Jack Ma, the internet tycoon, is teaming up with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg in the latest Chinese investment in the US entertainment industry.
互联网大亨马云(Jack Ma,见上图)与好莱坞导演史蒂芬•斯皮尔伯格(Steven Spielberg)结盟,成就中资对美国娱乐行业的最新投资。
Alibaba Pictures, a Hong Kong-listed unit of China’s largest ecommerce group, said on Sunday that it would take a minority equity stake and board seat in Mr Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, a film production and distribution company. Terms of the deal were not announced.
中国最大电子商务集团旗下在香港上市的阿里影业(Alibaba Pictures)周日表示,它将买入美国电影制作和发行公司、斯皮尔伯格的Amblin Partners的少数股份,并在该公司获得一个董事会席位。交易条款没有公布。
Amblin was established at the end of last year with investments from Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group and Entertainment One, distributor of the British animation series Peppa Pig.
Amblin成立于去年底,参与投资的有印度商人安尼尔•安巴尼(Anil Ambani)旗下的信实集团(Reliance group),以及英国动画系列《粉红猪小妹》(Peppa Pig)的发行商Entertainment One。
Alibaba will co-produce films with Amblin and help distribute them in China.
阿里影业将与Amblin共同制作电影,并帮助在中国发行这些影片。
“Among Chinese consumers, there is an increasing demand for premium global content,” Mr Ma said in a statement, adding that he hoped the partnership would serve as a “cultural bridge”. Amblin could not be reached for comment.
马云在一份声明中表示,“中国消费者对全球性优质内容的需求不断增长。”他补充说,希望这一伙伴关系成为一座“文化桥梁”。记者联系不上Amblin请其置评。
Chinese companies have been making unprecedented inroads into Hollywood as part of a much larger overseas buying spree. Investors from the world’s second-largest economy are on track to top global M&A tables for the first time this year.
中国企业近来以前所未有的规模进军好莱坞,这是中资海外收购狂潮整体的一部分。来自世界第二大经济体的投资者今年将首次领衔全球并购排行榜。
But the investments are increasingly controversial in some circles. Last week, John Culberson, head of a US Congressional subcommittee that oversees funding for the Justice Department, said Hollywood investments by China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin, should be reviewed.
但这些投资正在某些圈子引发越来越大的争议。上周,美国国会一个负责监督对司法部(DoJ)拨款的小组委员会的主席约翰•库尔伯森(John Culberson)表示,中国首富王健林对好莱坞的投资应该受到审查。
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which vets acquisitions by overseas investors on national security grounds, has traditionally not expressed concerns about Chinese investment in Hollywood.
基于国家安全理由对海外投资者的收购交易进行评估的美国外国投资委员会(CFIUS),迄今没有对中企在好莱坞的投资表示关注。
US entertainment purchases by Mr Wang’s Wanda Group include cinema chain AMC Entertainment Holdings and production company Legendary Entertainment.
王健林的万达集团(Wanda Group)在美国娱乐行业的收购对象包括电影院线AMC娱乐控股公司(AMC Entertainment Holdings)和制片公司传奇娱乐(Legendary Entertainment)。
Wanda has also entered into exclusive negotiation to acquire Dick Clark Productions, which stages the Golden Globe Awards and Miss America pageant.
万达还准备收购举办金球奖(Golden Globe Awards)和美国小姐选美比赛(Miss America)的迪克•克拉克制片公司(Dick Clark Productions),已为此进入排他性谈判。
Similar investments by foreign investors in China’s tightly controlled entertainment and media industries are not allowed, leading to calls for an increased emphasis on reciprocity in US and EU trade negotiations with Beijing.
外国投资者要在中国受到严格控制的娱乐和媒体行业进行类似投资是不被允许的,这导致有人呼吁美国和欧盟在与北京方面的贸易谈判中更加注重互惠对等。
On Saturday, China’s State Council said it would encourage foreign investment in sectors including sports and culture, but did not provide specifics.
周六,中国国务院表示将鼓励外商投资体育和文化等产业,但没有具体说明。