The US Congress has taken a step closer to granting long-awaited approval to reforms of the International Monetary Fund that would give China and other emerging economies a greater voice in shaping the institution’s policies.

美国国会向着批准国际货币基金组织(IMF)改革方案走近了一步，这些期待已久的改革将赋予中国和其他新兴经济体更大发言权，让它们参与决定该机构的政策。

The text of a US omnibus spending bill, released yesterday morning as part of a budget deal, includes approval for the Obama administration to finally vote for stalled 2010 quota reforms that have become a source of tension between the US and the IMF.

昨日上午作为预算协议的一部分发布的美国综合支出法案，包括了批准奥巴马政府最终投票支持2010年出台、但随后陷入停滞的配额改革，这件事近年成为美国和IMF之间紧张的源头。

The 2010 reforms called for a doubling of the IMF’s quotas, or the capital countries contribute, and a reallocation to give countries such as China a greater say at the fund. Under the reforms now expected to go ahead, China’s voting share at the IMF would increase from 3.8 per cent to 6 per cent while the US would see its share shaved from 16.7 per cent to 16.5 per cent and preserve its veto. The big losers would be European economies, which would see their voting rights diminished.

2010年改革方案提出将IMF的配额（即各国贡献的资本）增加一倍，并进行重新分配，给予中国等国家更大发言权。根据目前预计将会落实的改革，中国在IMF的投票权份额将从3.8%提高至6%，而美国的投票权份额将从16.7%微幅降至16.5%，同时保留其否决权。最大的输家将是欧洲各经济体，它们的投票权份额将被削减。

The 2010 reforms were initiated in part by the Obama administration in a bid to keep China happy and within the Bretton Woods system. But their stalling in Congress amid Republican concerns that they would diminish US influence at the IMF is seen by many as contributing to Beijing’s decision to establish alternative institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

奥巴马政府在2010年发起改革，在一定程度上是为了满足中国的愿望，使其留在布雷顿森林体系内。但由于共和党方面担心改革会削弱美国在IMF的影响力，这些改革在美国国会受到阻挠，很多人认为，这一点是促使中国决定建立亚洲基础设施投资银行（AIIB，中文简称“亚投行”）等替代机构的因素之一。

“[Congressional approval for the reforms] is important. It is definitely belated. And I think there are some costs to that,” said Benn Steil, head of the international economics programme at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Battle of Bretton Woods.

“（国会批准这些改革）是非常重要的。此举肯定迟了一些，我认为这带来了一些代价，”美国外交关系委员会(Council on Foreign Relations)国际经济主任、《布雷顿森林体系之争》(The Battle of Bretton Woods)作者本斯泰尔(Benn Steil)表示。

The slow US approval of the 2010 reforms had given “considerable moral weight” to Beijing’s pursuit of alternatives and helped it secure the backing of US allies in Europe and Asia for the AIIB, added Mr Steil.

斯泰尔补充道，美国在批准2010年改革的问题上拖拖拉拉，使北京方面在追求替代方案时具有“相当大的道德力量”，并帮助其争取到美国在欧洲和亚洲的盟友支持亚投行。

But, in what could become a new cause for friction between the US and the fund, the spending bill calls for a greater role for Congress in approving extraordinary loans by the IMF. It also requires the US to pursue the repeal of a “systemic exemption” created in 2010 to allow the fund to take part in the Europe-led rescue of Greece’s economy.

但是，可能给美国和IMF之间带来新的摩擦的一个细节是，综合支出法案提出美国国会应在批准IMF发放特别贷款的问题上扮演更大角色。它还要求美国寻求废除2010年出台的“系统性豁免”，当时引入这项豁免的目的是让IMF能够参与欧洲主导的救助希腊经济的行动。

Under the legislation, a US administration would have to inform Congress at least seven days before any IMF board vote on granting what is known as “exceptional access” to fund resources above the normal caps. The bill also calls for a study into whether the IMF should require collateral for loans made under those terms, raising the possibility of countries such as Greece having to hand over control of large parts of infrastructure such as ports or power plants to the IMF in order to secure rescue funds.

根据法案，在IMF董事会就批准高于正常上限的“例外获取”资金资源进行投票之前，美国行政当局必须提前至少七天知会美国国会。该法案还要求进行一项研究，看IMF应不应该对在那些条款下发放的贷款要求抵押，这意味着希腊这样的国家如果要获得救助资金，可能需要把很大一部分基础设施（如港口和电厂）的控制权交给IMF。

One senior Republican aide involved in the talks said the inclusion of the conditions, particularly with regard to a push to eliminate the “systemic exemption” used for Greece, had been crucial to overcoming conservative concerns about the reforms and IMF bailouts.

参与相关磋商的一位高级共和党幕僚表示，纳入上述条件，尤其是牵涉到废除曾被用于希腊的“系统性豁免”的条件，对于克服保守派在改革和IMF纾困方面的关切是至关重要的。

The IMF declined to comment on the potential conditions and said it remained cautious about the prospects for Congressional approval of the broader quota reforms. The US Treasury also declined to comment.

IMF拒绝就这些潜在条件发表评论，并表示仍对美国国会批准整体配额改革的前景持谨慎态度。美国财政部也拒绝发表评论。