2018年CRI China doesn't want trade war with US: commerce minister

 

China's Commerce Minister has said that China does not want to be in a trade war with the United States, but it is ready to respond to any challenges in trade and defend its national interests.

On the sidelines of the ongoing¹ session of the National People's Congress, commerce minister Zhong Shan told reporters that trade wars have no winners.

The remarks followed the US imposition of 25 percent tariffs² on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum³, which have triggered opposition⁴ from around the world.

At the press conference, Zhong Shan highlighted the progress in the Sino-US trade and economic cooperation in the past decades.

"China and the US have had diplomatic ties for almost 40 years. Their bilateral⁵ trade and economic ties are getting closer. The volume of trade has grown by 232 times during the 40 year period. Have you ever seen two other countries experience such growth in such a short period? Two-way investment has exceeded 230 billion US dollars, which means the two economies are complementary and boast huge cooperative potential."

But the minster also acknowledged that there are still some outstanding issues between the two sides when it comes to trade cooperation.

"The calculation of trade statistics varies between the US and China. Chinese and American statistical⁶ working groups, with experts from government and other institutions, undertake research on these differences every year. According to their research, the US overestimates⁷ its trade deficit⁸ with China by an average of 20 percent a year."

Zhong went on to explain that there are structural⁹ reasons for the trade imbalance that does exist between China and the US.

"The trade imbalance between China and the US is a structural one. China has a surplus in the trade of goods, and the US runs a surplus in the trade of services. I think the competitive edge in trade basically lies in the strengths of the different industries. The imbalance between China and US trade also relates to US regulation on its high-tech¹⁰ exports to China. A US report shows that if regulations were eased, the US trade deficit with China could be reduced by about 35 percent."

Earlier this month, a senior economic and finance official from China, Liu He, met with U.S. officials. During their talks, both sides agreed to settle their trade disputes by cooperation rather than confrontation¹¹.

Zhong Shan stressed that the two sides hadn't stopped their dialogue on economic matters, and that the exchange of dialogue between the two countries would continue. 

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 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。

3 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

6 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

7 overestimates   

对（数量）估计过高，对…作过高的评价( overestimate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• These overestimates counterbalanced the uncertain risk of radiation releases after sealing. 这些过高估计抵消了在密封以后放射性物泄漏所产生的未知危害。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Never underestimate a man who overestimates himself. 切勿低估一个过高估计他自己的人。

8 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。

9 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

10 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

11 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。