2013年3月26日 星期二

GRIMSSTADIR, Iceland

中國富豪看中冰島不毛之地，投資還是陰謀？

ANDREW HIGGINS 報道 2013年03月26日
Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times
牧羊人布拉吉·貝內迪克特松在他位於冰島格里姆斯塔迪爾的氣象站。一名中國億萬富翁希望在他的土地上修建一個高爾夫球場和一座豪華酒店。

冰島格里姆斯塔迪爾——布拉葉·貝內迪克特松(Bragi Benediktsson)在呼嘯的狂風中奮力站穩，他看着自己家的土地，笑了。這位57歲的牧羊人說：“在這打高爾夫可不容易。”中國的一名億萬富翁想把這片覆蓋著冰雪的貧瘠土地建造成高爾夫球場。
上午11點，蒼白的太陽剛剛緩緩升起。從去年9月就開始的降雪可能會持續到5月。甚至對於習慣了惡劣天氣和隔絕狀態的冰島人來說，格里姆斯塔迪爾都是一個特別荒涼的地方。
但多虧一個熱愛詩歌、對雪情有獨鐘的中國富豪，這裡上演了一場冰島傳奇故事，故事涉及地緣政治陰謀，數千萬的美元以及一大堆黑暗陰謀論。黃怒波是這 戲劇的核心人物。這名前中共宣傳部官員現在是北京的地產開發商，他想為那些尋求新鮮空氣和隱居生活的中國富人建設一座奢華酒店和一個“生態高爾夫球 場”。

冰島內政部長奧格蒙迪爾·約納松(Ogmundur Jonasson)表示：“這似乎從來都不是一個非常令人信服的商業計劃。”冰島法律對外國人在冰島的土地所有權加以限制，約納松去年拒絕了給予黃怒波豁免權的要求。他補充說，“我提出了很多問題，但沒有得到回復。”

美國及其他國家的外交人士提醒約納松要格外注意黃先生的意圖，促使他開始懷疑中國對格里姆斯塔迪爾的奇特興趣背後可能另有隱情。約納松說：“要從地緣政治的角度看待這個問題，並詢問投資動機。”

黃怒波領導的中坤集團是一家總部設在北京的公司，該公司起初試圖購買100平方英里（約合259平方公里）的荒地，但遭到拒絕。現在，該公司轉而奮力爭取簽訂長期租賃協議，並指望冰島下個月舉行的選舉會產生一個新的、也許對中國更友好的政府。

目前的冰島政府是一個中左翼聯盟，該政府基本上對黃怒波非常冷淡。甚至連支持中國投資的部長們也都想知道究竟是怎麼一回事。

冰島外交部長奧敘爾·斯卡費丁松(Ossur Skarphedinsson)表示，沒有理由阻止黃怒波投資建設酒店，但黃怒波想在如此偏僻的地方建設高端度假酒店，這讓他十分困惑，那裡非常偏僻， “都快聽見鬼魂在雪中起舞的聲音了”。至於打高爾夫，斯卡費丁松也說，“這似乎並不怎麼明智。”

疑雲重重之下，圍繞着這位中國大亨——或許還有中國政府——的意圖就出現了諸多猜測。中坤集團提議整修格里姆斯塔迪爾的一小段機場跑道，購買10架 飛機，人們擔心中國要在這裡建設一個空軍基地。冰島東北海岸附近擁有近海石油資源，格里姆斯塔迪爾距那裡的峽灣相對較近，這加劇了相關猜測——中國計劃建 設一個海軍基地，獲取北極地區豐富的自然資源。一些關於中國導彈和情報站的牽強附會的謠言致使人們擔心軍事人員會偽裝成酒店經營者和高爾夫球童湧入冰島。

記者無法聯繫到黃怒波就此事發表評論。黃怒波的公司稱他外出登山了。公司副總裁徐紅對一些書面問題做出了回答，對有關軍事目的和其他隱秘動機的猜測 予以否認，稱這是“用冷戰後的思維方式在臆測”。徐紅表示，之所以選中冰島格里姆斯塔迪爾，是因為“中國有這樣的市場需求”，有對寧靜環境的需求。她說， “大多數中國人現在都不願意去一些又臟又吵的地方旅行。”

冰島是一個完全沒有軍事力量的北約(NATO)成員國，人們普遍認為中國試圖在冰島獲取戰略據點，而黃怒波在陰謀實施過程中擔當主要角色，斯卡費丁松對此嗤之以鼻。隨着被浮冰擁塞的北極海域的解凍，那裡將會成為一條重要的大洋航線，冰島位於該航線的中間。
斯卡費丁松說，中國曾公開宣稱對北極航線及將冰島作為未來交通樞紐感興趣。但他進一步說，黃先生帶來的陰謀烏雲對這些意向非但沒有幫助，反而是種破壞。

冰島外交部長說：“自毛澤東時代以來，中國共產黨從未失敗的領域就是公共關係，但此次投資的公關可謂一敗塗地。”

中國政府對冰島、附近的格陵蘭島，以及廣大北極地區的強烈興趣眾所周知。中國正在與冰島協商一項自由貿易區(Free Trade Area)協議，這是它首次與歐盟國家協商此類協議。中國去年還派當時的總理溫家寶對冰島進行了為期兩天的訪問。去年，中國的“雪龍”號破冰船來到了冰 島，這是中國政府為成為北極理事會(Arctic Council)觀察員所做的部分努力。美國、加拿大、俄羅斯、冰島，以及其他位於極地水域之內或附近的北歐國家都是該組織的成員。

中國還在雷克雅未克開設了目前最大的外國大使館，至少從佔地面積來看是這樣，雖然該使館只有七名經過官方認可的外交官。

“沒人知道他們究竟想幹什麼，”冰島前駐美大使埃納爾·貝內迪克特松(Einar Benediktsson)說。他對冰島與中國發展外交關係持反對態度。“我們只知道，在北極地區找到一個據點對中國來說非常重要，而冰島又是個容易輕信別人的國家。”

剛開始並沒有多少人注意到黃怒波對冰島的熱忱。2010年，當他突然現身雷克雅未克，與多年未曾聯繫的朋友希約萊夫爾·斯文比永松 (Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson)重敘舊情時，也沒人表示過多的關注。後者是一名中國文學作品翻譯，20世紀70年代，兩人在北京大學時曾是室友。

斯文比永松不相信他這位老室友是中國精心設計的棋局的一部分。他說，“要不是我們同屋，他可能根本就不知道有冰島這麼個地方。”他不確定格里姆斯塔 迪爾是否能成功地成為度假勝地：“反正這裡不是我的首選之地。”但是，他還說黃怒波“不是傻子，”斯文比永松說，“也許只有外人才看得到它的潛力。”

黃怒波在2010年首次冰島之行期間，並未提到任何商業計劃，而是將注意力集中在詩歌上，他宣布要出資100萬美元來籌建及資助中冰文化基金。在斯 文比永松的帶領下，該基金會迄今共組織了兩次詩歌會議，第一次會議於2010年在雷克雅未克舉行，一年後又在北京舉辦了第二次。

第三次會議原定於去年在挪威舉行，但是由於黃怒波的公司宣布無法接受把挪威作為會議地點，此次會議被取消。斯文比永松說，他們沒有得到任何解釋，但 他認為此舉應該與中國政府仍然對挪威感到憤怒有關。2010年的諾貝爾和平獎頒獎典禮在奧斯陸舉行，而該獎項頒給了被監禁的中國異見作家劉曉波。

黃怒波在首次冰島之行不到一年後再次來到冰島，提出用700萬美元買下牧羊人貝內迪克特松、他的一些親戚及另一家人的地。中坤投資集團在後來提交給 政府的商業計劃稱，“這個選址非常符合我們在遙遠地區發展環境友好型生態旅遊地的戰略計劃。”公司表示將修建一個擁有100間房的五星級度假酒店、豪華別 墅群和高爾夫球場。

雖然修建具有異國情調的高爾夫球場的想法現在十分惹眼，但很多冰島人都認為它不太可能成功。“我非常仔細地研究了這個計劃，看完了所有材料，我只感 到震驚，”冰島旅遊研究中心(Icelandic Tourism Research Center)負責人愛德華·胡伊本斯(Edward Huijbens)說。該中心位於冰島北部的主要城鎮阿庫雷里。“整個計劃根本不具有可信性。”

然而，黃怒波的商業計劃明顯引起了中國國有銀行國家開發銀行的興趣。中坤集團稱，公司去年與該銀行達成了一個約8億美元的“合作協議”。中坤集團副總裁徐紅稱，國家開發銀行“將為中坤的建築工程提供貸款和財政支持，冰島的工程也在其中，但並非唯一。”
目前有傳言稱，當地的一些市長將會買下格里姆斯塔迪爾的土地——用中坤集團的錢——然後再將其中一部分租給黃怒波，但是，去年拒絕為黃怒波的計劃放行的內政部長約納松仍對此表示懷疑。

“還有許多問題有待解決，”約納松說。他還表示，把購買變成租借並沒有改變這個酒店—高爾夫建築群“十分行不通”的事實。約納松說，黃怒波“不只是一個想在冰島的山巒中找到內心寧靜的簡單詩人”。

牧羊人貝內迪克特松還在猶豫是否要出售自己的土地。他不希望這片地區將來到處是中國遊客和高爾夫球車，但他也懷疑這個度假村是否能成為現實。此外，他還考慮到自己年事已高，恐怕不見得能等到那一天。他說：“等酒店建起來，我也已經埋到地底下去了。”
翻譯：陳柳、許欣


Teeing Off at Edge of the Arctic? A Chinese Plan Baffles Iceland

By ANDREW HIGGINS March 26, 2013

GRIMSSTADIR, Iceland — Struggling to stand upright against a howling wind, Bragi Benediktsson looked out over his family’s land — a barren expanse of snow and ice that a Chinese billionaire wants to turn into a golf course — and laughed. “Golf here is difficult,” said Mr. Benediktsson, a 75-year-old sheep farmer.
It was 11 a.m., and a pale sun had only just crawled sluggishly into the sky. The snow, which began falling in September, will probably continue until May. Even for Icelanders accustomed to harsh weather and isolation, Grimsstadir is a particularly desolate spot.


But thanks to a poetry-loving Chinese tycoon with a thing for snow, it has become the setting for a bizarre Icelandic saga featuring geopolitical intrigue, tens of millions of dollars and a swarm of dark conspiracy theories. At the center of the drama is Huang Nubo, a former official in the Chinese Communist Party’s Propaganda Department who, now a property developer in Beijing, wants to build a luxury hotel and an “eco golf course” for wealthy Chinese seeking clean air and solitude.
“It never seemed a very convincing business plan,” said Iceland’s interior minister, Ogmundur Jonasson, who last year rejected a request that Mr. Huang be exempted from Icelandic laws that restrict foreign ownership of land. “I put many questions and got no answers,” the minister added.
Prodded by diplomats from the United States and other countries to take a hard look at Mr. Huang’s intentions, Mr. Jonasson questioned what might lie behind China’s curious interest in Grimsstadir. “One has to look at this from a geopolitical perspective and ask about motivations,” Mr. Jonasson said.
Rebuffed in an initial attempt to buy a vast area of wilderness covering more than 100 square miles, Mr. Huang’s Beijing-based company, the Zhongkun Group, is now pushing for a long-term lease arrangement instead — and counting on the prospect that elections in Iceland next month will lead to a new, and perhaps more welcoming, government.
The current government in Reykjavik, a left-of-center coalition, has mostly given Mr. Huang the cold shoulder. Even ministers who favor Chinese investment wonder what is really going on.
Foreign Minister Ossur Skarphedinsson said that he saw no reason to block Mr. Huang’s hotel venture, which is expected to cost more than $100 million, but that he was puzzled by Mr. Huang’s desire to build a high-end resort in a place so isolated that “you can almost hear ghosts dancing in the snow.” As for playing golf, Mr. Skarphedinsson added, “that doesn’t seem very sensible.”
Such bafflement has stirred much speculation about what the Chinese tycoon and perhaps the Chinese authorities are up to. A proposal by the Zhongkun Group to renovate a small landing strip in the Grimsstadir area and buy 10 aircraft led to anxious talk of a Chinese air base. The area’s relative proximity to deep fjords on Iceland’s northeast coast near offshore oil reserves fueled speculation about a Chinese push for a naval facility and access to the Arctic’s bountiful supplies of natural resources. Far-fetched rumors about Chinese missiles and listening posts led to worries about military personnel pouring in disguised as hoteliers and golf caddies.
Mr. Huang could not be reached for comment: he was off climbing a mountain, his company said. In response to written questions, Xu Hong, a vice president at the company, dismissed speculation of a military purpose or other ulterior motives as “the guesswork of post-cold-war thinking.” Ms. Xu said Grimsstadir had been chosen because “there is market demand in China” for peace and quiet. “Most Chinese now don’t like to travel to dirty, noisy places,” she said.
Mr. Skarphedinsson scoffed at a widely held belief here that Mr. Huang is leading a plot by Beijing to secure a strategic foothold in Iceland, a NATO member that is entirely bereft of military muscle. Iceland also sits astride what will become important shipping lanes as ice-choked Arctic waters warm.
China has openly declared its interest in shipping routes through the Arctic and in using Iceland as a future transport hub, Mr. Skarphedinsson said. But these goals, he added, have been hurt, not helped, by the cloud of suspicion generated by Mr. Huang.
“One thing the Chinese Communist Party never failed at since Mao is public relations, but the P.R. in this venture has failed miserably,” Iceland’s foreign minister said.
Beijing’s keen interest in Iceland, nearby Greenland and the wider Arctic region is well known. China is negotiating a Free Trade Area accord with Reykjavik, its first with a European nation, and last year it sent its prime minister at the time, Wen Jiabao, for a two-day visit. A Chinese icebreaker, the Snow Dragon, stopped off last year as part of a push by Beijing to gain entry as an observer to the Arctic Council, a body comprising the United States, Canada, Russia, Iceland and Nordic states in or near Arctic waters.
China has also opened what, physically at least, is the biggest foreign embassy by far in Reykjavik, even though it has only seven accredited diplomats.
“Nobody knows what the devil they are up to,” said Einar Benediktsson, Iceland’s former ambassador to Washington and a critic of his country’s expanding ties with Beijing. “All we know is that it is very important to China to get a foothold in the Arctic, and Iceland is an easy prey.”
Mr. Huang’s enthusiasm for Iceland at first stirred little concern. Nobody paid much attention when, in 2010, he suddenly popped up in Reykjavik to renew a long-dormant friendship with Hjorleifur Sveinbjornsson, a translator of Chinese literature he had roomed with at Peking University in the 1970s.
Mr. Sveinbjornsson doubts his old roommate is part of an elaborate gambit by China. “If we had not shared a room he would never have even heard of Iceland,” he said. He is not sure that Grimsstadir will work as a resort: “It is not the first place I would have chosen.” But, noting that Mr. Huang “is not an idiot,” Mr. Sveinbjornsson said that “maybe it takes somebody from the outside to see the potential.”
During his first trip to Iceland in 2010, Mr. Huang made no mention of any business plans but focused instead on poetry, announcing that he would put up $1 million to establish and finance the China-Iceland Cultural Fund. Led by his former roommate, the fund has since organized two meetings of poets, the first in Reykjavik in 2010, the second a year later in Beijing.
A third planned in Norway for last year was scrapped after Mr. Huang’s company declared Norway unacceptable as a site. Mr. Sveinbjornsson said no reason had been given, but he linked the move to Beijing’s continuing fury at Norway over the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded in Oslo, which went to Liu Xiaobo, a jailed dissident Chinese writer.
Less than a year after his first visit, Mr. Huang returned to Iceland and offered Mr. Benediktsson, the sheep farmer, $7 million for his land and that of some relatives and a second family. A business plan submitted later to the government by the Zhongkun Group said “the location fitted perfectly with our strategic plans for developing environmentally friendly eco resorts in remote locations.” The company said it would build a 100-room five-star resort hotel, luxury villas and the golf course.
While exotic golf courses are all the rage now, this one seemed to many here a long shot. “I’ve looked at this very closely and gone through all the documents, and I’m just aghast,” said Edward Huijbens, director of the Icelandic Tourism Research Center in Akureyri, the main town in northern Iceland. “The whole project is fundamentally not credible.”
But Mr. Huang’s business strategy has apparently impressed the state-owned China Development Bank, which, according to the Zhongkun Group, last year reached a “cooperation agreement” with the company worth about $800 million. Ms. Xu, Zhongkun’s vice president, said the Chinese bank “will provide loans and financial support to concrete projects by Zhongkun, including, but not exclusively, in Iceland.”
There is now talk that some local mayors will buy the Grimsstadir land — with money provided by Zhongkun — and then lease a portion of it to Mr. Huang, but Mr. Jonasson, the interior minister who refused to give a green light to Mr. Huang’s plans last year, is still suspicious.
“There are so many loose ends,” the minister said. Changing a purchase into a lease does not change the fact that the hotel-golf complex “makes very little sense,” he added. Mr. Jonasson said Mr. Huang “is not just a simple poet wanting to find peace of mind in the mountains of Iceland.”
Mr. Benediktsonn, the sheep farmer, has been swinging back and forth on whether he wants to sell his property. He does not like the idea that the area would be flooded with Chinese tourists and golf carts, but doubts that the resort will ever materialize, and, mindful of his own advanced age, calculates that if it does he will not be around. “When the hotel goes up, I’ll be down in the ground,” he said.
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