美国国家公共电台 NPR On Trade, Trump Administration Likes to Leave Other Countries Guessing

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

All right. European, Canadian and Mexican officials are promising¹ to retaliate² in response to steel and aluminum³ tariffs⁴ that the Trump⁵ administration imposed today. These tariffs were first announced by the president in early March. He then suggested that some countries could be exempted⁷. As NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, the administration has a pattern of mixed signals on trade.

JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE⁸: For weeks, the Trump administration has threatened to impose major tariffs on imports from China. Recently, Treasury⁹ Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Fox News that talks with China had made progress.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

STEVEN MNUCHIN: We're putting the trade war on hold. So right now we have agreed to put the tariffs on hold.

ZARROLI: But Mnuchin was contradicted by Trump trade adviser¹⁰ Peter Navarro, who said in an interview with NPR this week that the remarks were an unfortunate soundbite. The Trump administration has sometimes displayed a split personality on trade. Someone will make a tough-sounding pronouncement only to change course later. The president pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership¹¹ then said he might consider rejoining it. He announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports then spent three months deciding whether to exempt⁶ certain countries. Dan Ikenson of the pro-trade Cato Institute says trying to find a coherent strategy in all this can be mentally debilitating¹².

DAN IKENSON: My view is we need to distill¹³ the signal from the noise. The problem is, if there's a signal there, it's pretty weak.

ZARROLI: The divergent policies reflect the sharply differing views of Trump's economic team. It includes trade hawks¹⁴ such as Navarro and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and orthodox free-traders such as Mnuchin and National Economic Council head Larry Kudlow. But the president also appears to see sowing confusion as a bargaining tactic¹⁵ at a time when the U.S. is in negotiations¹⁶ with some of its major trading partners. Eswar Prasad is a professor of trade policy at Cornell University.

ESWAR PRASAD: The strategy, if one can call it such, seems to be that threats, bullying¹⁷ and some degree of unpredictability can gain the U.S. an upper hand in trade negotiations.

ZARROLI: Prasad says this may produce some short-term victories, but it could also erode¹⁸ trust in Washington among U.S. trading partners. Adding to the confusion has been Trump's unconventional willingness to mix trade and foreign policy goals. For example, Chinese telecom company ZTE was barred by the government from buying parts in the U.S. because it violated sanctions on Iran and North Korea. But Trump has said the punishments could be reduced as part of a trade agreement with China. Celeste Drake is a trade policy specialist at the AFL-CIO.

CELESTE DRAKE: It doesn't seem that saying we're going to go easy on ZTE because we've had some good discussions with China about some other things is really the best way to defend national security.

ZARROLI: Likewise, Trump argued that tariffs on steel and aluminum were needed to protect industries vital to national defense¹⁹. The global trading rules are changing, leaving U.S. trading partners confused about where Washington is going, and that may be what the administration is banking²⁰ on. Jim Zarroli, NPR News, New York.

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 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。

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 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。

5 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。

6 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

7 exempted   

使免除[豁免]( exempt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His bad eyesight exempted him from military service. 他因视力不好而免服兵役。
• Her illness exempted her from the examination. 她因病而免试。

8 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。

9 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

10 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

11 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

12 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

13 distill   

vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼

参考例句：

• This standard set determine the method of petroleum products distill.本标准规定了测定石油产品蒸馏的方法。
• Distill the crucial points of the book.从书中提炼出关键的几点。

14 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

15 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

16 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

17 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

19 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

20 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。