A secretive US national security committee has issued an unusual public warning against Broadcom’s proposed $142bn hostile takeover of San Diego-based Qualcomm, saying a deal might lead to China overtaking the US in critical 5G technology.

美国一个神秘的国家安全委员会发布了一项不寻常的公开警告，反对博通(Broadcom)对总部位于加州圣迭戈的高通(Qualcomm) 1420亿美元的敌意收购，称该交易可能导致中国在关键的5G技术上超过美国。

The letter from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (Cfius), which can block foreign takeovers of American companies, is an unprecedented case of the normally publicity-shy regulator pre-empting a negotiation to protect US technology from Chinese competition. The move comes only days after President Donald Trump invoked a cold war national security statute to justify tariffs on steel and aluminium.

美国外国投资委员会(CFIUS)可以阻止外国企业收购美国公司。该委员会发出的这封信是一个前所未有的案例，显示这个通常不愿曝光的监管机构提前阻止谈判，以保护美国技术远离中国竞争对手。就在采取此举的几天前，美国总统唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)援引冷战时期国家安全法律，为其对钢铁和铝进口征收关税提供依据。

In its letter to the companies, Cfius criticised Singapore-based Broadcom’s “private equity-style” plans for Qualcomm, saying it would reduce long-term investment in research and development in search of quick profits.

在致相关公司的信函中，美国外国投资委员会批评了总部位于新加坡的博通为高通制定的“私募股权风格”计划，称这将减少用于研发的长期投资，以寻求快速盈利。

Cfius argued this would help Chinese competitors develop 5G, a communications advance that offers faster speeds and underpins the push towards “smart cities” and autonomous driving.

美国外国投资委员会认为，这将有助于中国竞争对手开发5G，这项通信技术提供更快速度，并将支撑以“智能城市”和自动驾驶为目标的努力。

Cfius singled out Broadcom chief executive Hock Tan, a Malaysian-born US citizen, for his plans to “reset” Qualcomm’s business model without specifying how he would fund R&D.

美国外国投资委员会专门提到了博通首席执行官、马来西亚出生的美国公民陈福阳(Hock Tan)，称他计划“重置”高通的商业模式，却没有具体说明他将如何资助研发工作。

“Reduction in Qualcomm’s long-term technological competitiveness and influence in standard settings would significantly impact US national security,” Cfius said in the letter.

美国外国投资委员会在信中称：“高通的长期技术竞争力和在标准制定方面影响力的下降，将显著影响美国国家安全。”

“This is in large part because a weakening of Qualcomm’s position would leave an opening for China to expand its influence on 5G standard-setting.”

“这在很大程度上是因为，高通地位的削弱将为中国扩大其在5G标准制定上的影响力留下机会。”

Qualcomm is one of the largest makers of chips for mobile devices. The innovative US hardware group developed technology that was used in the first mobile phones in the 1990s.

高通是全球最大的移动设备芯片制造商之一。这家有创新精神的美国硬件集团曾开发上世纪90年代首批移动电话所用的技术。

“This is a sea-change in the behaviour of Cfius and how they analyse risk over and above foreign ownership,” said a top Cfius lawyer in Washington.

华盛顿一名高级CFIUS律师表示：“这是美国外国投资委员会的行为方式，尤其是在他们如何分析外资所有权以外的风险方面的巨大转变。”