富士康討論降低對夏普收購報價
Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industries has hardened its negotiating position and discussed lowering its original $6bn offer for the embattled Japanese electronics maker Sharp, say people close to the deal.
知情人士表示，臺灣鴻海精密(Hon Hai Precision Industries)的談判立場轉向強硬，討論降低其對夏普(Sharp)這家問題纏身的日本電子產品製造商最初的60億美元報價。
The sudden gambit, which was described by one insider as coming “straight from the negotiating playbook” of Terry Gou, Hon Hai’s president, represents another twist in a deal that has been stalled almost from the moment it was agreed by Sharp’s board in February.
鴻海精密的這一突然之舉，表明在2月得到夏普董事會同意之後幾乎立即陷入停滯的這筆收購交易出現了新變數。一名內部人士稱，此舉突顯了鴻海精密首席執行官郭臺銘(Terry Gou)的典型談判策略。
Sharp agreed to a bailout that would involve issuing Y489bn of new stock to Hon Hai, which would give the Taiwanese group that is better known as Foxconn a 66 per cent controlling stake in the company. But progress was suspended within a few hours after Sharp provided its potential rescuer with information on what people familiar with the matter said were Y300bn ($2.7bn) in potential liabilities.
鴻海精密更知名的名稱是富士康(Foxconn)。夏普同意了一項救助方案，將向鴻海精密發行4890億日元的新股，使後者在夏普持有66%的控股股權。但在夏普向潛在拯救者提供了潛在債務信息——知情人士稱金額達到3000億日元（合27億美元）——數小時後，談判停滯下來。
Hon Hai’s latest shift of position, which could see the Taiwanese company’s huge cash injection offer lowered by an unknown margin, is said to be based on renewed concerns over Sharp’s financial position and the state of its business during the current quarter.
鴻海精密最近的立場改變——可能導致這家臺資公司對夏普注入鉅額資金的報價有所降低（幅度未知）——據稱是因爲對夏普在當前季度的財務狀況和業務狀態產生了新的擔心。
People familiar with the negotiations said that there were now mounting concerns that Sharp could fall badly short of its operating profit forecast of Y10bn for the financial year ending March 31. Some analysts are forecasting that Sharp is on course to post an operating loss of about Y50bn for the period.
知情人士表示，當前鴻海精密日益擔心，在截至3月31日的財年裏，夏普的表現可能大幅遜於100億日元的營運利潤預測。有些分析師預測，夏普在該財年將錄得大約599億日元的營運虧損。
Even if the offer is not ultimately lowered, talks between the two companies are not expected to reach any conclusion before the end of this month, said people involved in the discussions.
參與談判的人士表示，即便報價最終未被降低，兩家公司之間的談判在本月底之前預計也不會達成任何協議。
Sharp declined to comment.
夏普拒絕對此置評。
