美国国家公共电台 NPR--China's economy wobbles ahead of an important political meeting in October

China's economy wobbles ahead of an important political meeting in October

Transcript¹

As China gears up for a hugely significant political gathering² next month, its economy is slowing down.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

China is often referred to as the workshop of the world. Now there are signs that workshop is on shaky ground as China's economy wobbles ahead of an all-important political meeting in October. NPR's John Ruwitch reports.

JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE³: Fan Huiyi is standing⁴ on a curb⁵ outside one of the biggest employment agencies in the Chinese city of Shenzhen when we meet. He isn't looking for a job, though.

FAN HUIYI: (Through interpreter) I recruit workers - I do human resources for the factory I work at - and not just general laborers⁶, but also technicians.

RUWITCH: If the 26-year-old is honest, though, he doesn't really want to be here. He left his hometown, Dongxing, some 500 miles to the west, out of necessity.

FAN: (Through interpreter) Dongxing used to be a prosperous city. But it has been hit hard by the pandemic.

RUWITCH: So hard that last year when he opened a restaurant there, it didn't survive more than four months. Dongxing sits at the border with Vietnam, a border that's been effectively closed for the whole pandemic.

FAN: (Through interpreter) Because of the pandemic, I couldn't continue with the restaurant anymore. So I liquidated⁷ everything and said to my family that I was coming here.

RUWITCH: It's a well-worn path in China, the migration⁸ from small towns to big city factory floors. But it seems like a bigger gamble now than even when Fan made the trip just a little over a year ago. China's strict COVID control policies have been dragging down economic growth. Meanwhile, inflation and the Ukraine war are casting clouds over global demand. China's growth in exports, normally a bright spot, has slowed.

FAN: (Through interpreter) It's hard to recruit workers now. We already have too many workers in the factory.

RUWITCH: It's uncharted territory for China. Its strong, steady economic growth has been the envy of others for decades and a pillar of legitimacy⁹ for the ruling Communist Party. Next month, that party is likely to hand the man on whose watch the economy has slipped, Xi Jinping, at least one more five-year term as China's top leader. He's betting slower growth won't become a crisis for the party as he pursues political priorities. Down the road, in the neighboring town of Huizhou, Hu Yuting runs a company that makes light fixtures¹⁰. And things are bad.

HU YUTING: (Through interpreter) We lost about two-thirds of our export business this year. We had 160 people at the peak. Now it's dropped to around 90.

RUWITCH: He says demand from the U.S. has fallen and orders have cratered¹¹.

HU: (Through interpreter) We are losing about 400,000 renminbi every month.

RUWITCH: That's more than $55,000. In good times, he could turn a monthly profit of nearly twice that. Hu takes us to the factory showroom and flips¹² on the lights.

(SOUNDBITE OF SWITCHES CLICKING)

RUWITCH: The walls and ceilings are covered with chandeliers, sconces and lamps. An empty conference table sits at the center of the room.

HU: (Through interpreter) We used to meet customers here and talk about designs and prices.

RUWITCH: It sat unused for over two years. With the American market going soft, he'd like to explore new markets, like Europe.

HU: (Through interpreter) But because of the pandemic, foreign customers can't get into China or there are very few, so it's hard to do any business with them.

(SOUNDBITE OF HORN HONKING)

RUWITCH: Outside a bus station in Shenzhen - that's a stop for many who come here in search of factory work - Wu Yelin is squatting¹³ under a tree. He's worked in factories here on and off for several years. But he says the uncertainty¹⁴ now and rising cost of living are making him think twice about the path ahead.

WU YELIN: (Through interpreter) The pandemic has had a huge impact on my income. I used to have a stable job. But now I roam around and can't really earn much money.

RUWITCH: Wu says back home, his father recently bought some sheep. Before the pandemic, he would never have imagined returning where he came from to work as a farmer. But now he's giving serious thought to leaving the city behind and helping¹⁵ his dad raise the animals.

John Ruwitch, NPR News, Shenzhen, China.

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 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

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 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

6 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

7 liquidated   

v.清算( liquidate的过去式和过去分词 )；清除（某人）；清偿；变卖

参考例句：

• All his supporters were expelled, exiled, or liquidated. 他的支持者全都被驱逐、流放或消灭了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That can be liquidated at market value any time. 那可按市价随时得到偿付。 来自辞典例句

8 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

9 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

10 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 cratered   

adj.有坑洞的，多坑的v.火山口( crater的过去分词 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• The surface cratered with the constant dropping of water. 表面因经常滴水而成坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Artillery cratered the roads. 炮击后大路布满了弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

13 squatting   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
• They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 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。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。