Going for Gold

　　Ecuadorians "live poorly amid incomparableriches"，Alexander von Humboldt said to have notedon his 19th century adventures. Fresh into his thirdpresidential term，Rafael Correa is aiming at last tounlock Ecuador's underground wealth ofgold，silver，copper and other metals.

　　传闻，亚历山大·冯·洪堡在他的19世纪冒险杂记里描述，厄瓜多尔人“抱着金饭碗要饭”。拉斐尔·科雷亚刚开始其第三任总统任期，其最终目的是开启厄瓜多尔的地下财富，包括金、银、铜和其他金属。

　　A comprehensive mining reform in 2009 wrapped companies in red tape and clobbered themwith taxes. The government touted its mining regime as the most lucrative for the stateanywhere in the world.

　　2009年，一场综合矿业改革吞并了那些皮包公司，并通过税收来打击它们。政府吹嘘其矿业体制对世界上其他国家任何一个地方来说都是最有利可图的产业。

　　Investors took note and went elsewhere. With February's presidential election out of the way，Mr. Correa has changed course. The new law imposes an 8% ceiling on previously open-endedroyalties， and streamlines the permits required. Companies won't pay windfall taxes until theyhave recouped their investments.

　　投资者对其产生了关注，并投资了其他产业。随着2月总统大选的落幕，科雷亚先生改变了他的方向。新的法律规定，将以前开放式版税的上限提高了8%，并简化了一些必需的许可程序。公司不会支付巨额税，直到他们收回他们的投资。

　　The push to woo foreign investors is overdue. In 2012 Ecuador received less foreign directinvestment per person than any other country in Latin America，according to the UN. In AprilMr. Correa announced that he wanted Ecuador to join a free-trade agreement with theEuropean Union that Colombia and Peru have already signed， combined with an investment-guarantee treaty. The government has also indicated that it is planning to return to theinternational debt market，five years after it defaulted on $3.2 billion of sovereign bonds.

　　推动吸引外国投资者的举措早已逾期。据联合国统计，在2012年直接去厄瓜多尔的外国投资者人数比拉丁美洲其他国家的平均人数还低。4月，科雷亚先生宣布，他希望厄瓜多尔加入与欧盟的自由贸易的协议，该协议哥伦比亚和秘鲁已经签署，还附加上一个投资担保条约。政府还表示，在拖欠主权债券32亿美元长达五年后，他们正计划重返国际债务市场。

　　The new-found pragmatism irks some in the cabinet. Left-wingers such as Fander Falconi，theplanning minister，would prefer Ecuador to join Mercosur, a customs union of more statistcountries. Environmentalists and indigenous groups worry that the more liberal miningregime will lead to overdevelopment and pollution (the new law prohibits the use of mercury,but not cyanide).

　　这项新出台的实用主义惹恼了一些内阁大臣，如左翼分子，策划部部长范德尔·法尔科尼，宁愿厄瓜多尔加入南方共同市场，关税联盟更多的集权国家。环保人士和原著居民担心，更加自由的矿业政权将导致过度的开发和污染-新的法律禁止使用汞，但没有禁止氰化物)。