HONG KONG — When almost 100 government antitrust investigators simultaneously marched into four of Microsoft's offices across China last month, they were not looking for tea and gossip.
將近100名官方反托辣斯調查員上個月突然同時進入微軟公司設在中國大陸的四個據點時，可不是去喝茶聊天的。
In what Microsoft characterized internally as "surprise visits," the agents from China's State Administration for Industry and Commerce interrogated a company vice president and other senior managers, copied contracts and downloaded large amounts of data , including emails and other internal communications.
在微軟內部稱為「突然造訪」的行動中，這些來自大陸國家工商行政管理總局的調查員盤問微軟的一名副總裁與其他高級主管，影印合約並下載大量資料，包括電子郵件與其他內部通訊。
The swoop on Microsoft stood out for its scale, but it was just one of dozens of similar actions across China recently that have set off alarms in boardrooms across the globe. Chinese regulators appear to be expanding enforcement of the antimonopoly law, and foreign companies fear that they could become easy targets for officials from agencies and local governments aiming to impress President Xi Jinping, the Communist Party leader who has promoted visions of patriotic resurgence and technological pre-eminence.
此次針對微軟的突襲檢查規模浩大，卻只是大陸最近所採取引起全球各國大企業恐慌的許多類似行動之一。大陸主管機關似乎正擴大落實反壟斷法，外國企業則擔心，它們隨時可能成為大陸各主管當局與地方政府官員的下一波目標。身兼中國共產黨領導人的大陸國家主席習近平提倡愛國主義與科技卓越，這些官員試圖讓他留下深刻印象。
Foreign companies worry that the investigations could represent the rise of protectionism cloaked in regulatory impartiality but intended primarily to promote Chinese companies, especially the powerful state-owned companies. The government says that it is using the antimonopoly law, first established in 2008, to protect consumers .
外國企業擔心，這波調查可能代表一種保護主義的崛起，這種保護主義以公平管理為名，主要目的則在促進大陸企業，尤其是國營企業的利益。大陸當局則表示，要用2008年開始施行的反壟斷法保護消費者。
"If China is going to be the third leg in the global antitrust regime, along with the U.S. and the E.U., and that's clearly coming, then the key question is, What sort of approach is China going to take?" John Frisbie, president of the US-China Business Council in Washington, said . "Is it going to be more the socialist state-run model, or is it going to be more of a market- and consumer-oriented model, or something in between? I don't think we know the answer yet."
華府「美中貿易全國委員會」總裁傅里斯比說：「如果中國大陸是美國、歐盟之外，全球反壟斷體系的第三隻腳，而這顯然已逐漸成為事實，則關鍵問題是，中國大陸可能怎麼做？會不會是社會主義的國家主導模式？或是偏向市場與消費者導向的模式？又或介於兩者之間？我認為，我們還不知道答案。」
Not everything in China is stacked against multinationals, some of which have their own political allies and business partners. Nor is China the only country where Microsoft and other companies have faced consumer ire and regulatory scrutiny. But multinationals appear to be facing new and substantial challenges across China .
部分跨國企業有它們自己的政治盟友與商業夥伴。大陸並未事事針對它們，也不是微軟與其他大企業引起消費者不滿與主管機關監視的唯一國家。然而跨國企業似乎已在大陸各地面臨多項新挑戰。
"China has a very large bureaucracy, but each agency has its incentives and missions, so when they enforce the law, they try to maximize their own interests," said Angela Zhang, a lecturer in law at King's College London . "But I wouldn't underestimate the power of some really large multinational companies, because these companies are also very deep-pocketed and have very good connections in China ." For now, though, Microsoft; the San Diego-based chip maker Qualcomm; Daimler, the German auto giant; and other formidable companies are on the defensive.
倫敦國王學院法學講師張湖月說：「中國大陸擁有非常龐大的官僚體系，然而每一個政府機構各有不同的動機與任務。當它們執法時，自然會試圖將自己的利益最大化。然而我不會小看部分大型跨國企業的實力，因為這些企業同樣口袋很深，在中國大陸也有很好的人脈。」然而目前，微軟、總部位於美國加州聖地牙哥市的晶片製造商高通公司、德國汽車巨擘戴姆勒公司與其他大企業暫時退居守勢。
Over recent weeks, investigators have been particularly busy — and public — in their efforts, setting a pattern of making abrupt searches of foreign companies' offices. These are reported by local media, confirmed by the companies and followed by the government's declaring that the companies are suspected of violating pricing, distribution and bundling rules .
最近幾周以來，調查員顯得尤其忙碌，試著公開確立突檢外國企業辦公室的模式。在地媒體報導這些事件，受到突檢的企業予以證實，大陸當局隨後則聲稱，這些企業疑似違反有關定價、配銷與綁售的法律。
On August 6, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce conducted a follow-up raid on two Microsoft offices in China and searched Accenture's offices in the city of Dalian. In early August, officials at the National Development and Reform Commission searched the Shanghai offices of Daimler, which makes Mercedes-Benz cars, and said they planned to fine Chrysler and Audi. On August 11, Audi said that in one province, the dealership network of its Chinese joint venture had broken national antitrust rules . A day later, General Motors said that it had been contacted by the Chinese authorities .
8月6日，大陸國家工商行政管理總局對微軟在大陸的另二據點施以後續突檢，同時搜查埃森哲諮詢公司的大連辦公室。八月初，大陸國家發改委官員搜查賓士汽車製造商戴姆勒公司的上海辦公室，同時揚言對克萊斯勒與奧迪汽車開罰。奧迪汽車8月11日表示，它在大陸某一省的合資經銷網絡違反大陸的反托辣斯法律。一天後，通用汽車表示，大陸主管當局曾經與它接觸。
The reform commission enforces pricing violations of China's antimonopoly law and has been investigating how automakers price the spare parts that are sold by their distributors in China. In response , BMW said it would lower parts prices . Similar component price cuts have been made recently by Mercedes and Audi.
發改委負責處理與大陸反壟斷法有關的違規定價案例，而且一直在調查汽車製造商如何為它們透過大陸經銷商銷售的汽車零組件定價。BMW汽車表示，它準備降低零組件定價。賓士與奧迪汽車最近也公布類似的零組件降價方案。
On August 13, Chinese news media said an adviser to a government committee had been dismissed, accused of accepting payments from Qualcomm, which is under investigation on suspicion of antitrust violations .
8月13日，大陸媒體報導，官方某委員會的一名顧問因為涉嫌收受高通公司賄賂而被解職，該公司則因被指違反反托辣斯法而正在接受調查。
The company had made "large payments" to Zhang Xinzhu, an economist , while he was an adviser on an antimonopoly committee, reports said .
報導說，高通公司曾把「巨款」交給時任某一官方反壟斷委員會顧問的經濟學者張昕竹。
Among foreign companies, few would appear to be better connected in China than Microsoft. Its co-founder, Bill Gates, has met with Mr. Xi several times and he hosted Mr. Xi's predecessor, President Hu Jintao, at a 2006 dinner at his home in Medina, Washington.
論到外國企業在大陸的的人脈，微軟公司罕有其匹。該公司共同創辦人比爾蓋茲曾經多次會晤習近平，而且曾於2006年在他位於華盛頓州麥迪納的私宅以晚宴款待習近平之前的大陸國家主席胡錦濤。
It is not clear to Microsoft executives precisely how the Chinese authorities believe that they violated the country's law. Chinese officials have said publicly that the investigation is related to software compatibility, bundling and file verification issues for Windows and Office.
微軟高級主管無法確定的是，大陸當局如何認定他們違反大陸的法律。大陸官員曾經公開表示，調查與微軟視窗、Office軟體的相容性、綁售、檔案確認問題有關。
Early this month, The People's Daily, the chief newspaper of the party, told foreign companies to get used to tougher scrutiny: " Every kind of business should adjust its behavior and thinking to this new regulatory normal."
本月初，中國共產黨的主要報紙人民日報呼籲外國企業適應更嚴格的監督。它說：「各行各業都應該調整行為與思考模式，以配合新的管理常態。」
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