外資廠商配合中國奶粉市場"維穩"

Nestlé said yesterday that it was co-operating with an investigation launched by the Chinese government into possible competition violations in the mainland infant formula market, while local media reports say three other foreign baby milk producers are also being probed.

雀巢(Nestlé)昨日表示，正在配合中國政府發起的有關嬰兒配方奶粉市場可能存在壟斷行爲的調查。中國國內媒體表示，還有三家外國嬰兒奶粉生產商也受到調查。

Nestlé said only that it was “actively co-operating” with an investigation by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), which is charged with enforcing provisions of China's 2008 antitrust law.

雀巢表示，正在“積極配合”中國國家發改委(NDRC)發起的一項調查。中國國家發改委負責執行中國2008年《反壟斷法》的條款。

The Beijing Times reported that Abbott Laboratories, Danone and Mead Johnson Nutrition were also involved in the probe, along with Wyeth Nutrition, now owned by Nestlé.

新京報(Beijing Times)報道稱，雅培公司(Abbott Laboratories)、達能(Danone)、美贊臣(Mead Johnson Nutrition)以及雀巢旗下的惠氏(Wyeth Nutrition)正受到調查。

China's voracious demand for foreign-made milk has squeezed supplies around the globe, leading to rationing of sales in Hong Kong – and pushing up prices on the mainland, retail analysts said.

零售業分析師昨日表示，中國對外國產嬰兒奶粉的旺盛需求導致了全球奶粉供應緊張，結果香港不得不限量購買奶粉——這推高了中國內地市場的奶粉價格。

Competition lawyers in China said the investigation appeared to relate to whether there was fixing of minimum prices for distributors.

中國的競爭事務律師表示，此次調查似乎與廠家是否串通商定面向經銷商的最低價格有關。

The high price of imported infant formula in China has become a sensitive political issue for Beijing, after the 2008 baby milk tainting scandal that sent parents scurrying to foreign brands.

中國的進口配方奶粉價格較高，這已成爲中國政府面對的一個敏感政治問題。由於2008年爆出了嬰兒奶粉摻假醜聞，中國父母熱衷購買外國品牌的奶粉。

“The government is trying to make safe baby formula more accessible to everyday Chinese,” said Shaun Rein, of China Market Research in Shanghai. “This is a way to get foreign manufacturers to rein in their price increases”.

上海中國市場研究集團(China Market Research)的雷小山(Shaun Rein)表示：“中國政府正努力使普通人更容易買到安全的嬰兒配方奶粉。這是使外國奶粉生產商收斂漲價衝動的一個方式。”

The Beijing Times said news of the investigations emerged after Biostime International, a Hong Kong-listed infant nutrition manufacturer, said last week that its Guangzhou unit was being investigated by the NDRC under the anti-monopoly law.

《新京報》報道稱，中國政府啓動反壟斷調查的消息傳出之前，香港上市嬰兒奶粉配方企業合生元國際(Biostime International)上週公告稱，其廣州公司正在接受中國國家發改委依據反壟斷法律發起的調查。

“The main purpose of the investigation is in relation to an alleged violation of Article 14 of the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China by Biostime Guangzhou in managing the market sales prices at which the distributors and retail sales organisations sell our products,” the company said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

合生元國際在提交給香港交易所的申報文件中表示，“發改委的調查主要源於，合生元廣州公司是否違反《中國人民共和國反壟斷法》第14條規定，對經銷商和終端零售商銷售合生元產品的市場銷售價格進行了控制。”