沙特油企在华寻求合作

飞雪寒冰

Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest producers of oil, sought to reassure Chinese customers about oil supplies on Monday in Beijing, as global oil prices rose above $115 a barrel for Brent crude.
随着布伦特(Brent)原油价格突破每桶115美元，全球最大的石油生产企业之一——沙特阿拉伯国家石油公司（Saudi Aramco，简称沙特阿美）周一在北京试图打消中国客户对石油供应的疑虑。

This has been the standard line from Aramco of late amid recent turbulence in the oil markets, but Aramco had a particularly attentive audience this time. China’s is the world’s second-largest consumer of crude, and Saudi Arabia is China’s largest supplier.
在石油市场最近的动荡局势中，这一直是沙特阿美的标准做法，不过这一次听众们尤为关注。中国是世界第二大原油消费国，而沙特阿拉伯是中国最大的供应国。

飞雪寒冰

Speaking in Beijing, Aramco president Khalid A. Al-Falih said:'The kingdom has been and will continue to be a calming influence on global oil markets particularly at times of high turbulence. We have substantial spare capacity to make sure… oil supply goes forward.'
沙特阿美总裁哈立德•法力赫(Khalid A. Al-Falih)在北京表示：“沙特阿拉伯过去一直是，将来还将继续是全球石油市场上一股让市场保持稳定的力量，在高度动荡时期尤其如此。我们有充裕的闲置产能，以确保……石油供应得以维系。”

Turmoil in the Middle East has raised anew Beijing’s fears about its oil supply, which is seen by the government as a key vulnerability. Experts believe that efforts to build up China’s stockpile of strategic petroleum reserves accelerated this spring as unrest spread across the Arab world, and in February China’s crude imports were 5.2m barrels per day, the third-highest on record.

中东地区的动荡重新引发了中国政府对石油供应的担忧，中国政府将石油供应视为一个关键的软肋。专家们相信，今年春季，随着动荡局面蔓延至整个阿拉伯世界，中国加快了建立战略石油储备的步伐。今年2月，中国的原油进口量为每天520万桶，为有纪录以来的第三高水平。

飞雪寒冰

虽然近年来，中国石油企业一直在推动石油进口多样化，从中东转向在拉美和北美进行大手笔采购，但中国的原油采购量仍有大约一半来自中东，而沙特几乎占了进口量的五分之一。

Although Chinese oil companies have been diversifying away from the Middle East in recent years by going on buying sprees in Latin America and North America, roughly half of China’s crude purchases still come from the Middle East—and almost one-fifth of imports are from Saudi Arabia.
法力赫认为，化石燃料是中国的“关键”能源来源，并援引一份官方估计数据称，到本十年末，中国每天将消耗120万桶石油。他充满感情地说道：“对这种日益增长的需求，我们沙特阿美不仅做好了准备，而且乐于满足。”

Al-Falih sees fossil fuels as a “pivotal” source of energy for China and cited an official estimate that China will consume 12m barrels of oil per day by the end of this decade. “We at Aramco are not only ready but eager to meet this increasing demand,” he crooned.

飞雪寒冰

但沙特阿拉伯与中国的联系已经日益拓展至原油贸易以外，并已开始进入下游领域的合作。周日，沙特阿美宣布将与中国石油(PetroChina)结盟，共同在云南建设一座新炼油厂，通过新的缅甸输油管道每天供应20万桶原油。本月早些时候，沙特阿美与国有企业中石化(Sinopec)签署协议，将共建红海沿岸的延布大型炼油厂。

But more and more, Saudi Arabia’s ties with China are expanding beyond crude trade and into downstream cooperation. On Sunday, Aramco announced that it will be partnering with PetroChina to support a new refinery in Yunnan, supplying some 200,000 barrels a day via the new Burma pipeline. And earlier this month Aramco signed an agreement with state-owned Sinopec to partner on the huge Yanbu Refinery on the Red Sea Coast.
从历史上看，由于有其他石油资源丰富的国家，如苏丹和加纳，中国并没有热衷于取悦沙特阿拉伯。交银国际(Bocom International)分析师贺炜表示：“中国与中东的关系，总体来说一直都还不错。但对于沙特阿拉伯，由于它总是与美国亦步亦趋，那里的一些（中资）项目受到较多限制。”

飞雪寒冰

Historically, China has been relatively slow to woo Saudi Arabia in the way that it has other oil rich nations, like Sudan or Ghana. He Wei, an analyst at Bocom International says:
从最近签署的炼油厂协议来看，这种局面似乎正在改变。如果法力赫能如愿以偿，未来可能会有更多此类交易。

'China’s relationship with the Middle East has, in general, always been all right. But for Saudi Arabia, because it is always walking in step with the US, some [Chinese] programs there have been more limited.'
他暗示：“我期待着更多的交流和贸易，包括中国官方在沙特阿拉伯的投资。”

That seems to be changing with these recent refinery agreements. If Al-Falih has his wish, there could be more such deals down the road.