美国国家公共电台 NPR For One Ohio Town, Trump's Trade Policies Bring Uncertainty And Hope

For One Ohio Town, Trump¹'s Trade Policies Bring Uncertainty² And Hope

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This story takes us to the shores of Lake Erie - to Ashtabula, Ohio, a port city with access to Canada and beyond through the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. Its economy is tied to Ohio's steel industry. It's name-checked in an old Bob Dylan song; I'll look for you in old Honolulu, San Francisco and Ashtabula. And it's the hometown of U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who was President Trump's chief negotiator in talks with China. In that city, NPR's Jim Zarroli found the backstory of a hard-line trade negotiator.

JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE³: A bitter wind is whipping off Lake Erie on an overcast⁴ day in Ashtabula. Nearby sits an enormous ramp⁵ that's used to load coal onto freighters. Ray Gruber has lived in the area all his life.

RAY GRUBER: When I was a kid - 1960s, OK? - this was a pretty booming operation down here. You had all your steel mills in Pittsburgh, and this would be the port of entry for all these ore boats. I mean, this is where all the activities happened.

ZARROLI: Before he retired⁶, Gruber worked as a machinist. The company where he started out is no longer around.

GRUBER: When that recession in the '70s happened, a lot of places moved out and a lot of companies moved out. We became the Rust⁷ Belt. You know, a lot of stores became empty.

ZARROLI: These days, the waterfront is home to coffee bars and brew⁸ pubs. The harbor attracts tourists from Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Much less freight comes through the port. Among those old enough to remember the way the port used to be is trade representative Robert Lighthizer who grew up in town. Lighthizer is a longtime critic of global trade. In a 2017 speech, he said unfair practices by China and other countries have devastated⁹ American manufacturers.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ROBERT LIGHTHIZER: There has been a growing feeling that the system that has developed in recent years is not quite fair to American workers in manufacturing and that we need to change.

ZARROLI: Those who know him say Lighthizer's views on trade were shaped in part by watching steel's decline in Ashtabula and the financial hardship that followed. Today Lighthizer is the man charged with carrying out Trump's ambitious trade agenda. Among other things, the administration has imposed steep import tariffs¹⁰, which are a kind of tax on goods brought into the United States. For his hometown, those changes are bringing uncertainty but also some hope. Over the years, Ashtabula County has worked hard to rebuild its economy. Manufacturers here today tend to be smaller and tied to global trade. There are companies such as Welded Tubes which makes auto¹¹ parts.

DAVID JENKINS: We are a supplier to Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru.

ZARROLI: David Jenkins is Welded Tubes' vice¹² president of operations. The company makes metal backing for car seat headrests. The parts are sent to seat manufacturers in Canada and Mexico. Then those seats are brought back to the U.S. and installed in cars. The new trade agreement replacing NAFTA requires cars to use more parts made in North America, and Jenkins says that could mean more orders.

JENKINS: Now that all the auto manufacturers are looking at onshoring additional manufacturing and assembly plants, it's very good for Welded Tubes.

ZARROLI: In fact, a big problem Jenkins faces today is finding workers. He wants to expand. But these policies being carried out by Lighthizer have had a downside. Welded Tubes makes parts made of steel, and steel prices have jumped.

JENKINS: We're looking at a $300- to $20,000-a-month increase in the operating cost.

ZARROLI: And that's because of steel.

JENKINS: That's because of steel.

ZARROLI: In many ways, tariffs have complicated life for manufacturers here. Grand River Rubber and Plastics makes belts that get shipped to China and used in vacuum cleaners. President Donald Chaplin says the vacuum cleaner business has slowed since tariffs took effect. He's also having to pay more for a polymer he uses in production. Still, Chaplin shares a view often expressed by Lighthizer. He hopes the troubles will be temporary, and he is cautiously optimistic about trade. Over the years, many of his customers have fled to low-wage countries and no longer buy from him. But, he says, when his company tries to export to other countries, it often faces unfair barriers. Chaplin says Trump is trying to ensure a level playing field for manufacturers like him.

DONALD CHAPLIN: I don't agree with all that he's done and definitely some of the - some of his methods sometimes. I think if you take him at his word, I think he does have the American worker at heart. I think he is concerned about America.

ZARROLI: Like many people in Ashtabula, Chaplin hopes Trump can encourage companies that have fled abroad to come back. If he and Lighthizer succeed in restoring some of the luster¹³ to American manufacturing, they say, it will be worth the pain those policies are causing. Jim Zarroli, NPR News.

1 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。

2 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 overcast   

adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天

参考例句：

• The overcast and rainy weather found out his arthritis.阴雨天使他的关节炎发作了。
• The sky is overcast with dark clouds.乌云满天。

5 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

8 brew   

v.酿造，调制

参考例句：

• Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
• The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。

9 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

10 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。

11 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

12 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

13 luster   

n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉

参考例句：

• His great books have added luster to the university where he teaches.他的巨著给他任教的大学增了光。
• Mercerization enhances dyeability and luster of cotton materials.丝光处理扩大棉纤维的染色能力，增加纤维的光泽。