時事新聞:中國面臨成長的煩惱

China's exponential growth over the last decade is admired globally, but could eventually come with a price: social unrest.

過去10年裏，中國呈幾何級數的經濟增長讓全世界豔羨不已，但這最終可能也會讓中國付出一個代價：社會不穩。

According to the head of Europe's largest aluminum producer Norsk Hydro, China's new and still growing middle class is likely to get increasingly frustrated at the restrictions its ruling class impose.

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images歐洲最大的鋁業生產商挪威海德魯公司(Norsk Hydro)首席執行長說，對於規模還在壯大的中國新興中產階級來說，統治階層施加的限制很可能會讓他們越來越感覺到失望。

"My concern is the long-term situation in China, when hundreds of millions of people are middle class ─can they accept that the freedom they experience is not of the same degree as in democratic nations in the West?" says Svein Richard Brandtzaeg.

布蘭採格(Svein Richard Brandtzaeg)說，我擔心的是中國的長期形勢；當數億人邁入中產階級的行列，他們是否能接受這樣的事實，即自己所獲得的自由在程度上同西方民主國家有所不同？

"This could increase the temperature of Chinese society, although I'm not saying there will be a revolution. But if the government continues to handle its population in the same way, it'll find that it is faced with a nation demanding democracy."

布蘭採格說，這會讓中國社會矛盾加劇，不過我並不是說會爆發革命。但是如果政府繼續以同樣的方式對待它的人民，它就會發現它所面對的是一個要求民主的國家。

China is already struggling with inflation, Mr. Brandtzaeg says, with Norsk Hydro facing salary increases of 20% a year at its operations there, with the concept of these generous wage hikes backed by the government.

中國已經受到通貨膨脹的困擾。布蘭採格說，海德魯在中國的工廠面臨着每年爲其員工加薪20%的壓力，而這種大幅提薪的要求也得到了政府的支持。

While keeping its huge population happy is clearly critical for the country, Mr. Brandtzaeg says that at least one other negative consequence of Chinese growth is already being seen.

很顯然，讓龐大的人口感到滿意對中國來說至關重要。然而布蘭採格說，除此之外，至少還有一個由中國經濟增長帶來的消極後果已經開始顯現。

"Rising costs will influence the appetite for foreign direct investment into China and this investment could start to reverse the other way as a result," he adds.

成本上升將影響外國直接投資進入中國的動力，結果可能導致這類投資開始向相反的方向流動。