商业报道: 贸易争端再起

Trade trouble

CNN's Charles Hodson speaks with Alan Holmer, U.S. Special Envoy¹ for China, about the dispute over industrial subsidies²

I think it is quite important and in particular what it shows is that engagement with China can work. And that’s what we are attempting to do in this strategic economic dialogue and many other issues that are being discussed. This is one item that was led by US trade representative ambassador Susan Schwab addressing concerns that we have with respect to Chinese subsidies, particularly export subsidies and subsidies we would say that you need to…that a Chinese company would need to import domestic goods as opposed to imported goods. But this really does show that when we have a chance to work through the issues and to work on them collaboratively that we can get a mutually beneficial result. I think that’s in particular the significance here.

But you've got some very very big issues indeed to deal with. You've got the issue of Chinese respect of intellectual property, you got the issue of China’s opening up its market to international financial services, and above all you've got the fact that the Chinese, said in newer estimation, keep their currency the RMB yuan artificially low against the dollar. It’s ganna take a long time, isn’t it, to get real progress on those issues?

Well, some of these issues are ones that we are able to make progress on. That’s the focus of what we call our strategic economic dialogue to be able to address the long-term strategic issues that we really need to be able to address over the long term. These are issues like energy and the environment, issues on, as you indicate, getting them to appreciate their currency more rapidly. All the issues with respect to having them accelerate the development of their financial sector³, issues on investment, issues for example on integrity of trade consumer protection and product safety. So those are all issues… (Let's) Please go ahead Charles

Yes, Sorry, ambassador I mean those are obviously, don’t let's get in too far down the laundry list. I mean, those are all important issues but the fact is sure you don’t have that much leverage⁴—the Chinese sell an enormous number of goods that people in America want to buy, hence the deficit⁵ on the one hand; on the other hand, you would be very worried if the reserves that the Chinese are holding in dollars were suddenly to go over to Euros or some other currencies essentially⁶ they've got all the leverage, you don’t have much, right?

Well, I think there are two important pieces of leverage those apply with respect to America, they also apply with respect to Europe. And that is continued access to those two markets which is something that the Chinese certainly are very interested in. The other piece of leverage is all of these questions are once where the Chinese do recognize. That it's important for them on consumer product safety to protect the Chinese brand. They recognized that it is important for them to move to a more flexible exchange rate and what we are focusing on with them is not so much the direction of reform but the pace of reform.

Notes:

with respect to: pertaining⁷ to, concerning..

 

CNN记者Charles Hodson就工业补贴争论问题采访了美国美中战略经济对话特使Alan Holmer。

我认为这非常重要，尤其是与中国的合作的实现。这正是在此次战略经济对话和许多 其他类型的讨论中我们努力追求的。这个项目由美国贸易代表大使Susan Schwab领导，他们表达了对中国补贴问题的担忧，尤其是出口补贴和我们认为中国需要的补贴，比如，中国公司需要消费国内的货物而不应该进口货物。但是实际上，如果我们有机会共同合作来解决这个问题，我们将获得互惠互利的结果。我认为这一点非常重要。

但是你还有很多非常非常重要的问题需要处理。你还要解决中国知识产权的问题，中国市场向国际金融服务开放的问题，其中最重要的是根据新的估计，人民币相对美元贬值的问题。在这些问题上取得进展需要很长一段时间，不是吗？

其中有一些问题可以很快取得进展。这是我们所说的战略经济对话的核心，从长期来看，我们必须要解决长期战略问题。这些问题包括能源和环境问题，就像你指出的，还有让他们的人民币升值更快的问题。还包括是他们加快金融服务部门发展的问题，投资，贸易消费者保护的整体性和产品安全的问题。所有这些问题……请你继续说。

好的，非常抱歉，大使先生。我的意思是，那些都是非常明显的，我们没必要将那些问题一一列举出来。我是说，那些问题都非常重要，但是事实上，你肯定不可能保持如此平衡——中国销售大量美国人民需要的商品，这是一方面的缺陷。另外一方面，如果中国持有的美元的外汇储备突然之间全部转为欧元或者其他货币来保持平衡，你也没有应对措施，对吗？

我认为，关于美国方面，有两个非常重要的杠杆作用，对欧洲国家也适用。对于这两个市场，中国当然非常感兴趣，而且他们也一直都可以进入。另外一个杠杆作用是，所有这些问题中国都意识到了。确保产品安全对于保护中国品牌非常重要。他们认识到了使用更加富有弹性的汇率制度对他们来说非常重要。我们关心的问题不是改革的方向问题，而是改革的进度。

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 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》

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 pertaining   

与…有关系的，附属…的，为…固有的(to)

参考例句：

• Living conditions are vastly different from those pertaining in their country of origin. 生活条件与他们祖国大不相同。
• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school. 视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。