CNN 2011-01-24

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS ANCHOR: It is Friday, and it is awesome¹! Thank you for rounding out your week with CNN Student News. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm Carl Azuz. Let's get to today's headlines.

AZUZ: First up, President Hu heads to the Hill. The Chinese leader wrapping up his visit to Washington, D.C. yesterday. The reception he got when he met with congressional leaders on Capitol Hill, not necessarily a warm one. Democratic and Republican leaders raised some of the strong concerns they have about China's policies on human rights and economic issues.

It was a different story Wednesday night at the White House, when President Hu was the guest of honor at a formal state dinner with President Obama you see here. These are special events, these state dinners, for world leaders when they visit the United States. The White House hadn't hosted one for China since 1997.

During his time in Washington, President Hu talked about China's role as one of the biggest economic powers in the world. Some of China's economic policies are frustrating² some officials and companies in the United States, and Brian Todd explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT, WASHINGTON, D.C.: At the White House, the dignified³ pageantry of a state visit for China's president, Hu Jintao. But just under the surface, smoldering⁴ resentment⁵ towards the Chinese in the halls of American government and business. Accusations⁶ of currency manipulation, unfair barriers to American businesses in China, and American products being copied or ripped off. Bootlegged DVDs of the latest Hollywood releases are sometimes available on Chinese streets before they even open in American theaters. American companies developing electronics, prescription⁷ drugs and software have similar complaints.

The Chinese government even engages in some of this practice, right?

FRED BERGSTEN, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: The Chinese government has laws that protect intellectual property, but in practice, enforcement is very lax. And in some cases, Chinese government agencies, including military agencies, will sometimes rip off the intellectual property themselves.

TODD: Fred Bergsten of the Peterson Institute says the Chinese steal American intellectual property by reverse engineering: buying American products, figuring out how they're put together. Then they make those parts themselves at a cheaper cost. Then there are complaints about China's trade rules. Take a company like Marlin Steel Products in Baltimore, where 20 percent of revenue comes from exports. Company president Drew Greenblatt says he'd like to export to China, but the Chinese have a rule that many products sold to government agencies there, or which get tax breaks, have to be made completely in China. Known as the "indigenous⁸ innovation policy," it stacks the deck against American companies like Marlin Steel. There's a direct impact, Greenblatt says, on American jobs.

GREENBLATT: For every million dollars in new exports I get, I'm going to hire about eight more people.

TODD: Chinese officials say their trade policies are not unfair, and they're stepping up enforcement of intellectual property laws. But the list of American complaints may prompt action from Congress, especially newly empowered Republican leaders in the House.

What are you and other congressional leaders prepared to do to put more pressure on China to level this playing field?

REP. CHARLES BOUSTANY, (R) LOUISIANA: We're going to continue to work, looking at our trade law, what we have to enforce trade agreements. We're going to continue to really pressure Chinese leaders, whether it's coming from Congress or from the administration, on this indigenous innovation policy and meeting their agreements under the WTO, the World Trade Organization agreements.

TODD: But taking action against China is not risk free. Fred Bergsten of the Peterson Institute says, as the second biggest economy in the world right now, the Chinese have a lot of clout⁹, that they can and will retaliate¹⁰. They'll block U.S. exports, they'll reduce their investments in American securities. The Chinese are America's biggest banker in the world by far, Bergsten says, and right now, they have a lot of leverage¹¹. Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

1 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

2 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

4 smoldering   

v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The mat was smoldering where the burning log had fallen. 燃烧的木棒落下的地方垫子慢慢燃烧起来。 来自辞典例句
• The wood was smoldering in the fireplace. 木柴在壁炉中闷烧。 来自辞典例句

5 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

6 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

7 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

8 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

9 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

10 retaliate   

v.报复，反击

参考例句：

• He sought every opportunity to retaliate against his enemy.他找机会向他的敌人反击。
• It is strictly forbidden to retaliate against the quality inspectors.严禁对质量检验人员进行打击报复。

11 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。