奢侈品牌結隊逃離阿根廷（節選）

????“參與上周游行示威的中產階級是本國政治生活中的中堅力量，”政治分析家羅森多?弗拉加說。“這次抗議顯示，他們現在已經與政府拉開了距離。”

????根據世界銀行（World Bank）的估計，阿根廷的經濟今年仍然可望增長2.2%，不過仍然遠低于去年將近9%的增長率。

????包括法國服裝品牌鱷魚（Lacoste）和黑莓手機制造商Research in Motion在內的一些公司已經在當地開設工廠，在該國生產或組裝產品。但對絕大多數國際品牌來說，阿根廷市場的規模還不足以支持這樣的行動，更不用說當地工人的工資還處于該地區最高水平。

????政府去年實施的最具爭議性的措施之一就是要求進口產品的公司同時出口作為補償，這就導致了千奇百怪的企業合作，比如高檔汽車生產商與當地葡萄酒出口商的結盟，或者奢侈品牌零售商與木材出口公司的合作。

????由于進口部件的短缺，汽車廠商菲亞特（Fiat）和雷諾（Renault）今年都不得不減緩生產。

????管制讓許多國際公司別無選擇，而費爾南德斯總統的政府早該預料到這種狀況的發生。不過到目前為止，不管是全球品牌的退出還是國民的不滿都無法讓政府改弦更張。

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????"The middle class that demonstrated last week is a key social segment in the country's political makeup," says political analyst Rosendo Fraga. "And this protest shows that those voters are now distancing themselves from the government."

????Argentina's economy is still on track to expand 2.2% this year, according to the World Bank, down from almost 9% in 2011.

????Some companies, such as French apparel company Lacoste and Research in Motion (RIMM), the maker of the Blackberry smartphone, have set up local factories to produce or assemble some of their products in the country.

????But for the large majority of international brands, the scale of the Argentine market does not warrant such a move, especially considering that the wages of local workers are the highest in the region.

????One of the most controversial measures the government imposed last year was to require that companies importing products compensate with exports of their own, prompting unusual partnerships such as a luxury car makers teaming up with local wine exporters or a luxury brand retailer establishing a partnership with a wool-exporting company.

????Carmakers Fiat and Renault this year both had to slow down production due to a shortage of imported parts.

????The controls have left little choice for many international companies – a choice the Fernandez administration must have known would likely happen. So far, though, neither the departure of the global brands nor the dissatisfaction of the Argentine people is enough to matter.