The heads of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Wednesday briefed members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on global economic crisis and the just concluded meeting of world finance ministers that they attended in Britain.
国际货币基金组织和世界银行负责人星期三向美国参议院外交委员会成员简要介绍了全球金融危机以及他们在英国出席的刚刚结束的世界财长会议。
Dominique Strauss-Kahn and his counterpart at the World Bank, Robert Zoellick, came to the Capitol to seek U.S. support for emergency lending to countries in distress. The U.S. administration and western European countries are seeking a doubling of IMF resources so that the global agency is able to meet any emergency needs of its over 185 member nations. IMF chief Strauss-Kahn said he supports not only the increase in resources but also more voting power within the IMF for emerging economies.
国际货币基金组织总裁卡恩和世界银行行长佐利克来到国会大厦，寻求美国支持向那些处于困境的国家提供紧急贷款。美国政府和西欧国家正在谋求把国际货币基金组织的财力扩大一倍，以便使这个全球性机构能够满足其185个成员国的任何紧急需求。国际货币基金组织总裁卡恩说，他不仅支持增加该机构的财力，而且支持给予国际货币基金组织内的新兴经济体更大的投票权。
"I think it is not only unavoidable but certainly useful that in the coming months the governance of those institutions [IMF and World Bank] will be reformed," said Dominique Strauss-Kahn. "Because emerging countries and also low-income countries need more room, more voice, more representation."
卡恩说：“我认为，这不仅是不可避免的，而且在今后数月内这两个金融机构管理方面的改革中肯定是有用的。因为正在崛起的国家以及低收入国家需要更多的空间、更多的声音和更多的代表性。”
Unlike most international organizations, IMF voting shares are apportioned according to economic strength, meaning that the United States, Japan, and Western Europe have the most say. The IMF says it will revise the voting shares by 2011.
与大多数国际组织不同的是，国际货币基金组织是根据其成员国的经济实力按比例分配投票权重的，这就是说，美国、日本和西欧国家享有最大的发言权。国际货币基金组织说，在2011年之前，它将修订现行的投票权重。
World Bank president Zoellick expressed concern about trade protectionism and warned senators about the negative effects of countries restricting imports.
世界银行行长佐利克表达了对贸易保护主义的担心，并且告诫美国参议员，限制进口的国家会带来的负面影响。
"The danger of protectionism, whether of a creeping or overt type, would really make a situation that is very bad much worse," said Robert Zoellick. "That's what you did see in the 1930s and that does trigger a whole series of beggar-thy-neighbor policies."
佐利克说：“贸易保护主义的危险，无论是暗中的还是公开的，都肯定会使形势变得非常糟糕。这就是你在1930年代确实看到的情况，这种状况导致产生一系列的损人利己政策。”
Some analysts worry that the United States itself may be turning protectionist. The Obama administration has moved to restrict access to the U.S. market by Mexican trucks involved in cross-border trade. Mexico says the move violates the U.S.-Canada-Mexico free trade agreement, NAFTA, and is considering retaliation. The world economy is currently experiencing its worst slump in forty years.
一些分析人士担心，美国本身可能会转向贸易保护主义。奥巴马政府已开始限制涉及边境贸易的墨西哥卡车进入美国市场。墨西哥说，此举违反了美国、加拿大和墨西哥达成的北美自由贸易协定，并且正在考虑进行报复。世界经济目前正在经历40年来最严重的下滑。
The ranking Democratic and Republican members of the foreign relations committee voiced support for both the IMF and World Bank and indicated they will support legislation to provide more money to them.
美国参议院外交委员会里的重量级民主、共和两党议员表达了对国际货币基金组织和世界银行的支持，并且表示他们将支持为这两家金融机构提供更多资金的立法。 |