中国已成为全球头号黄金生产国，从而终结了南非在金矿开采行业长达一个多世纪的主导地位。

China has ended more than a century of South African dominance of the gold mining industry to become the world’s biggest gold producer.

总部位于伦敦的贵金属咨询机构黄金矿业服务公司(GFMS)昨日称，中国去年的黄金产量跃升至276吨的创纪录高点，较2006年上升12%，而南非的产量为272吨。

Chinese gold output jumped to a record high of 276 tonnes last year, a 12 per cent increase over 2006, while South Africa produced 272 tonnes, the London-based precious metal consultancy, GFMS, said yesterday.

中国目前已是全球最大的铝、锌、铅生产国，第二大锡生产国，同时在铜、镍和银的产量上也位居全球前十名。

China is already the world’s biggest producer of aluminium¹, zinc² and lead; the second largest of tin and among the top 10 in copper³, nickel and silver.

在过去10年里，中国黄金产量跃升了70%，从而赢得了行业主导地位。这同时也是一个最新迹象，表明中国正努力提高大宗商品的国内供应，从而遏制日益飙升且成本高昂的原材料进口。

Its dominance in gold follows a 70 per cent jump in output in the last decade and is the latest sign of Beijing’s efforts to boost its local supply of commodities to rein⁴ into surging and costly⁵ raw materials imports.

由于投资者在美元不断走软的情况下寻求避险品种，金价本周创下了每盎司914美元的历史高点。

Bullion⁶ prices this week hit an all-time high of $914 a troy ounce as investors⁷ sought refugee from a weakening US dollar.

尽管价格不断飙升，全球黄金产量却不断下降，特别是在南非。由于生产成本上升、安全法规更为严格和矿产枯竭等原因，在过去10年间，南非的黄金产量减少了一半。

But in spite of the soaring prices, global gold production is falling, notably⁸ in South Africa, where output has halved⁹ in the last decade amid higher production costs, tougher safety regulations and more depleted¹⁰ mines.

在伦敦上市的兰德黄金资源公司(Randgold Resources)南非籍首席执行官马克?布里斯托(Mark Bristow)表示：“不是中国在超越南非，而是南非退缩到了中国后面。”自1905年以来，南非一直是全球最大的黄金生产国。

Mark Bristow, the South African chief executive of London-listed Randgold Resources, said: “China is not overtaking South Africa, South Africa is shrinking below China.” South Africa has been the world’s largest gold producer since 1905.

英国黄金矿业服务公司执行董事长菲利普?克拉普维克(Philip Klapwijk)表示，南非及美国和澳大利亚等其他传统产金国的产量下降，是“全球黄金产量之所以没有在创纪录的金价推动下上升”的主要原因。

Philip Klapwijk, GFMS executive chairman, said the fall in output in South Africa and other traditional producers, such as the US and Australia, was the main reason why “global gold production is not raising in reaction to record gold prices”.

2000年至2007年间，尽管金价从每盎司270美元左右升至850美元以上，但全球黄金开采量却下降了6.7%。

Between 2000 and 2007, global mined gold fell by 6.7 per cent in spite of bullion prices moving from about $270 an ounce to more than $850 an ounce.