Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the world’s most valuable and profitable bank, is accelerating its expansion abroad with plans to open more branches in the Middle East and in major cities across Europe.

　　全球市值最大、盈利最多的銀行——中國工商銀行(ICBC)正加快推進海外擴張，計劃在中東和歐洲主要城市開設更多分行。

　　The bank is also looking at possible acquisition targets in both Europe and the Middle East and has plans to expand rapidly in Canada after buying a small network of six branches from Hong Kong-based Bank of East Asia earlier this year.

　　該行還正在歐洲和中東物色潛在收購目標，并計劃在加拿大快速擴張。今年早些時候，工行收購了總部位于香港的東亞銀行(Bank of East Asia)在加拿大的6家分行。

　　The European expansion is expected to be high-profile as the group strives to become more global and follow the growing number of Chinese companies doing business overseas.

　　隨著越來越多中國企業(yè)在海外開展業(yè)務，隨著工行努力提高自身的全球化程度，其在歐洲的擴張預期將令人矚目。

　　“ICBC anticipates some big developments in terms of Chinese companies doing more business in Europe and they want to be ready,” said one senior China-based European banker.

　　“就中國企業(yè)在歐洲開展更多業(yè)務而言，工行預期會有一些大的動態(tài)，他們希望做好準備，”一名常駐中國的資深歐洲銀行家表示。

　　Most of China’s largest banks have resumed their push to expand outside the country’s borders in recent months, dusting off plans that were shelved during the height of the global financial crisis, but ICBC has been the most aggressive so far.

　　近幾個月來，中國多數大銀行均已恢復海外擴張努力，重拾全球金融危機肆虐時擱置的計劃，但工行是迄今行動最積極的。

　　It plans to open five new branches in Europe – in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Milan and Madrid – over the coming months. The bank, with a market capitalisation of nearly $300bn, has branches in London, Luxembourg and Frankfurt, and plans eventually to establish its European headquarters at the Luxembourg branch. ICBC formally opened its Abu Dhabi branch on Sunday and is also considering branches in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, to add to the Dubai branch and Doha subsidiary company in the region.

　　該行計劃未來幾個月在歐洲新開5家分行，分別位于巴黎、布魯塞爾、阿姆斯特丹、米蘭和馬德里。市值接近3000億美元的工行，目前在倫敦、盧森堡和法蘭克福擁有分行，并計劃最終將其歐洲總部設在盧森堡分行。工行阿布扎比分行上周日正式開門營業(yè)，它還在考慮在科威特和沙特阿拉伯開設分行。就中東而言，目前該行在迪拜擁有分行，在多哈擁有一家子公司。

　　The chairman of Bank of China, the country’s fourth-largest lender by assets, last month said Chinese banks should take advantage of the problems facing financial institutions to expand overseas.

　　按資產計算為中國第四大銀行的中國銀行(Bank of China)的董事長上月表示，中國各銀行應當利用金融機構正面臨的問題，在海外擴張。

　　“It is logical for Chinese banks to expand internationally as they follow their Chinese corporate clients,” Peter Sands, chief executive of Standard Chartered Bank told the FT in Beijing on Monday. “But they will do so in a relatively cautious manner which I think is wise.”

　　“中國各銀行進行國際擴張、跟隨自己的中國企業(yè)客戶是合乎邏輯的，”渣打銀行(Standard Chartered Bank)行政總裁冼博德(Peter Sands)周一在北京對英國《金融時報》表示。“但他們將以相對謹慎的方式推進，我認為這是明智的。”

　　During a visit to Portugal by Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday, ICBC signed an agreement with Millennium BCP, Portugal’s largest listed bank, to co-operate on trade finance, corporate lending and investment banking. In a similar move, Bank of China signed an agreement with Banco Portugues de Investimento to work with the Portuguese lender to provide financial services to Chinese companies doing business in Portugal or in Portuguese-speaking African countries.

　　在中國國家主席胡錦濤周一訪問葡萄牙期間，工行與葡萄牙最大的上市銀行千禧銀行(Millennium BCP)簽署協議，雙方將在貿易融資、企業(yè)貸款和投行業(yè)務領域開展合作。類似地，中行也與葡萄牙投資銀行(Banco Portugues de Investimento)簽署協議，同這家葡萄牙銀行開展合作，向在葡萄牙或葡語非洲國家開展業(yè)務的中國企業(yè)提供金融服務。

　　BOC was the most international of the country’s state-controlled banks, as well as its main foreign exchange lender. It has announced plans to set up new branches or expand operations in Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Turkey and Brazil.

　　在中國各國有控股銀行中，中行是國際化程度最高的，也是中國主要的外匯銀行。該行已宣布計劃，擬在澳大利亞、馬來西亞、印尼、柬埔寨、土耳其和巴西開設新的分行或擴大業(yè)務。