国会今年面临一个严峻抉择：强化美国在海外的竞争能力，还是任由中国主导全球市场。今年年底，美国进出口银行（俗称EXIM）的授权章程将到期，导致其交易管道中超过700亿美元的项目搁置。这些项目包括重要的战略能源和关键矿产项目，将支持超过4.5万个美国就业岗位。国会必须在12月31日前采取行动，以使这些项目保持正轨，否则美国工人将付出代价，而美国的竞争对手将填补空白。
Congress faces a stark choice this year: strengthen America's ability to compete abroad or let China dominate global markets. At the end of this year, the charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (known widely as EXIM) expires, stranding over $70 billion in projects sitting in its deal pipeline. These projects include important strategic energy and critical minerals projects, and would support over 45,000 U.S. jobs. Congress must act by Dec. 31 to keep these projects on track or U.S. workers will pay the price and America’s competitors will fill the gap.
重新授权并实现EXIM现代化，将充分发挥美国最有力工具之一的作用，增强美国的经济竞争力和能源领导地位，而这正是全球舞台上需要积极推进能源开发、且由我们最大对手正在提供之际。自2015年以来，北京已向全球能源基础设施和出口投入至少4460亿美元，几乎是美国投资额的10倍。中国能源技术之所以得到建设，并非因为它们更优越，而是因为中国国有银行带着巨额补贴和掠夺性贷款而来。
Reauthorizing and modernizing EXIM will supercharge one of America’s most powerful tools to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and energy leadership at a time when aggressive, pro-energy development is needed on the global stage — and is being provided by our greatest adversary. Since 2015, Beijing has poured at least $446 billion into global energy infrastructure and exports, nearly 10 times what the United States has invested. Chinese energy technologies aren't being built because they are better, they’re being built because China's state banks arrive with heavy subsidies and predatory loans.
我们的战略应具有美国特色，以战胜这种国家主导的竞争。EXIM的运作不花美国纳税人一分钱。它不挤占私人资本——它在私人贷款机构不愿单独涉足、或外国政府已对天平施加影响时介入。我们应利用EXIM作为开启全球销售的钥匙。通过EXIM撬动我们充满活力的私人资本市场，释放国内美国创新者和建设者的潜能，他们随后将输出我们的领导地位，向世界推销美国能源解决方案。
Our strategy should be uniquely American to beat this kind of state-directed competition. EXIM operates at no cost to American taxpayers. It doesn't crowd out private capital — it steps in where private lenders won't go alone or when foreign governments have already put a thumb on the scale. We should use EXIM as a key to unlock global sales. Leveraging our dynamic private capital markets through EXIM unleashes American innovators and builders at home, who then export our leadership and sell U.S. energy solutions to the world.
一个现代化、资本充足的EXIM将发挥美国在核能、液化天然气和地热能等技术上的优势，将其转化为签约合同，而非错失良机。
A modern, well-capitalized EXIM will build on American strengths in technologies like nuclear energy, liquefied natural gas and geothermal into signed contracts instead of missed opportunities.
但进出口银行却是单手被绑在身后参与竞争；它不是美国创新的典范，而是美国官僚主义过度的孤例。其根深蒂固的风险厌恶文化，导致进出口银行四分之三的贷款额度闲置不用，而我们的对手却全力投入前沿项目。进出口银行近期发布的《竞争力报告》发现，各国政府正以十年来最高水平使用出口信贷，并依赖这些机构在战略产业中赢得项目。
But EXIM competes with one hand tied behind its back; instead of standing alone as an example of American innovation, it stands alone as an example of American bureaucratic excess. Its culture of risk aversion runs deep, resulting in EXIM leaving three-quarters of its lending authority untouched even as our adversaries lean into cutting-edge projects. EXIM’s recent Competitiveness Report found governments are using export credit at the highest levels seen in a decade and relying on these agencies to win projects in strategic industries.
当外国政府积极提供融资以赢得全球合同时，美国出口商却处于严重劣势，授权失效只会使这种劣势雪上加霜。美国企业曾为此付出代价。2015年至2019年进出口银行失去授权和董事会法定人数期间，美国出口商输给了外国竞争对手。一项两党支持的、为期10年的进出口银行重新授权——这是该行历史上最长的授权期限——将向美国工人和全球竞争对手发出信号，表明华盛顿致力于投资美国企业在海外的成功。
While foreign governments finance aggressively to win global contracts, American exporters are left at a serious disadvantage, which an authorization lapse would exacerbate. American businesses have paid this price before. When EXIM lost its authorization and board quorum from 2015 to 2019, American exporters lost business to foreign competitors. A bipartisan, 10 year reauthorization of EXIM, the longest term in the bank's history, will send a signal to American workers and our global competition Washington’s commitment to invest in the success of American business abroad.
要让进出口银行拥有真正的竞争优势并促进创新技术出口，它需要一种现代化的风险管理和项目选择方法。6月，进出口银行咨询委员会——一个由外部行业、金融和劳工领袖组成的专家小组——建议取消现有的2%违约率关停触发机制，并实施更大胆的风险标准。这些现代化改革将使该行能够支持推进美国国家和经济利益的交易，同时维护进出口银行良好的财务记录。美国公司正在制造世界想要购买的能源技术。
To arm EXIM with a genuine competitive edge and foster the export of innovative technologies, it needs a modernized approach to risk management and project selection. In June, EXIM’s advisory committee, an expert panel of external industry, finance and labor leaders, recommended eliminating the existing 2 percent default rate shutdown trigger and implementing bolder risk standards. These modernizations will allow the bank to back transactions that advance American national and economic interests while upholding EXIM’s strong financial track record. American companies are building the energy technologies the world wants to buy.
为下一个十年的能源基础设施和关键矿产供应链提供资金的国家，将制定本世纪的合作条款，并决定这些条款是建立在和平、繁荣与实力之上，还是建立在强硬的政府压迫之上。国会必须长期重新授权美国进出口银行，使其具备竞争能力，然后让美国的创新者、工人和技术完成其余工作。另一种选择就是眼睁睁看着中国按自己的条款主导下一个十年。凯文·克拉默是北达科他州的美国联邦参议员（初任），也是参议院银行、住房和城市事务委员会成员。
The country financing the next decade's energy infrastructure and critical minerals supply chains will set the terms of engagement this century and determine if they will be rooted in peace, prosperity and power or heavy-handed government oppression. Congress must reauthorize the Export-Import Bank for the long haul, equip it to compete, then let American innovators, workers and technology do the rest. The alternative is watching China power the next decade on its own terms. Kevin Cramer is North Dakota's junior U.S. senator and a member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.