奧巴馬政府再度在WTO起訴中國
Donald Trump may be threatening to start a trade war with China, but the US and its geopolitical rival are already skirmishing ahead of what could be a combative summer.
唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)或許正在威脅要與中國展開貿易戰,但美國與中國這個地緣政治對手在可能展開激烈交鋒的今年夏天到來之前,已提前爆發小規模衝突.
The latest sign came yesterday when the US brought a new challenge in the World Trade Organisation against
昨日兩國貿易爭端有了最新情況,美國在世界貿易組織(WTO)針對中國對美國禽類產品徵收反傾銷稅提起新的訴訟.這是奧巴馬(Obama)政府第12次在世貿組織起訴中國,次數超過以往任何一屆美國政府.
Chinese anti-dumping tariffs on US poultry products. It is the 12th time the Obama administration has taken China to the WTO, more than any of its predecessors.
美國貿易代表邁克•弗羅曼(Mike Froman)表示;!美國農民應該獲得公平的機會,在全球經濟中去競爭、取勝,如果中國試圖讓我們的農民、企業和工人處於不利的競爭地位,本屆政府將繼續追究其責任.!
“American farmers deserve a fair shot to compete and win in the global economy, and this administration will continue to hold China responsible when they attempt to disadvantage our farmers, businesses and workers,! said Mike Froman, the US trade representative.
此舉是美國政府及業界對中國採取強硬態度的更廣泛努力的一部分,貿易話題已不僅僅是競選話題.
The latest move is part of a broader effort by the administration and US industry to get tough on China, with trade rhetoric rising even far from the campaign trail.
鐵礦石生產商Cliffs Natural Resources首席執行官洛倫索•貢薩爾維斯(Lourenco Goncalves)上週在美國鋼鐵工業協會(US steel industry association)會議間歇向記者表示;!這是戰爭,不是貿易.中國正在發動經濟戰爭.我們必須認識到這一點,並採取相應行動.!
“This is war. This is not trade,! Lourenco Goncalves, chief executive of Cliffs Natural Resources, an iron ore producer, told reporters last week on the sidelines of a US steel industry association meeting. “China is waging economic war. We ought to recognise that and act accordingly.!
美國政府之所以會採取這一行動,一方面是受政治因素驅動,另一方面是希望爭取國會在明年1月奧巴馬離任前批准《跨太平洋夥伴關係協定》（Trans-Pacific Partnership,簡稱TPP）——美國20多年來談判達成的規模最大的貿易協議.
Driving the administration!s push is politics and its desire to secure congressional approval before Mr Obama leaves office in January for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the largest trade deal negotiated by the US in more than 20 years.
受特朗普及其他美國總統競選人言論影響,上述計劃已變得複雜化.但美國政府的反應是加強論證TPP——包括美國、日本以及環太平洋地區除中國外的其他10個經濟體——是對中國企圖控制該地區貿易的一項重要戰略迴應.
Those plans have been complicated by the rhetoric of Mr Trump and others campaigning to succeed Mr Obama. But the administration!s response has been to intensify its argument that the TPP, which includes the US, Japan and 10 other Pacific rim economies but not China, is an important strategic response to Beijing!s bid to control commerce in the region.
美國官員認爲,如果中國是個問題——如特朗普及其他人所指——那麼TPP纔是完美迴應,而不是共和黨這位假定被提名人所提議的粗暴關稅.
If China is the problem, as Mr Trump and others argue, then the TPP, rather than the crude tariffs the presumptive Republican nominee is proposing, is the perfect response, US officials argue.
與此同時,美國商界對中國新的經濟民族主義,及其對美國農產品出口、科技企業和全球鋼鐵行業的影響感到越來焦慮.
Those efforts are coinciding with rising anxiety in US business about what is seen as a new economic nationalism in China and its impact on such things as US agricultural exports, technology businesses and the global steel industry.
本月底之前,美國商務部將決定是否支持美國鋼鐵公司(US Steel)提出的禁止從中國進口鋼材的請求,作爲對該公司所稱的中國進行黑客攻擊、竊取知識產權的懲罰.截至今夏結束,三起反傾銷案可能導致美國對中國部分鋼材產品徵收高達266%的懲罰性關稅.
By the end of this month the US commerce department is set to decide whether to allow a case brought by US Steel seeking a ban on steel imports from China as punishment for what it says were Chinese hacking attacks and the theft of intellectual property. By the end of the summer three anti-dumping cases could result in punitive tariffs of as much as 266 per cent being imp-osed on certain Chinese steel products.
美國還在其他方面對中國施加貿易壓力.美國一直在悄悄進行遊說,試圖阻止中國獲得世貿組織框架下的!市場經濟!地位,而北京方面非常重視這一地位,並稱其應在今年12月——中國加入這一全球貿易機構15週年之際——自動獲得該地位.
The US is also applying trade pressure elsewhere. It has been quietly lobbying to block China from securing “market economy! status under the WTO, something Beijing prizes and says it should be granted automatically in December with the 15th anniversary of its accession to the global trade body.
儘管美國在推動美中雙邊投資協定取得進展,但奧巴馬政府正將北京排除在日內瓦進行的全球服務貿易談判之外,並在另一系列談判中施壓中國放寬對太陽能電池等綠色產品的限制.
Even as it pushes to make progress on a bilateral investment treaty with China, the Obama administration is keeping Beijing out of separate talks in Geneva on the global trade in services and pressing it to loosen restrictions on green products such as solar cells in yet another set of negotiations.
白宮經濟顧問委員會前成員查德•P•布朗(Chad P Brown)表示,奧巴馬政府的對華策略與特朗普的提議之間有本質區別.他說,美國當前採取的措施都是在!遊戲規則!之下進行的,而特朗普提議實施的單方面關稅很可能會讓美國違反世貿組織規則.但還有一些自由貿易的倡導者抱怨他們所看到的形勢變化.
Chad P Brown, a former member of Mr Obama!s council of economic advisers, said there was a fundamental difference between the administration!s tactics against China and what Mr Trump was proposing. The current moves were being conducted within “the rules of the game!, he said, while Mr Trump!s proposed unilateral tariffs would probably put the US in violation of WTO rules. But other advocates of free trade bemoan what they see developing.
自由派智囊機構加圖研究所(Cato Institute)負責貿易研究的丹•伊肯森(Dan Ikenson)表示,奧巴馬政府爲應對中國崛起而推動TPP,凸顯了在國會面前奧巴馬處於多麼弱勢的地位.他說;!奧巴馬政府要把中國定性爲真正的無視國際規則的國家,所有的理由都擺在面前.最佳的回擊方式就是提起這些貿易訴訟.!
Dan Ikenson, who directs trade resear-ch at the libertarian Cato Institute, said the administration!s pushing of the TPP as a response to the rise of China highlighted how weak Mr Obama!s position was with Congress. “The elements are all there for the administration to cast China as this real international scofflaw. And the best way to hit back is to bring these trade cases,! he said.
彼得森國際經濟研究所(Peterson Institute for International Economics)的加里•赫夫鮑爾(Gary Hufbauer)表示,還存在一種風險,即美中貿易關係進入一個!極端敵對期!,這對這兩個經濟體來說都是凶兆.
