Britain's armed services are to wear socks made in China after the firm which has supplied them for 80 years was dropped.
英国国防部决定弃用英国制造的袜子，转而为英军采购成本低廉的中国产袜子。
UK's Ministry of Defense has instead handed the contract to a Northern Ireland firm, Cooneen Watts & Stone, which manufactures its socks in China and will supply 2.5 million pairs over four years. Sock-maker HJ Hall, which is 128-year-old and has provided socks for the Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for 80 years, lost the 5-million-pound order this time.
英国国防部近日表示，一家名为“酷尼”的北爱尔兰公司在招标过程中赢得新合同。该公司在中国生产袜子，将会在未来4年为英军提供250万双袜子。而此前有128年历史的英国HJ Hall制袜公司为英国陆海空三军提供袜子已有80年的历史，此次却与价值5百万英镑的订单擦肩而过。
An MoD spokesman said: "Following an open tender process, a new contract to provide socks was awarded to Cooneen Watts & Stone, who offered the best value for money to meet our requirements. “英国国防部发言人称：“经过一系列公开温和的招标流程，‘酷尼公司’以其优良的性价比满足了军方的需求，从而赢得该合同。”
Anton Jenkins, HJ's sales and marketing director, said: "I don't think it's right that men who are out there defending the country in all weathers should be wearing the cheapest socks the MoD can get. With the greatest respect to the other company, we have been making socks for 120 years and have people who have been here for 40 years. That is what you are paying for."但HJ Hall公司市场营销负责人安顿-耶金斯称：“辛苦保卫国家的军人穿那些买来的最廉价袜子，我觉得这有点不应该。没有贬低其他公司的意思，但是我们公司已经做了120年的袜子，有的员工在这一呆就是40年。这是我们袜子的卖点所在。”
Warning of redundancies, Jenkins said: "Job losses are inevitable, whether it's voluntary or any other method, I don't know at this stage.
“失业是不可避免的，但我不知道会以怎样的方式裁员，”耶金斯说道，道出了国防部这一决定对该公司造成的不可避免的裁员后果。
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