East Asian nations have agreed to form an $80 billion fund to help each other fend off the effects of the global financial crisis. The fund could help boost confidence in the region's markets.
东亚国家同意设立一项800亿美元的基金，互相帮助抵御全球金融危机造成的影响。这个基金有可能帮助提高人们该地区市场的信心。
Leaders from East Asian countries agreed Friday to have the fund set up by the middle of next year.
东亚国家领导人星期五同意在明年中旬把这项基金建立起来。
Members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Japan, China, and South Korea will be allowed to dip into the money when faced with a financial emergency.
从而使东南亚国家联盟的成员国、日本、中国以及韩国在面临紧急金融状况时可以动用其中的资金。
Japan, China, and South Korea agreed to provide 80 percent of the funds, and Southeast Asian nations will give the rest.
日本、中国和韩国同意提供基金的百分之80，其余部分由东南亚国家承担。
Tim Condon is chief economist and head of research for Asia in the Singapore offices of investment bank ING. He says if it materializes the fund could be a sizable boost for Asia's financial markets.
蒂姆·康登是ING投资银行在新加坡办事处的总经济师和亚洲研究部负责人。他说，这个计划一旦实行，对亚洲金融市场将是一个极大的促进。
"The pressure they're under now I think is more related to just a panic, the ongoing panic in financial markets. And, I think, the thinking is the $80 billion could be used as sort of a backstop for the regional authorities, that when they do experience pressure, to fend it off," he said.
他说：“我认为，他们目前面对的压力更多和金融市场持续不断的恐慌有关。他们的想法是，这800亿美元可以作为某种后盾，使该地区有关当局在真遇到危机时可以用它保护自己。”
Condon says countries such as South Korea, where bank lending has been rapid, would see particular benefit from the fund.
康登说，象韩国这样银行借贷非常迅速的国家，会特别体会到这个基金带来的好处。
He says there is little else Asia can do as a region to fend off the effects of slowing global demand.
他说，除此之外，亚洲地区在抵御全球需求放慢所造成的影响方面，几乎无能为力。
"It's very difficult, I think, in the current environment," he said. "Asia is an emerging market region and the overwhelming sentiment in financial markets today is to reduce risk. And, emerging market assets are risky."
他说：“我认为目前的形势非常严峻。亚洲是一个新兴市场，当今金融市场大多数人的想法是降低风险。新兴市场的资产风险太大。”
Support has been growing for an Asia monetary fund as the financial crisis has hit the region's export industries.
随著该地区出口业受到金融危机的打击，支持建立亚洲金融基金的呼声越来越高。
The leaders of the 13 countries met early Friday in Beijing before the start of the Asia-Europe Summit. The summit with European leaders also is likely to focus on the global financial crisis.
13个东亚国家的领导人星期五早上在北京开会后，将与欧洲领导人举行亚欧峰会，这次峰会有可能着重讨论全球金融危机问题。
The East Asian fund will replace an existing, mainly bilateral currency swap mechanism called the Chiang Mai Initiative.
东亚基金将取代现有的双边货币互换机制“清迈协议”。
Asian leaders also agreed to improve monitoring of the region's financial market by creating an independent surveillance organization.
亚洲领导人还同意通过设立一个独立的监察组织来加强对该地区金融市场的监督。
The global financial crisis, which began with massive defaults on home loans in the United States, has spread rapidly as bank lending has dried up and consumer spending had dropped.
起始于美国大批房屋贷款无法偿的全球金融危机，目前已经迅速漫延，导致银行借贷枯竭，消费者支出下降。
Nations have been unveiling emergency spending plans and loan guarantees to prop up investor confidence but financial markets remain volatile.
虽然各国都在出台紧急开支计划并提供贷款保证，以此提升投资者的信心，但是金融市场仍然动荡不安。 |