美空军警告北达科他州中资玉米加工厂构成“重大威胁”

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美空军警告北达科他州中资玉米加工厂构成“重大威胁”

MITCH SMITH2023年2月1日位于北达科他州大福克斯市的阜丰工厂拟议选址。 Lewis Ableidinger for The New York TimesAfter more than a year of debate about whether a Chinese company’s plan to build a corn mill in North Dakota was an economic boon or a geopolitical risk, an assistant secretary of the Air Force has weighed in with a warning that the “project presents a significant threat to national security.”一家中国企业计划在北达科他州建造一家玉米加工厂，这究竟是经济上的助益还是地缘政治上的风险？经过一年多的争论，美国空军助理部长警告称，“该项目对国家安全构成了重大威胁”。The letter from Assistant Secretary Andrew P. Hunter, released publicly on Tuesday by North Dakota’s senators, noted the proximity of Grand Forks Air Force Base to the proposed mill and said the project raised “near- and long-term risks of significant impacts to our operations in the area.”周二，北达科他州的参议员公布了助理部长安德鲁·亨特的致信，他在信中指出，大福克斯空军基地靠近拟议中的加工厂，并称该项目具有“对我们在该地区的行动产生重大影响的近期和长期风险”。The debate over Fufeng USA’s plan to build a giant milling facility on the edge of Grand Forks, less than 15 miles from the Air Force base, divided the Republican power structure in North Dakota and showed just how swiftly the economic relationship between the United States and China had changed.阜丰美国计划在距离该空军基地不到24公里的大福克斯市郊建造一个大型加工厂，围绕该项目的争论导致北达科他州内共和党权力架构出现分裂，也说明了美中经济关系的变化有多么令人猝不及防。Though the Air Force letter did not name specific threats, residents had voiced numerous concerns. Some in town said it was unwise to deepen economic ties with China, while others speculated that the mill could be used for spying on the Air Force, which the company denied.虽然空军信函中并未提及具体威胁，但居民们有许多担忧。城里一些人表示，加深与中国的经济联系并不明智；另一些人则猜测，该加工厂可能被用于侦查美国空军情报，该公司对此予以否认。The city’s Republican mayor, Brandon Bochenski, a former supporter of the project, said on Tuesday that because of the federal guidance, he would move to block construction by trying to deny building permits and by refusing to connect city infrastructure to the building site.大福克斯市的共和党市长布兰登·博钦斯基曾是该项目的支持者，他在周二表示，在联邦政府的指导下，他将尝试拒绝颁发建筑许可，同时不让城市基础设施连接到建筑工地，从而阻止建设。“The Air Force left ambiguity off the table,” the state’s two senators, John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, both Republicans, said in a joint statement that called for Grand Forks officials to work with them “to find an American company to develop the agriculture project.”“空军的态度已经非常明确，”该州的两位共和党参议员约翰·霍文和凯文·克莱默在联合声明中表示，他们呼吁与大福克斯官员通力合作，“寻找一家美国企业来开发该农业项目”。The corn mill was the sort of job-creating opportunity that cities have long fought over, and one that just a few years ago would have been seen by most as an unambiguous win. Both Mr. Bochenski and North Dakota’s Republican governor, Doug Burgum, celebrated in late 2021 when Grand Forks landed the project, which would have been the city’s largest economic development project in recent history.玉米加工厂这类项目是各城市长期以来都在争夺的就业创造良机，就在几年前，大多数人还将之视为毫无疑问的胜利。博钦斯基和北达科他州共和党州长道格·伯古姆都曾在2021年底庆祝该项目在大福克斯市落地，那本是该市近年来规模最大的经济开发项目。But within months after Fufeng chose Grand Forks, a college and military city with 59,000 residents, many in town began speaking out against the project. While some of the opposition focused on property rights and water use, the company’s ties to China and the perceived national security risks became the focus of pushback. Still, the city moved forward, annexing the field where the mill would be built and entering into a development agreement with the company.但就在阜丰选择大福克斯这座拥有5.9万居民的大学兼军事城市的几个月后，城里许多人开始公开反对该项目。虽然一些反对意见集中在产权和用水的问题上，但焦点还是在于该公司与中国的关系以及可能构成的国家安全风险。尽管如此，该市还是继续推进项目，征用了将用来建厂的田地，并准备与该公司签订开发协议。Mr. Bochenski, a first-term mayor and a former professional hockey player, said in an interview last year that the shifting geopolitical winds had been a challenge for the city. “Are we going to be the first one to basically say no to globalism?” he asked at the time.作为正值首个任期的市长，前职业冰球运动员博钦斯基在去年接受采访时表示，地缘政治风向的改变对该市来说是个挑战。“我们要带头对全球主义说不吗？”他当时问道。But on Tuesday, in light of the Air Force’s letter, Mr. Bochenski said he would seek the City Council’s help to block construction, though he noted that Fufeng USA, the American subsidiary of a Chinese company, would still own the land where it had hoped to build.但在周二，面对空军的致信，博钦斯基称他将寻求市议会的帮助以叫停建设，但他指出，作为一家中企的美国子公司，阜丰美国仍将拥有本打算用于建厂的土地。Work on the project had been paused in recent months while the federal government’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reviewed the company’s plans. That committee ultimately decided that it did not have jurisdiction.由于联邦政府的美国外国投资委员会正在审查该公司的规划，该项目在最近几个月暂停了建设。委员会最终决定此事不在其管辖范围内。“The response from the federal government during this process can only be viewed as slow and contradictory,” Mr. Bochenski said. “This directive leaves open the question of other entities with Chinese connections across the nation,” he added, including a Chinese-owned aviation company in Grand Forks “and Chinese students and professors at the University of North Dakota.”“在此过程中，联邦政府的反馈只能说是既缓慢又矛盾，”博钦斯基说。“这样的指示给全国其他与中国有关联的实体都带来了问题，”他补充道，这包括大福克斯市的一家中资航空公司，“还有北达科他大学的中国学生和教授”。Mr. Burgum, who once called the Fufeng mill a “huge opportunity” for his state, said in a statement that he supported the mayor’s decision to stop cooperating with the company given the concerns voiced by the Air Force.伯古姆曾将这个阜丰加工厂项目称为本州的“巨大机遇”，他在声明中表示，鉴于空军提出的担忧，他支持市长停止与该公司合作的决定。The turnabout in North Dakota comes as the United States rethinks its longstanding trade relationship with China, and as politicians in both parties have come to view the country more as a threat than as an attractive economic partner. Several states are considering bills this year that would limit or ban Chinese land ownership.北达科他州的风向转变正值美国重新审视与中国的长期贸易关系之际。两党政客都愈发将中国视为威胁，而不是有吸引力的经济伙伴。多地州政府今年都在考虑颁布限制或禁止中资购买土地的法案。Eric Chutorash, Fufeng USA’s chief operating officer, has repeatedly denied that the mill would be used to spy on or harm the United States. He did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the Air Force’s letter. China’s embassy in Washington declined to comment.阜丰美国的首席运营官埃里克·楚托拉什一再否认该加工厂将被用于侦查或危害美国。他没有立即回应有关美国空军信函的置评请求。中国驻华盛顿大使馆拒绝置评。Mitch Smith负责报道美国中西部和大平原地区。他自2014年加入时报，曾广泛报道枪支暴力、输油管道、各州政治以及有关警察执法方式的国内讨论。他常驻芝加哥。欢迎在Twitter上关注他：@mitchksmith。翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。

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