WTO Scolds Boeing On Subsidies

     The world's two largest aircraft manufacturers have fought yet another round in their six-year legal and political battle over trade subsidies¹.  On Thursday, a World Trade Organization panel said American aircraft manufacturer Boeing received billions of dollars in illegal U.S. government aid. Boeing's chief executive insisted the ruling was actually a victory for the U.S.-based firm.

    For six years, U.S.-based Boeing and European rival Airbus have accused each other of receiving illegal subsidies from their respective governments in the longest-running and most complicated dispute in the history of the World Trade Organization.

    This time it was Boeing's turn to be scolded by the WTO, which ruled that Boeing received more than $5 billion in illegal subsidies from the U.S. government to build and develop new aircraft.

    The finding supported parts of a complaint from Airbus, which said research and development contracts from the U.S. space agency and the U.S. military, along with tax breaks from a state where Boeing has factories, were unfair.

    Airbus officials said the WTO ruling was "a massive condemnation²" of U.S. practices that cost them tens of billions of dollars in sales.

    Last year, a separate WTO panel condemned(谴责) European government support for Airbus.  Thursday, Boeing's chairman, James McNerney, said the European subsidies were larger, and therefore worse, than the U.S. actions.

    "A dramatic victory for the U.S.  I mean $20 billion in subsidies identified in Europe, $3.7 billion in the U.S.  The $3.7 billion in the U.S. is stuff that happened 20 years ago.  We have all stopped doing it," he said.

    Under global trade rules, governments are not supposed to give companies in their countries an unfair advantage over competing foreign firms with tax breaks, below-market rate financing（融资财务） or other kinds of help.  In theory, if companies compete on price and quality, consumers will obtain better products at lower prices.  Subsidies distort that competitive process.

    The bitter Boeing-Airbus dispute is just part of a global web of contentious³ trade issues.  These include Washington and Beijing haggling⁴ over currency issues, stalled talks over farm subsidies involving many nations, and bickering⁵ between the Obama administration and some members of the U.S. Congress over proposed free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea.

    The chairman of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, Fred Hochberg, says trade negotiations⁶ are particularly tough in the wake of the economic crisis and because jobs, pride, and prosperity are at stake.

    "Every country around the globe is looking to add jobs and employment for their workers, so I think you do have some of that competitive force playing itself out, as well as American companies that are competing more with Chinese companies, German companies, Italian French, British.  So, it is a very competitive global market place," he said.

    In the meantime, the Airbus-Boeing dispute seems likely to continue because one or both of the rivals could appeal this latest decision.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 condemnation   

n.谴责; 定罪

参考例句：

• There was widespread condemnation of the invasion. 那次侵略遭到了人们普遍的谴责。
• The jury's condemnation was a shock to the suspect. 陪审团宣告有罪使嫌疑犯大为震惊。

3 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

4 haggling   

v.讨价还价( haggle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I left him in the market haggling over the price of a shirt. 我扔下他自己在市场上就一件衬衫讨价还价。
• Some were haggling loudly with traders as they hawked their wares. 有些人正在大声同兜售货物的商贩讲价钱。 来自辞典例句

5 bickering   

v.争吵( bicker的现在分词 )；口角；（水等）作潺潺声；闪烁

参考例句：

• The children are always bickering about something or other. 孩子们有事没事总是在争吵。
• The two children were always bickering with each other over small matters. 这两个孩子总是为些小事斗嘴。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。