美国国家公共电台 NPR Small Business Owner Fears U.S.-China Trade War Will Destroy Her Company

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This next story underlines an awkward reality of the trade battle between the United States and China. When Americans import Chinese goods, what's really happening is this - an American business is using Chinese goods and making a profit. So as President Trump¹ imposes tariffs² on China, NPR's John Ydstie met an American business owner who thinks they could destroy her American company.

JOHN YDSTIE, BYLINE³: Mary Buchzeiger came to Washington on a mission. It's not a place she visits often.

MARY BUCHZEIGER: I'm not a political person. I'm not in politics. I don't - you know, this is my first go-round in Washington. The last time I was here, I was 13 years old for my eighth-grade trip. (Laughter).

YDSTIE: Now she's here again, sitting in a cafe a couple of blocks from the Capitol building, preparing to plead her case before Trump administration trade officials. Buchzeiger owns and runs a business founded by her father, Lucerne International, in Auburn Hills, Mich. It's a small parts supplier, but it's a big supplier for Chrysler's Jeep brand.

BUCHZEIGER: We make all of the hinges that go in the Jeep Wrangler⁴. They're all Class A forgings. Our company is actually one of the only ones in the world that can produce Class A forgings.

YDSTIE: Class A forgings are parts visible on a vehicle's exterior⁵.

BUCHZEIGER: It's polished jewelry⁶ on the outside of a vehicle. It can't have defects in it - nicks, scratches, dents⁷, dings, anything like that. It's got to look pretty.

YDSTIE: Check out the door hinges on the next Jeep Wrangler you see. They came from Lucerne International. Those hinges, and about 90 percent of the parts Buchzeiger's company supplies to U.S. automakers would be hit by a 25 percent tax under President Trump's tariffs. The tariffs are supposed to protect U.S. businesses, but Buchzeiger doesn't see it that way.

BUCHZEIGER: They're attacks on U.S. companies that are using Chinese goods.

YDSTIE: And that's the rub. Buchzeiger's company produces most of its parts in China.

BUCHZEIGER: I would love to be able to manufacture these parts in the U.S. We've tried. But here in the United States, there is not one company that can handle even half the volume of one part-number that I produce because there's no capacity left for manufacturing here.

YDSTIE: Buchzeiger has searched for factories in the U.S. several times. Currently she's investigating the possibility of a plant in Flint, Mich., where she was born. But if the tariffs hit now, she fears she'll be out of business before that could even happen. A couple of hours after our conversation, Mary Buchzeiger sat down in a government hearing room to tell her story. She had five minutes to make her case for an exemption⁸ before a panel of trade officials. Audio recording⁹ wasn't allowed, but we talked to her as she left the hearing room.

So how'd it go?

BUCHZEIGER: I think it went well. And I got the message across, and it was exactly what I expected. I'm hopeful that they heard our message.

YDSTIE: And here are a few lines of her plea to trade officials.

BUCHZEIGER: The tariffs proposed by President Trump would cripple my business and many like it in the Midwest. I'm fighting for the life of my company and for the livelihood¹⁰ of my employees, and I'm fighting to protect an intricate auto-supply chain that creates hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs.

YDSTIE: Buchzeiger is a Republican, and she says she hopes President Trump will get the message that his tariffs could harm businesses and workers in Trump Country. If or when those tariffs will take effect remains¹¹ unclear. So for now, Buchzeiger can only wait and hope.

John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

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 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 wrangler   

n.口角者，争论者；牧马者

参考例句：

• When the strangled wrangler dangles the mangled spangles on the bangle jangle.被绞死的辩论者晃荡时，手镯上撕碎的小金属片发出刺耳的声音。
• A wrangler is a cowboy who works with cattle and horses.牧马者是放牧牛马的牛仔。

5 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

6 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

7 dents   

n.花边边饰；凹痕( dent的名词复数 )；凹部；减少；削弱v.使产生凹痕( dent的第三人称单数 )；损害；伤害；挫伤（信心、名誉等）

参考例句：

• He hammered out the dents in the metal sheet. 他把金属板上的一些凹痕敲掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Tin dents more easily than steel. 锡比钢容易变瘪。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 exemption   

n.豁免，免税额，免除

参考例句：

• You may be able to apply for exemption from local taxes.你可能符合资格申请免除地方税。
• These goods are subject to exemption from tax.这些货物可以免税。

9 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

10 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。