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As Alibaba prepares for a listing in the U.S. that could raise as much as $15 billion, it's also in a full-blown, potentially dangerous conflict with some of China's most powerful government-backed companies.
就在阿里巴巴(Alibaba)準備赴美上市、融資至多150億美元的時候，該公司也與中國最強大的有政府支持的幾家公司爆發(fā)了激烈、甚至可能危險的沖突。
In recent years, Internet firms such as Alibaba and Tencent have begun to muscle in on territory traditionally occupied by state banks--both through offering mobile payment services as well as online investment products featuring returns superior to those offered by state banks. State banks, meanwhile, are striking back.
最近幾年，阿里巴巴、騰訊(Tencent)等網(wǎng)絡(luò)公司開始侵占傳統(tǒng)上由國有銀行占領(lǐng)的地盤。兩公司實現(xiàn)這一目的的途徑是提供移動支付服務(wù)，以及提供回報水平高于國有銀行存款利率的網(wǎng)絡(luò)投資產(chǎn)品。而國有銀行也展開了反擊。
The latest salvo in the standoff came this week after users of Alibaba's online investment fund -- Yu'E Bao, or 'leftover treasure' -- reported they were having trouble transferring money into the fund from accounts held with the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., China's largest bank by assets. Following these reports, ICBC informed customers that it was cutting back resources needed to process such transfers.
雙方最新一次交鋒是在本周，之前阿里巴巴網(wǎng)上投資基金余額寶(Yu'E Bao)用戶報告，他們把錢從中國工商銀行(Industrial & Commercial Bank, 簡稱：工商銀行)賬號轉(zhuǎn)到余額寶上時出現(xiàn)困難。中國工商銀行是中國資產(chǎn)規(guī)模最大的銀行。出現(xiàn)這種情況之后，工商銀行告知客戶，該行調(diào)低了這類轉(zhuǎn)賬操作的限額。
In the same statement, the bank appeared to fault Alibaba, saying that it had already had prolonged communications with Alipay, the company's online payment unit.
該行在同一則公告中似乎把責任推給了阿里巴巴，稱該行已經(jīng)與阿里巴巴旗下的網(wǎng)絡(luò)支付部門支付寶(Alipay)進行了長時間的溝通。
'If Alipay coordinates properly, there will be no impact on customers,' the bank said.
該行稱，如果支付寶予以適當配合，就不會對客戶產(chǎn)生影響。
For its part, Alipay said the restrictions were imposed by ICBC and referred customers to the bank's service hotline. It also suggested customers try using a different bank account for Alipay.
支付寶方面則稱，這些限制措施都是工商銀行強加的，讓客戶去找工商銀行的服務(wù)熱線。另外，支付寶還建議客戶嘗試用另外的銀行賬戶向支付寶轉(zhuǎn)賬。
The move follows on the heels of similar moves in recent months, with all four state-run banks imposing new monthly limits on the amount of money customers can transfer to mobile payment products like Alipay.
最近幾個月來各銀行相繼出臺了類似措施，所有四大國有銀行都設(shè)置了客戶向支付寶等移動支付產(chǎn)品轉(zhuǎn)賬的新的月度限額。
In response to such moves, Alibaba founder Jack Ma has come out swinging. 'What determines success in the market shouldn't be the monopolies and those with power, but the consumers,' he said Sunday.
面對銀行的這種行動，阿里巴巴的創(chuàng)始人馬云(Jack Ma)進行了聲討。他在周日說，決定市場勝負的不應(yīng)該是壟斷和權(quán)力，而是用戶。
Such comments might seem like throwing stones at a wasp's nest. But Mr. Ma himself is a ferocious competitor: Alibaba is one of the few Chinese Internet companies that have managed to fight off a Western competitor--eBay--entirely on its own.
這樣的言論可能看起來像是朝馬蜂窩扔石頭。但馬云本人是個強悍的競爭者：阿里巴巴擊退了eBay，是完全憑借自身力量擊退西方競爭者的少數(shù)中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司之一。
Meanwhile, the company is continuing to up the ante. On Wednesday, Alibaba introduced an unusual new fund allowing Internet users to invest directly in a product that will help finance four different film projects. Though the company says it can't guarantee returns, investors should expect a 7% return from the year-long investment--and the ability to help cast the movies, it says.
與此同時，阿里巴巴繼續(xù)增加自己的籌碼。該公司周三宣布推出一只不同尋常的新基金，允許互聯(lián)網(wǎng)用戶直接投資一款為四部不同電影提供融資的產(chǎn)品。阿里巴巴稱，該產(chǎn)品的預(yù)期年化收益率為7%，但不能擔保投資者獲得回報。
Li Yanli, an investor in Beijing, said she liked the fund because it was a 'cool' idea, but would be cautious. 'Since the new product won't guarantee either principal or return, I am not very sure how risky it could be,' said Ms. Li, adding that she planned to invest just a few hundred yuan 'for fun.'
北京的投資者李艷麗（音）表示，她喜歡這只基金，因為這是個“很酷”的想法，但她會很謹慎。她說：這款新產(chǎn)品不能保本保息，我不十分確定該產(chǎn)品可能有多大風險。她還說，自己打算只投資人民幣幾百元，只是為了好玩。
While high-profile battles such as this week's aren't unusual for China's Internet companies--public feuds between Internet executives and noisy accusations of copyright theft are common--for the most part in the past, regulators have been content to let China's Internet giants slug it out among themselves.
對中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司來說，像本周發(fā)生的這種備受矚目的交鋒并不少見，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)公司高管之間的公開爭執(zhí)以及對盜版的高聲指控已屢見不鮮。但在過去的大部分時間，監(jiān)管部門一直愿意讓中國的互聯(lián)網(wǎng)巨頭在彼此之間一決勝負。
That soon could change, though, as the feisty spirit and belligerence of the country's Internet industry runs up against a Chinese banking industry known mostly for its entrenched state-backed monopolies. After all, while Alibaba's Mr. Ma has friends in high places, the heads of China's largest banks are equally powerful.
然而，隨著勇于競爭的中國互聯(lián)網(wǎng)產(chǎn)業(yè)遭遇了由國有企業(yè)牢牢占據(jù)壟斷地位的銀行業(yè)，這種局面可能很快發(fā)生變化。雖然馬云不乏政府高層的朋友，但中國最大銀行的頭頭們同樣擁有巨大權(quán)力。
