VOA慢速英语2017 联合国：保护主义威胁亚洲经济增长

 

A United Nations report is warning that economic growth in Asian countries “faces significant risk” from rising levels of trade protectionism.

联合国报告警告，随着贸易保护主义的不断加强，亚洲国家将“面临严重危机”。

It says experts are especially worried about United States’ trade policies with important trading partners such as China.

报道称，专家尤其担心美国与中国这样的重要合作伙伴之间的贸易政策。

The U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) report mainly says good things about Asian economies.Such countries are now responsible for about 30 percent of all trade worldwide.The report noted¹ that the percentage could rise to 50 percent by 2050 if the economies continue expanding.

联合国亚太经社委员会报告报道的主要是亚洲经济好的一面。如今，这一地区的国家对全球经济的贡献率约有30％。该报道还提到，如果经济持续增长，到2050年该地区的经济贡献率可达到50％。

Asia’s export-led growth has helped millions of people escape poverty over the past 70 years. Many of the exported products are sold in the United States and Europe.

过去的70年里，亚洲出口型经济帮助成千上万的人摆脱贫困。许多出口商品都在美国和欧洲售卖。

But the U.N. report notes that in recent years, Asian economies have begun to depend on domestic demand because of the “prolonged weakness in external demand and global trade.”

但联合国的报告也提到，亚洲经济开始依赖国内需求，原因是外部需求以及全球贸易的持续低迷。

The U.N. economists² are predicting that Asian economies will grow at a rate of close to 5 percent in 2017. They expect China’s economy to expand 6.5 percent this year, with India’s growing by 7.1 percent.

联合国经济学家预测，2017年亚洲国家的经济增长率会有5％左右。他们希望今年中国的经济增长率可以超过6.5％，印度可以达到7.1％。

The report described economic conditions in China as ‘stable.’And Russia’s economy is expected to grow because of higher oil prices.

报道称中国的经济情况稳定。俄罗斯经济有望因油价上涨而增长。

But the report says trade protectionism could affect employment and economic growth.It described trade protectionism as “the most significant risk to the broadly positive economic outlook.”

但报道也称，贸易保护主义会影响就业和经济增长。报道称，总体积极的经济前景的最大威胁就是贸易保护主义。

It noted recent changes in U.S. policies on trade, monetary³ exchange rates and immigration.And it said negotiations⁴ on Britain’s withdrawal⁵ from the European Union have increased concerns in many countries. The report said those worries could have a bad effect on Asia, including China’s goods exports and India’s services exports.

报道提到，美国最近改变了贸易、货币兑换率以及移民的政策。报道还称，英国退出欧盟的谈判加重了许多国家的担忧。报道称，这些担忧会对亚洲产生负面影响，包括中国的商品出口和印度的服务出口。

During the U.S. election campaign last year, Donald Trump⁶ was very critical of China’s trade and monetary policies. But after his election as president, Trump became less critical because he wanted support from China to stop North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons.

去年美国大选期间，唐纳德·特朗普对中国的贸易和基金政策提出了严厉谴责。但在他成为总统后，特朗普的反对态度有所减轻，因为他希望在阻止朝鲜发展核武器方面获得中国的支持。

Shamshad Akhtar is the executive secretary of UNESCAP. She says the debate over protectionism and “distrust of globalization” need to be discussed.

沙姆沙德·阿赫塔尔是亚太经社委员会的执行秘书。她说，应就保护主义和“全球化失信”开展讨论。

The UNESCAP report said growing global trade has helped many areas over the years.But opposition⁷ to globalization is growing in the United States, Europe and other areas.People there are critical of free trade policies, and companies moving jobs to overseas markets.

亚太联合国经社委员会报告称，这些年全球贸易增长帮助了许多地区。但是美国、欧洲和其他地区反对全球化的人也越来越多。那里的人们谴责自由贸易政策，谴责公司将工作机会都送向了海外。

The writers of the report warned of reduced economic growth in major developing countries if trade protectionism and global insecurity increase. They predicted a lowering of the growth rates by up to 1.2 percentage points.

报告的作者警告，如果贸易保护主义和全球安全问题继续发展，主要发展中国家的经济增长率就会降低。他们预测，增长率可能会降低1.2个百分点。

The report noted that the Asia Pacific region remains⁸ “the engine of global growth.”But it said pay inequality is increasing and good jobs are difficult to find.It noted environmental damage was a major concern in some countries following years of economic expansion.It said the growth came at a huge cost to the environment.

报告提到，亚太地区仍然是“全球经济增长的发动机”。但同时薪酬不公平性问题也越来越严重，好工作越来越难找。报告称，这些年，随着经济发展，一些国家主要的担忧是环境污染问题。经济增长使环境付出了巨大代价。

Words in This Story

domestic – adj. of or related to a country, especially one’s own country

external – adj. of or connected with the outside part of something

global – adj. of or related to the whole world

stable – adj. firmly established; not changing

outlook – n. the way that an individual or a group of people think about something

globalization – n. the development of an increasingly international economy

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

4 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。

5 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。