消除障礙、聯(lián)結(jié)領(lǐng)土、團(tuán)結(jié)人民的承諾，”歐盟地區(qū)政策專員科瑞娜·克雷圖(Corina Cretu)當(dāng)時(shí)曾這樣說。

Yet six months later, the situation became more complicated when Croatia awarded the project to China Road and Bridge. Rivals were furious. A Croatian court later dismissed a complaint from a losing bidder, the Austrian firm Strabag, which accused the Chinese consortium of charging a price that was lower than the actual value of the project.

然而，六個(gè)月后，由于克羅地亞將該項(xiàng)目授予了中國(guó)路橋，情況變得更復(fù)雜了。參與投標(biāo)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手感到憤怒。后來(lái)，一家克羅地亞法庭駁回了奧地利Strabag公司的訴訟。該公司指責(zé)這家中國(guó)集團(tuán)報(bào)的價(jià)格低于項(xiàng)目的實(shí)際造價(jià)。

On a recent afternoon at the construction site, Jeroslav Segedin, a civil engineer, gave a tour of the early stages of the project. Mr. Segedin, a representative of Croatia Roads, which contracted with the Chinese company for the project, stressed the importance of the bridge, despite the concerns about Beijing’s involvement.

最近一個(gè)下午，在建設(shè)工地上，土木工程師杰洛斯拉夫·塞格丁(Jeroslav Segedin)帶著來(lái)訪者參觀了項(xiàng)目的早期階段。塞格丁是克羅地亞公路公司(Croatia Roads)的代表，該公司是與中國(guó)路橋簽訂項(xiàng)目的合同方。他強(qiáng)調(diào)了大橋的重要性，盡管人們對(duì)北京的參與表示擔(dān)憂。

“It means a lot to both Croatia and this region,” he said. “It will be a national symbol for Croatia.” “這對(duì)克羅地亞和這個(gè)地區(qū)都很重要，”他說。“這將是克羅地亞的一個(gè)國(guó)家象征。”

Mr. Segedin, whose team of civil engineers will oversee the project, said construction should reach its peak in about 18 months, when there are expected to be 490 workers on the bridge, most of them Chinese living in trailers on the sparsely populated peninsula. Croatian workers will take part in the construction, but only on a small scale.

塞格丁的土木工程師團(tuán)隊(duì)將負(fù)責(zé)該項(xiàng)目。他說，大橋的建設(shè)將在大約18個(gè)月后進(jìn)入高潮，到那時(shí)，大橋上預(yù)計(jì)將有490名工人，其中大多數(shù)是中國(guó)工人，他們將住在這個(gè)人口稀少的半島上的拖車?yán)??？肆_地亞工人也將參加橋梁的建設(shè)，但人數(shù)要少得多。

European Union officials say they will be watching China’s recruitment process for workers closely, once it gets underway, for possible violations of the bloc’s labor laws. Even so, the Chinese have already been allowed to set the wages for the workers they bring to the site — something that European companies fear is an unfair advantage.

歐盟官員說，一旦招工工作開始，他們將密切觀察中國(guó)的招工程序中是否有可能違反歐盟勞動(dòng)法的行為。盡管如此，克羅地亞已經(jīng)允許中國(guó)人給他們帶來(lái)的工人設(shè)定工資——歐洲企業(yè)擔(dān)心這是一種不公平的優(yōu)勢(shì)。

The uncertainty around how many Chinese workers will be employed at the site, and what they will be paid, has spawned rumors.

有關(guān)工地將雇用多少中國(guó)工人、以及他們將得到多少報(bào)酬的不確定性已經(jīng)引發(fā)了謠言。

For months, the Croatian news media has been reporting that thousands of Chinese workers would be living on a cruise ship converted to a dormitory, overwhelming the small fishing village of Komarna where the construction site is based. 幾個(gè)月來(lái)，克羅地亞新聞媒體一直報(bào)道說，數(shù)千名中國(guó)工人將住在一艘被改造成宿舍的游輪上，建設(shè)工地所在的科瑪納小漁村可能承受不了這么多人。

“It’s incredible, the calls I’ve been getting regarding the Chinese workers in our region,” said Smiljan Mustapic, the governor of the Slivno area where the bridge is being built. “It’s like a group of aliens has landed.”

“我接到的關(guān)于我們這個(gè)地區(qū)出現(xiàn)中國(guó)工人的電話，令人不可思議，”斯米爾揚(yáng)·穆斯塔皮克(Smiljan Mustapic)說，他是正在建造這座大橋的斯萊夫諾地區(qū)(Slivno)的省長(zhǎng)。“就好像是來(lái)了一群外星人似的。”

For now, the bridge construction is focused under water and requires only a few dozen Chinese engineers.

目前，這座大橋的施工主要集中在水下，因此只需要幾十名中國(guó)工程師。

Beyond the bridge project, China is seeking closer ties to Croatia in other ways, such as an agreement on joint police patrols — as was done in the heart of the old city of Dubrovnik this summer at the peak of tourism season.

除大橋項(xiàng)目外，中國(guó)正在尋求與克羅地亞建立更緊密聯(lián)系的其他方式，比如達(dá)成一項(xiàng)警務(wù)聯(lián)合巡邏協(xié)議——今年夏天的旅游旺季，杜布羅夫尼克舊城市中心就進(jìn)行過這種巡邏。

The ostensible reason for the joint patrols was to help resolve issues related to Chinese tourists. But it also served as a dry run for Croatia’s plans to host a meeting of the Chinese-led investment initiative, known as 16+1, in Dubrovnik next year. It includes 11 European Union members in Central and Eastern Europe along with five Balkan nations.

聯(lián)合巡邏表面上的原因是為了幫助解決與中國(guó)游客有關(guān)的問題。但這也為克羅地亞明年在杜布羅夫尼克舉辦由中國(guó)牽頭的“16+1投資倡議”會(huì)議的計(jì)劃提供了演練機(jī)會(huì)。該倡議中的16國(guó)包括中歐和東歐的11個(gè)歐盟成員國(guó)以及五個(gè)巴爾干國(guó)家。

Mato Frankovic, the mayor of Dubrovnik, which is in the cutoff corner of Croatia, said that unlike other Chinese projects in other Balkan nations, the bridge is not financed by debt and loans from Chinese banks, which would have saddled Croatia. “It is a win-win,” he said.

杜布羅夫尼克就位于克羅地亞被隔開的地區(qū)，該市市長(zhǎng)馬托·弗蘭科維奇(Mato Frankovic)說，與中國(guó)在別的巴爾干國(guó)家的其他項(xiàng)目不同，建這座大橋的資金不是來(lái)自中國(guó)銀行的債務(wù)和貸款，所以不會(huì)讓克羅地亞背上負(fù)擔(dān)。“這是雙贏的，”他說。

Mr. Mustapic, the governor of the area where the bridge is being built, said, “For us, the construction of this bridge is priceless.”

修建大橋地區(qū)的省長(zhǎng)穆斯塔皮克說，“對(duì)我們來(lái)說，建造這座大橋極其重要。”

He could not help but be overcome, he said, as he saw the lights on the water that marked the start of the work on the bridge’s foundation.

他說，當(dāng)他看到標(biāo)志著大橋地基工作開始的水面上的燈光時(shí)，他會(huì)情不自禁地激動(dòng)。

“It meant that this time, it is going to happen,” he said.

“這意味著，這次，大橋?qū)?huì)成真，”他說。