Tehran and Beijing are in talks about using a barter system to exchange Iranian oil for Chinese goods and services, as US financial sanctions have blocked China from paying at least $20bn for oil imports.

　　伊朗和中國正就采用一套易貨交易制度(barter system)進行商談，準備用伊朗的石油換取中國的商品和服務。目前，美國的金融制裁，導致中國無法為進口石油向伊朗支付起碼200億美元。

　　The US sanctions against Iran, which make it extremely difficult to conduct dollar-denominated business, mean that China could owe the oil-rich nation as much as $30bn, according to people familiar with the problem.

　　美國對伊朗的制裁行動，使各方極難開展以美元結賬的業務。知情人士稱，這意味著中國可能欠伊朗這個富油國家多達300億美元。

　　They said the unpaid oil bills had built up over the past two years and the governments, which are in early-stage talks, were looking at how to “offset” the debt.

　　他們表示，未償付的石油賬單在過去兩年里越積越多，正舉行早期商談的伊朗和中國政府，正在設法“抵消”這筆債務。

　　Some Iranian officials are growing increasingly angry about the inability of the country’s largest oil customers to pay cash, a problem that has contributed to a shortage of hard currency and has hindered the central bank from defending the Iranian rial, which has been sharply devalued over the past month.

　　對于伊朗的各大石油客戶無法支付現金，該國一些官員越來越感到憤怒，這個問題加劇了伊朗硬通貨短缺的困境，并妨礙了該國央行捍衛伊朗里亞爾的能力；過去一個月里，伊朗里亞爾出現大幅貶值。

　　China and India together buy about one-third of Iran’s oil, the country’s economic lifeblood. China’s oil imports from Iran have risen 49 per cent this year, according to Reuters.

　　石油是伊朗的經濟命脈所在。中國和印度兩國加在一起合計購買了伊朗大約三分之一的石油。路透社(Reuters)數據顯示，今年中國從伊朗進口的石油增加了49%。

　　Iran last week threatened to cut off oil exports to India, which owes $5bn for oil but has not been able to move the money out of an?escrow?account.

　　上周，伊朗威脅要切斷對印度的石油出口。印度欠伊朗50億美元的石油款項，但迄今不能從一個代管賬戶進行支付。

　　Unlike India, which exports almost nothing to Iran, China is dominant in Iranian business and could use a barter system to balance trade between the two countries. Beijing is involved in everything from building tunnels to exporting toys and has been expanding into Iran’s oil sector, where European companies such as Shell and Total have been deterred by the difficulties of operating without contravening sanctions.

　　印度對伊朗幾乎沒有任何出口。與此不同的是，中國在伊朗商界占有主導地位，可利用一套易貨交易制度來平衡兩國之間的貿易。目前中國全方位地參與伊朗經濟，從修建隧道，到出口玩具，并且在擴張進入伊朗石油行業——歐洲石油巨擘如殼牌(Shell)和道達爾(Total)已從伊朗“知難而退”，意識到難以在遵守制裁規定的前提下開展經營。

　　China and Iran’s bilateral trade totalled $29.3bn last year, up almost 40 per cent from 2009. The two countries this month signed several infrastructure and trade collaboration agreements that would see Chinese companies invest in big infrastructure projects in Iran, while Iran would export large quantities of chrome ore to China, according to local reports. 去年，中國與伊朗的雙邊貿易總共達到293億美元，比2009年增長近40%。

　　本月，兩國簽署了多份基礎設施和貿易合作協議。據兩國媒體報道，根據這些協議，中國企業將投資于伊朗的一些大型基礎設施項目，而伊朗將向中國出口大量鉻礦砂。

　　“Both China and India are happy to keep Iran’s money in their banks and try to get Iran involved in barter deals to sell their junk, or give yuan and rupees instead of hard currencies,” said one Iranian former official, on condition of anonymity. Iran had not yet accepted the alternatives, he added.

　　“中國和印度兩國都樂于把欠伊朗的資金留在它們本國的銀行里，同時試圖推動伊朗達成易貨交易，以便銷售它們的垃圾貨，或者向伊朗支付人民幣和盧比而非硬通貨，”一位要求匿名的伊朗前官員表示。他補充說，伊朗尚未接受任何替代方案。

　　Repeated sets of US financial sanctions, imposed in response to Iran’s continued defiance over its nuclear programme, have had a crippling effect on the country’s banking sector. Another former official said that Iran was holding up adequately, thanks in no small part to high oil prices.

　　針對伊朗在本國核計劃問題上的持續不妥協，美國出臺了一套又一套金融制裁措施，這些措施已對伊朗銀行業造成了沉重打擊。另一位伊朗前官員則表示，伊朗的處境還不錯，這在很大程度上得益于高油價。