Free trade

Free trade自由贸易

 

NB: Please note this is not a word for word transcript¹ of the audio programme

Abigail:Discussions about free trade are often in the news, and they bring with them talk of summits and conferences, of tariffs² (关税)and subsidies³.（补助金，津贴）.. 

Earlier in the series we touched on trade agreements when we looked at the language of globalisation. That was before the World Trade Organisation⁴ talks in Cancun collapsed⁵ - we’ll look at the reasons why later.

But first - what is free trade - and does it actually exist anywhere? Andrew Walker is Economics and Business Correspondent at the BBC World Service, and if anyone knows it should be him:

Clip Andrew Walker

Well I suppose what people mean by free trade is the situation in which there is no government imposed（课征，征收税款）obstacle to trade between two or more countries. There is something like it in the European Union - tariffs have been abolished（废止，革除） for decades now and there are no quota⁶ restrictions⁷.（比额限制） 

Abigail:So the European Union is an example of a group of countries where free trade exists. But that free movement of goods between countries - without government restrictions, or trade barriers - is very difficult to negotiate（商议，谈判）. Which is why we most often come across issues of free trade, when two countries are locked in dispute about it. The WTO seems to function as a kind of free-trade ‘court’, where member countries can take their complaints about trade with other member countries. Andrew Walker explains the WTO’s relationship with free trade:

 

Clip Andrew Walker

It's not right to say the WTO is about free trade but its big vision is freer trade. It’s more about managed, slightly restricted trade. If new barriers are imposed in way which breaches⁸ WTO rules, member countries can make a complaint to WTO - it’s a bit like a court and they come up with a ruling either dismissing or upholding the complaint. They might make them remove tariffs e.g. US steel: Bush put new higher tariffs on steel and EU complained to WTO - WTO said tariffs were inconsistent and US ought to remove them.

Abigail:So members can complain if other members break WTO rules. And those rules have been agreed on over a series of WTO conferences, like the one in Cancun in September. But the Cancun talks collapsed because of disagreements over what are known as the Singapore Issues - Andrew Walker explains why:

 

Clip Andrew Walker

Four issues. They're called that because they were discussed in Singapore in 1996. Most contentious（有异议的） is foreign investment - should WTO have rules allowing governments to limit foreign investment. EU is keen on rules constraining⁹ what govt can do and developing countries against it. I can’t see how they’ll resolve it. 

 

Clip Nick Ravenscroft

It actually costs only half as much to produce cotton here as in, say, America. But these African farmers simply can't match the artificially（人工的，人为的，不自然的） low Western prices and still turn a profit. So along with three neighbours, Mali has complained to the World Trade Organisation.

Abigail:BBC reporter Nick Ravenscroft reporting from Mali, which has brought a complaint before the WTO about US subsidies for cotton farmers. Economics and Business Correspondent Andrew Walker explains why subsidies and surpluses matter:

 

Clip Andrew Walker

EU has a system in which farmers are given EU subsidies for what they produce - makes up diff between agreed price and the price people are willing to pay - tops up farmers' incomes. One consequence has long been farmer have incentive（刺激，鼓励，动机）to produce more. How does EU deal with surpluses? One technique which enrages（激怒）many other countries is practice of selling surplus（过剩，盈余） on international market which drives down prices and makes difficult for farmers e.g. in Nigeria - they face lower price than they would have been able to get were it not for EU subsidies.

Abigail:And just as Mali has complained to the WTO about US agricultural subsidies, the US itself has made a complaint - against the European Union. This time the obstacle to free trade is a ban on imports. Andrew Walker explains:

 

Clip Andrew Walker

In addition to tariffs and quotas¹⁰, other policies governments have that restrict imports; most obvious are environment and health - one example EU ban on imports of beef where cattle have been treated with growth promo hormones¹¹. They argue they can cause cancer. US say - not true and complained to WTO. WTO rules say you can ban if you have scientific evidence. WTO found EU didn’t have evidence, and ordered EU to remove ban. EU consumers feel strongly so EU politicians decided¹² to keep ban. EU has recently said it does have new evidence and offered it to US and we’ll see how they respond.

Abigail:And if the WTO decides that a trade barrier is against WTO rules - what happens next? Well the WTO allows members to retaliate（报复，报仇） - to put up their own trade barriers. In the case we’ve just heard between the US and the EU

-the US has retaliated¹³ with a series of import tariffs on goods from Europe:

 

Clip Andrew Walker

WTO allows countries to take retaliatory¹⁴ measures if they don't get what they want. In the case of EU against US beef EU refused to comply with（服从，遵守） WTO ruling so US was given permission to impose tariffs on range of EU goods into US. US banned: cashmere（山羊绒）sweaters, pecorino cheese（意大利羊奶干酪）. Countries do it when they can but their own consumers pay. (本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 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》

4 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 breaches   

破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背

参考例句：

• He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
• This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来，婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。

9 constraining   

强迫( constrain的现在分词 )； 强使； 限制； 约束

参考例句：

• He was constraining his mind not to wander from the task. 他克制着不让思想在工作时开小差。
• The most constraining resource in all of these cases is venture capital. 在所有这些情况下最受限制的资源便是投入资本。

10 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

11 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

14 retaliatory   

adj.报复的

参考例句：

• The process can take years before the WTO approves retaliatory action. 在WTO通过此行动之前，这个程序恐怕要等上一阵子了。 来自互联网
• Retaliatory tariffs on China are tantamount to taxing ourselves as a punishment. 将惩罚性关税强加于中国相当于对我们自己实施课税惩罚。 来自互联网