For many international real estate investors, London is no longer the place to be. Since the UK voted to leave the EU in June, investment flows into London commercial property have dropped to less than half their level of a year earlier. 对于很多国际房地产投资者而言,伦敦已不再是原来的样子了。自从今年6月英国投票脱离欧盟(EU)以来,进入伦敦商业房地产领域的投资已降至不到一年前水平的一半。
But one group of investors is proving markedly less pessimistic: buyers from China and Hong Kong, who have continued to snap up trophy assets in the City of London and the West End, largely undeterred by Brexit. 但一些投资者明显不那么悲观:来自中国内地和香港的买家。他们继续在伦敦金融城(City of London)和伦敦西区(West End)购买标志性资产,基本上没有受到英国退欧的影响。
Peter MacColl, head of global capital markets at the property advisers Knight Frank, describes a “surge of Chinese money” into UK property, including cash from state-owned enterprises, corporations and ultra-wealthy individuals. 房地产咨询公司莱坊(Knight Frank)全球资本市场主管彼得?麦科尔(Peter MacColl)称,流入英国地产行业的“中国资金飙升”,包括来自国有企业、公司和超富个人的资金。
And demand from mainland China has been at least equalled by that from Hong Kong, says Chris Brett, head of international capital markets at CBRE. “At the moment, there is about £4.5bn of live equity targeting London from Hong Kong investors,” Mr Brett says. “It’s the most activity we see from any international buyers.” 世邦魏理仕(CBRE)国际资本市场主管克里斯?布雷特(Chris Brett)表示,来自中国内地的需求至少与香港旗鼓相当。“目前,香港投资者有大约45亿英镑资金瞄准伦敦,”他表示,“这是我看到的国际买家中最为活跃的。”
These inflows are helping to limit an overall decline in overseas buying since the EU referendum. 这些资金流入正帮助限制海外购买规模自英国退欧公投以来整体下滑的趋势。
While total investment into London property has dropped 55 per cent since the vote compared with a year earlier, to £7bn, Chinese investment is down only 22 per cent, to £1.25bn, making it a much larger proportion of the market, according to data from Real Capital Analytics. And this figure does not include purchases in the process of being rushed through before the end of the year. 根据Real Capital Analytics的数据,尽管自从英国退欧公投以来,流入伦敦房地产行业的总投资同比下降55%,至70亿英镑,但中国投资仅下滑22%,至12.5亿英镑,这令其在伦敦房地产市场占据更大比例。这一数据不包括赶在今年年底之前签约的交易。
Beijing Capital Development Holdings, a state-owned group, is one of the latest to commit to a high-profile London purchase, offering more than £200m for 30 Crown Place, the City headquarters of the law firm Pinsent Masons. 国有企业北京首都开发控股有限公司(Beijing Capital Development Holdings)是最新一家在伦敦展开高调收购的公司,该公司斥资逾2亿英镑购入30 Crown Place,这是品诚梅森律师事务所(Pinsent Masons)在伦敦金融城的办事处。
Similarly, last month, 20 Moorgate, a building let to the Bank of England, was acquired by Hong Kong-based AGP Group for £154m. 类似的,上月,总部位于香港的AGP Group以1.54亿英镑购入英国央行(Bank of England)附楼20 Moorgate。
Appetite for London real estate extends to other sectors, too. Lee Kum Kee, the soy sauce manufacturer, bought an office building in the Isle of Dogs this month, while the insurer China Life bought the Aldgate Tower in a joint venture with the Canadian group Brookfield in April for £346m, Knight Frank says. 对伦敦房地产的兴趣还扩大到了其他行业。莱坊称,中国酱油制造商李锦记(Lee Kum Kee)本月在伦敦狗岛(Isle of Dogs)购买了一栋写字楼。今年4月,保险公司中国人寿(China Life)联合加拿大公司博枫(Brookfield)以3.46亿英镑买下Aldgate Tower。
Chinese investments in London commercial property are part of a broader flow of capital from the country into overseas assets, prompted by the decline of the renminbi and fears of greater capital controls. At the same time, cheaper prices for London buildings, partly because of a post-referendum fall in the pound, and the likelihood of steady income, have provided a lure for this capital. 中国在伦敦商业地产领域的投资是中国资金流向海外资产的更广泛趋势的一部分,这源于人民币贬值和对资本管制收紧的担忧。同时,伦敦房价下跌(部分原因是英国退欧公投后英镑贬值)以及获得稳定收入的可能性吸引了这些资金。
译者/梁艳裳