美国商务部长彭妮·普利茨克在2013“选择美国投资峰会”上的讲话（中英对照）

英文版：Remarks at the SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit by Penny Pritzker.doc

中文版：美国商务部长彭妮·普利茨克在“选择美国2013投资峰会”上的讲话.doc

Remarks at the SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit

在“选择美国2013投资峰会”上的讲话

 

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker

美国商务部长彭妮•普利茨克

 

October 31, 2013

2013年10月31日

 

Thank you.  Good morning!

 

谢谢。早上好！

 

I am thrilled to welcome all of you to the first-ever SelectUSA Investment Summit.

 

我非常兴奋地欢迎各位参加首届“选择美国投资峰会”。

 

I have been looking forward to this for months. As you may have heard, we are sold out with 1,200 attendees. Business leaders from 58 countries and across the U.S. are here today. A warm welcome to all of you on behalf of the Obama Administration.

 

数月来，我一直在期盼本届峰会的召开。

 

诸位可能听说了，本次会议有1200人与会，还有许多人因人数限制未能前来。今天，来自58个国家和美国的商界领袖齐聚一堂。我代表欧巴马政府向各位致以热烈的欢迎。

 

Let me be clear: This summit is all about you – it’s all about business. It’s all about connecting investors with communities.

 

我希望说明一下：本次峰会完全是为各位召开——专门洽商与商务有关的事项。完全是为了帮助投资者与社区联系。

 

Let me start with a story: When the SelectUSA program was just starting out, an Austrian company that makes auto parts was considering investing more in the U.S. We sprung into action. The Commerce Department’s Vienna-based staff counseled the company in how to successfully establish a new plant in the U.S. The U.S. ambassador to Austria met with the company’s leadership. And we connected the company with state-level leaders that they wanted to meet.

 

让我先讲一个故事：当“选择美国”项目刚刚开始时，一家生产汽车配件的奥地利公司正在考虑增加在美国的投资（奥钢联集团公司）。

 

我们迅速开始行动。

 

商务部驻维也纳的工作人员就如何成功地在美国建立新工厂向该公司提供建议。美国驻奥地利大使会见了该公司领导层。我们还帮助该公司和他们希望会晤的州一级领导人建立了联系。

 

As a result, over the past year, the company has invested $62 million in its new facility in Cartersville, Georgia. Just two weeks ago, they started moving in. They’re bringing in new equipment and gearing up for production. They plan to hire hundreds of workers over the next 5 years.

 

结果，该公司去年对其佐治亚州卡特斯维尔的新工厂投资6200万美元。

 

就在两周前，他们开始迁入。他们带来了新设备，正在为投产做准备。他们计划在未来5年雇用数百名工人。

 

We’re hearing more success stories like that every day.

 

我们每天都能听到这样的成功故事。

 

At this very Summit, I understand that we have: a Japanese IT solutions provider that expanded its New York plant in 2011 and created about 50 new jobs; a chemical manufacturer from Germany that is investing over $40 million dollars to expand three facilities across Louisiana next year; and a Portugal-based food processing company just announced plans to make its first U.S. investment, creating 100 jobs in Idaho. Clearly, our investment climate is strong.

 

据我所知，本届峰会的参会者包括：一家日本IT解决方案供应商，他们于2011年扩建了在纽约的工厂并新增了约50个就业机会；一家德国化学品生产商，他们明年将投资4000万美元扩大在路易斯安那州的三座工厂；还有一家总部位于葡萄牙的食品加工企业，他们刚刚宣布首个在美投资计划，将在爱达荷州创造100个就业机会。

 

显然，我们的投资环境十分优越。

 

America is open for business.

 

美国正式开张做生意了。

 

For centuries, the U.S. has welcomed investment to our shores. Our market has provided long-term stability and unmatched returns for investors. Today, the U.S. is the largest recipient of FDI in the world. Last year alone, more than $160 billion dollars of FDI flowed here. Total foreign stock and assets are measured not in billions, but in the trillions of dollars.

 

数百年来，美国始终欢迎外来投资。我们的市场长期稳定，并为投资者提供无与伦比的回报。

 

今天，美国是世界上最大的外国直接投资接收国。仅去年就有超过1600亿美元外国直接投资进入我国。外国股份和资产总额不是以十亿美元计，而是以万亿美元计。

 

We are releasing a new joint report today from the Commerce Department and the White House: It shows that the time to invest in the U.S. is now.

 

我们今天将发布一份商务部和白宫的联合报告：报告显示，现在是在美国投资的最佳时机。

 

Before President Obama asked me to take this job, I was an entrepreneur and business leader for 27 years. So I know first-hand some of the factors that CEOs like you consider when choosing where to invest. You look for a strong and growing consumer base. Here in the U.S., consumer spending drives two-thirds of our economy – and those consumers are starting to regain their footing. Retail spending, along with our housing and stock markets – are coming back. You also know that the best ideas and technologies flow from America’s universities and colleges. We have 15 of the 20 top universities in the world. The federal government provides our universities with more than $40 billion a year for R&D.

 

在欧巴马总统提名我担任商务部长之前，27年来我一直是一位创业者和商界领袖。所以，基于我的切身经验，我对像各位这样的首席执行官在选择投资地点时考虑的因素有所了解。你们寻找消费能力强劲且不断增大的消费者群。在美国，消费者开支占我国经济的三分之二，而且我们的消费者正在重拾信心。零售业以及我们的房地产和股市正在复苏。你们也知道，最好的设想和技术来自美国高校。在全世界排名最高的20所大学中，我们占15所。联邦政府每年向我们的大学提供超过400亿美元研发费用。全球性企业需要在这片沃土上设立办事机构以保持领先。

 

Global businesses need to have a presence near this fertile ground in order to stay on the cutting-edge. Our universities and businesses are a key reason that nearly 30% of the world’s R&D spending happens within our borders. Of course, you also know that the graduates coming out of U.S. universities and community colleges have the skills, talent, and productivity that you need. For those of you whose companies need energy – particularly in manufacturing – America’s affordable and abundant energy is particularly attractive.

 

世界上近30%的研发活动在美国进行，而我们的高校和企业是一个关键原因。当然，你们也知道美国的大学和社区学院毕业生拥有你们所需的技能、才智和生产力。对于需要能源的公司来说——特别是制造业公司——美国廉价而又丰富的能源尤其具有吸引力。

 

America now imports less than half the oil we consume, down from 60 percent in 2005.  Also, our jump in natural gas production over the past 5 years has led to a drop in prices of more than 60%. This was a reason that South Africa’s Sasol announced a commitment to make a record-breaking investment in Louisiana – up to $21 billion for facilities that will create 7,000 construction jobs and about 1,200 permanent jobs. We’re going to hear from Sasol later today.

 

2005年，美国石油进口量占消费量的60%，现在下降至不到一半。同样，过去5年间我们的天然气产量激增，使价格下降超过60%。由于这种原因和其他一些有利因素，南非沙索公司宣布了一项承诺，在路易斯安那州投资210亿美元建造一系列设施，这是一笔创纪录的外来投资。它将为建筑业创造7000个就业机会，并带来约1200个长期就业机会。我们今天晚些时候会听到沙索的消息。

 

In addition, we are the most open economy in the world with 20 free trade agreements. Because of our existing agreements, companies operating here have a platform to access nearly 700 million global consumers representing a combined $7 trillion dollars in GDP. That will grow as we work to expand free trade through the Trans Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. America also has a longstanding commitment to rule of law. You can depend on our rules of the road to stay constant and transparent – including our gold standard in intellectual property protection as supported by the Commerce Department. I could go on and on – talking about everything from our infrastructure… to our innovative supply chains… and much more. All of these positive facts and trends have driven independent analysts to rank the U.S. as the #1 location where CEOs can be confident to invest.

 

另外，我们是拥有20个自由贸易协定的世界上最开放的经济体。由于我们现有的协定，在美国经营的公司得以利用一个巨大的平台，面对7亿全球各地的消费者，他们的购买力相当于7万亿美元国内生产总值。随着我们通过“跨太平洋伙伴关系”和“跨大西洋贸易和投资伙伴关系”努力扩大自由贸易，这一规模将继续扩大。美国长期坚持法治。你们可以信赖我们稳定透明的行路规则——包括商务部支持的知识产权保护黄金标准。我们还拥有许多其他优势，从基础设施到具有创新性的供应链……不可胜数。所有这些有利情况和趋势促使独立分析师将美国列为首席执行官们有信心进行投资的首选地。

 

Experts (like A.T. Kearney) are saying that if you want to build and hire somewhere in the world – the U.S. should be at the top of your list.

 

专家们（例如卡尼）说，如果你想在世界某地建厂雇人——美国应该是你的首选。

 

Through SelectUSA, we are making it easier than ever to do just that. We want to open that first door to making an investment here in the United States. The President himself understands this – as we will all hear this afternoon. Two years ago, he saw all of the great reasons to invest here that I just highlighted… and he said that we should be doing more to help businesses like yours who have questions about investing here.

 

通过“选择美国”计划，我们正在使对美国投资具有前所未有的便利。我们想为计划在美国投资的人打开第一扇门。总统本人也了解这一情况——我们大家今天下午会听到。两年前，他就看到了我刚刚强调的在美国投资的所有有利条件，并表示我们应该做更多工作来帮助像诸位这样对在美国投资有疑问的企业。

 

To address your issues…We talked to our foreign commercial services officers throughout the world. We asked them if they could build on their great work of promoting exports – and start to engage with foreign businesses that want to invest in the U.S. They’re now trained to do that in 30 countries. Along with a core team here in Washington – and on a very tight budget – we’ve achieved early results. We have talked to hundreds of investors around the world who had questions about investing here…

 

为了回答你们的问题：我们与美国派驻世界各地的商务官员交流信息。他们为推动出口已经做出杰出贡献，现在我们问他们是否可以联系希望在美国投资的外国企业。他们已经接受了培训，目前在30个国家开展此项工作。他们和首都华盛顿的一个核心团队协作——尽管我们的预算非常紧张——并且已经取得了初步成果。我们与世界各地数百名对在美国投资有疑问的投资者进行了沟通。

 

In a very short period, we have successfully guided over 20 companies through the steps it takes to invest here – such as understanding our regulations… As a result, we’ve helped to close major deals worth millions and millions of dollars. Of course, this progress takes a team effort.  SelectUSA has worked with over 50 economic development organizations around the country – many of whom are here today on the show floor. Where are the economic development professionals out there?

 

在很短时间内，我们已经成功地指导20多家公司完成了在美国投资的步骤——例如了解我们的法规——帮助促成了数额巨大的投资。当然，这种成就需要多方协力。“选择美国”计划与全国各地50多个招商机构共同努力——其中很多机构在本次会议上都有展出。在座的哪些是招商专家？

 

Let me speak to you for a moment.I want to applaud you because you are where the rubber meets the road. You are letting folks know why your particular community is ripe for investment.  I hope you have your pitch prepared for the next two days. Business leaders want to hear about your local assets, your workforce, and your programs and incentives for bringing a company to your city or state. Fair warning to the CEOs and business leaders here – These economic development pros are not shy.

 

我想对你们说几句话。我要赞扬你们，你们是推动理想成为现实的人。你们帮助人们了解，你们所在的社区万事俱备，只欠东风。我希望你们为未来两天的介绍做好了准备。企业领导人希望了解你们当地的优势、你们的劳动力素质、以及你们的城市或州的招商引资项目和优惠措施。我在这里跟各位首席执行官和企业领导人先打个招呼——这些招商专家不会羞于开口。

 

Seriously, making connections is perhaps the most important reason that we convened this summit. We know that relationships are the fundamental building blocks of doing business.  You need to meet the right people – the relevant people.  In my experience, the right in-person relationships can often mean the difference between a no or a yes. Our vision is for this to be a highly-valuable and efficient summit where investors can hear from experts about the overall investment climate… as well as economic development leaders about specific opportunities… That’s why we put all of you under one roof. Over the course of the next two days, you’re going to hear from about 40 of the leading minds in US business investment.

 

说真的，我们召开本届峰会最重要的原因可能是建立联系。我们知道建立关系是开展商贸活动的基础。你们需要结识适当的人——相关的人。以我的经验来看，适当的人际关系通常是作出“是”与“否”决定的关键。我们的设想是让本届峰会成为一次非常有价值和效果的峰会，投资者可以听到专家对于总体投资环境的看法和招商领导人关于具体机会的介绍。这就是我们帮助各位共聚一堂的原因。在接下来的两天里，诸位将会听到美国商业投资界约40位具有远见卓识的人士的讲话。