VOA慢速英语2016 12国签署跨太平洋伙伴关系协定（在线收听）

 12国签署跨太平洋伙伴关系协定

Representatives of 12 countries have signed a major free trade agreement for East Asia and the Pacific.

来自12个国家的代表们签署了一项有关东亚和太平洋地区重要的自由贸易协定。

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was officially signed at a ceremony Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand. News media released pictures of some ministers rubbing noses. For native New Zealanders, rubbing noses is a sign of good will.

跨太平洋伙伴关系协定(TPP)是周四在新西兰奥克兰一个仪式上正式签署的，新闻媒体发布的图片显示有部长们摩擦鼻子相互问候，在新西兰土著的风俗中，摩擦鼻子表示善意。

The nations that make up the TPP are responsible for 40 percent of the world's economy. They include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan and Malaysia. The other nations are Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

签署TPP的国家占了世界经济的40%，这些国家包括澳大利亚、文莱、加拿大、智利、日本和马来西亚，其他国家还有墨西哥、新西兰、秘鲁、新加坡、越南和美国。

In a statement, U.S. President Barack Obama called the agreement a forward-looking trade deal that sets new, high ideals for trade and investment. He said the pact suspends thousands of taxes and supports a free and open Internet. Obama said it also prevents unfair laws that restrict the free flow of information. And, he added, that it includes strong words in support of fair labor policies and environmental protection.

美国总统巴拉克·奥巴马在声明中称该协定是为贸易和投资设定新的、更高理念的前瞻性贸易协定，他说该协定停止了数千种税收，并支持开放自由的互联网络。奥巴马说该协定还能预防限制信息自由流动的不公正法律，他说协定还严词支持公正的劳工政策和环境保护。

But the signing ceremony was, in some ways, only the beginning of a new process. The 12 nations have two years to ratify or reject the agreement.

但在一定意义上来说，该签署仪式只是一个全新过程的开始，这12个国家需要在两年内批准或否决该协定。

The United States Congress passed trade promotion authority for the president in June 2015. It requires Congress to either approve or reject trade agreements without adding to or amending them.

美国国会2015年6月通过了总统的贸易促进授权，要求国会批准或否决贸易协定，而无需增加或修改条款。

However, Congress has yet to consider the huge free trade agreement. It also will take some time to study the thousands of pages in the agreement.

然而，国会尚未考虑这份庞大的自由贸易协定，还需要一定时间才能研究完这份数千页的协定。

Michael Froman is the U.S. Trade Representative. He says his office will work to persuade members of Congress that the deal should be passed. He says the estimated increase to exports for the U.S. will be $350 billion a year.

迈克尔·弗罗曼是美国贸易代表，他说他的办公室将努力说服国会议员们通过该协定，他说估计可以将美国每年的出口增加3500亿美元。

The TPP is designed to cut tariffs, or import taxes, that free trade supporters say are barriers to trade. Without these barriers, supporters say, more goods and services will flow across borders, increasing trade and economic activity.

TPP还希望削减关税，自由贸易的支持者们称进口税阻碍了贸易。支持者称去除掉这些障碍可以使更多的商品和服务实现跨国境流动，促进贸易，活跃经济活动。

Gary Hufbauer is with the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He told VOA that, while tariffs will eventually be dropped, that will not happen immediately.

嘉利·胡弗博就职于皮特森国际经济研究所，他在接受美国之音采访时说，尽管关税最终会被削减，但不可能很快实现。

"..The barriers, the tariffs, in the case of goods, do not go to zero immediately. That takes some year, maybe about 10 years, depending on the product."

“就商品的关税来说，它不可能尽快降低到零，还需要大约10年的时间，这要看具体什么商品。”

Labor groups in the United States, however, oppose the TPP. They are concerned that low-cost imports will flood the U.S. market. This would drive prices down and limit the wages that American employers pay their workers.

然而美国的劳工组织反对TPP，他们担心廉价进口商品会冲击美国市场，这将导致价格下跌，限制了美国雇主支付给雇员的薪水。

Labor leaders have voiced opposition. They say trade agreements should protect wages and improve labor conditions for workers.

劳工领袖们也表示反对，他们称贸易协定应该保护薪酬并改善工人的劳动环境。

It remains to be seen when the TPP agreement will be voted on in the Senate. Gary Hufbauer says if the deal is not brought to a vote by July, the agreement might be voted on after a new U.S. president takes office next year.

TPP协定何时在参议院被表决尚未确定，嘉利·胡弗博说如果不能在7月份之前对它进行表决，那么该协定可能会在明年美国新总统上任后再接受表决。