李嘉诚52亿美元售出香港中环中心

Li Ka-shing’s CK Asset has agreed to sell its stake in a Hong Kong office building for HK$40.2bn ($5.2bn) in what will be the world’s largest transaction on record for a single office building.

李嘉诚的长实集团(CK Asset)已同意以402亿港元(合52亿美元)出售其在香港一栋写字楼的持股，创下单座写字楼全球最大交易记录。

The sale of The Center to a consortium of bidders, reportedly led by a Chinese energy group, underlines the relentless demand from mainland groups for real estate in Hong Kong’s financial districts. Chinese companies have become major buyers of property worldwide, including London despite the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

据报道，带领此次收购中环中心(The Center)投标财团的是一家中国能源集团，突显了内地企业对香港金融区地产的不断需求。中国企业已成为全球房地产的主要买家，其目标也包括伦敦，尽管英国决定离开欧盟。

The price tag for Hong Kong’s fifth-largest tower will set a world record for a deal for a single building, according to an analysis of data compiled by Dealogic.

根据对Dealogic编制数据的分析，香港第五大高楼的售价将为单座大楼的交易创下世界纪录。

“The Center transaction has now etched its name into global commercial property folklore, smashing purchase records and rewriting office market benchmarks,” said Henry Chin, head of research at CBRE Asia Pacific.

世邦魏理仕(CBRE)亚太区研究主管金纬(Henry Chin)表示：“中环中心这笔交易现在已成了全球商业地产的一个民间传说，它打破了交易记录，重写了写字楼市场的基准。”

“Pricing is clearly not an issue for investors when iconic Grade-A office space comes to market in Hong Kong,” Mr Chin said. “This transaction makes a bold statement about the appetite of Chinese investors to become major landlords in a Hong Kong office market short on supply and with strong prospects for long-term value creation.”

金纬表示：“对于投资者来说，当地标性的甲级写字楼在香港上市交易时，价钱显然不成问题。这笔交易显然说明了中国投资者渴望成为香港写字楼市场的主要业主，该市场不但供不应求，而且拥有创造长期价值的强劲前景。”

The second-largest transaction for a single building was Mr Li’s sale of the Century Link complex in Shanghai last year to Singapore-based ARA Asset Management for $2.95bn.

单座大楼的第二大交易是去年李嘉诚以29.5亿美元将上海世纪汇广场(Century Link)综合大楼出售给位于新加坡的亚腾资产管理(ARA Asset Management)。

CK Asset stands to make a gain of HK$14.5bn on the sale of The Center, according to a stock exchange filing.

根据证券交易所的备案，长实集团出售中环中心的收益将达145亿港元。

A British Virgin Islands entity called CHMT Peaceful Development Asia Property Limited was named in a stock filing as the buyer of The Center. However, the identities of the companies behind that special purpose vehicle were not revealed.

据证交所备案公布，中环中心的买方为中国港澳台侨和平发展亚洲地产有限公司(C.H.M.T. Peaceful Development Asia Property Limited)，该公司的注册地为英属维京群岛。但这一专用收购工具背后的企业身份并未获得披露。

Local Hong Kong media have reported that Beijing-based China Energy Reserve & Chemicals Group (CERCG) held a majority stake in CHMT. CERCG is owned by four state controlled groups, according to company filings. Chen Yihe, its chairman, controls or holds stakes in a number of energy-related businesses in China.

香港本地媒体报道称位于北京的中国国储能源化工集团(CERCG)持有中国港澳台侨和平发展亚洲地产有限公司的多数股份。根据公司申报，中国国储能源化工集团为四家国有控股集团所有，董事长陈义和在中国多家能源相关企业都控制或持有股份。

“This deal shows that mainland (Chinese) companies still have a strong demand for grade-A office space in Central,” said Raymond Cheng, CIMB Securities analyst. “If the Hong Kong property developers want to unlock their value, this is a good time to sell.”

联昌国际证券(CIMB Securities)分析师郑怀武(Raymond Cheng)表示：“这笔交易表明内地企业对香港中环甲级写字楼的需求仍然强劲。如果香港房地产开发商想要释放它们的价值，现在是售出的好时机。”

While Mr Li has shown a willingness to sell property holdings in Hong Kong to mainland buyers, other top developers in the city such as Sun Hung Kai, Hong Kong Land and New World Development will likely retain their assets for a while before selling, Mr Cheng said.

郑怀武表示虽然李嘉诚已展现出向内地买家出售香港物业的意愿，但这座城市的其他大开发商，如新鸿基(Sun Hung Kai)、香港置地(Hong Kong Land)、新世界发展(New World Development)等仍可能将资产保留一段时间后再售出。