中国最大的保险公司中国人寿(China Life Insurance)的董事长杨超昨日表示，该公司计划收购欧洲或北美一家大型保险公司的战略性股权，目前正在与几个对象进行谈判。

China Life Insurance, the country’s largest insurer, plans to buy a strategic stake in a large insurance company in Europe or North America and is talking to several acquisition targets, its chairman said yesterday.

杨超目前还兼任中国人寿旗下在香港、纽约及上海上市的子公司的董事长。他表示：“我们现在只是在谈判，一切都还没有得到（政府）批准。”

“We are just talking for now, nothing has yet been approved [by the government],” said Yang Chao, who is chairman of China Life Group as well as its Hong Kong, New York and Shanghai-listed subsidiary.

但他表示，中国政府支持大型国有保险公司投资海外资产。

But he said the government supports large state-owned insurers investing in overseas assets.

外界认为，最有可能吸引中国保险公司注意力的企业，是英国第二大寿险公司保诚保险(Prudential)，该公司已经在中国乃至亚洲其它地方建立了强大市场地位。

The company seen as most likely to attract attention from Chinese insurers is Prudential, the UK’s second-largest life assurer, which has built a powerful position in China and across the broader Asian region.

正在亚洲发展业务的英国保险公司英杰华(Aviva)，也可以为中国投资者提供通向英国、欧洲大陆和美国的桥梁。其他潜在目标包括法国保险集团安盛(Axa)和荷兰国际集团(ING)。

The UK’s Aviva, which is building up its business in Asia, would also offer a Chinese investor access to the UK, continental Europe and the US. Other potential targets include Axa and ING.

中国政府一直在鼓励其庞大的国有银行向海外发展，入股成熟的国际金融机构。中国还建立了一只规模2000亿美元的主权财富基金。但到目前为止，中国尚未批准一家大型保险公司在国外扩张。

Beijing has been encouraging its giant state-owned banks to expand beyond the country’s borders by buying stakes in established financial institutions. It has also established a $200bn sovereign wealth fund. But it has yet to allow its insurance giants to expand abroad.

许多国际保险公司都对中国人寿的战略入股感兴趣，因为这样可以建立长期的合作关系，让它们获得进入繁荣的中国市场的通道。

Many international insurers are interested in selling strategic stakes to China Life because it would establish a long-term partnership and give them access to the booming Chinese market.

杨超拒绝透露潜在收购目标的具体名字，但他表示，西方的信贷危机让金融机构变得相对廉价，为中国人寿提供了一个买入时机。

Mr Yang declined to name potential targets but said the western credit crisis presented a buying opportunity for his company because it had made financial institutions relatively cheap.

相比之下，即便过去一个月经历了20%的回调，包括中国人寿在内的中国内地上市公司的股价，仍明显高于在成熟市场上市的同行。

In contrast, even after a 20 per cent correction over the past month, Chinese listed companies, including China Life, are still trading at hefty premiums to their counterparts in more mature markets.

杨超表示，中国人寿也有意作为金融投资者，买进海外公司的少数股权。 Mr Yang said China Life was also interested in buying minority stakes in overseas companies as a financial investor.