VOA慢速英语2012 Economics Report - Burma Places Hopes for Development in Foreign Investment

 

Economics Report - Burma Places Hopes for Development in Foreign Investment

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

Burma is in a good position to make big gains in Asia’s fast-growing markets. But development must include all of society and be sustainable for Burma to reach its goals.

That is what the Asian Development Bank said in a recent report.

Cyn-Young Park is an economist¹ with the bank. She says Burma’s economic position is strengthened by its natural resources, such as oil, gas and minerals. It also has two large, growing neighbors: India and China. And the nation is young: one in four of its citizens are under the age of thirty.

But Burma has a long way to go. After fifty years of military rule, it is one of Asia’s poorest countries. Basic infrastructure², like roads, bridges and railways, are not developed. And only thirty percent of rural people have electricity.

Burma is trying to increase foreign investment. Its civilian³ government is struggling to agree on a new foreign investment law. Recent versions of the law restrict foreign ownership in some industries and ban it completely in others.

Sean Turnell is an economist with Australia’s Macquarie University. He said the foreign investment law is now facing local disapproval⁴, or push back.

SEAN TURNELL: “There’s been a bit of a push back against some of the concessions⁵ granted to foreign investors⁶. In particular, there seems to be a walling off of some of the sectors⁷ from foreign investors.”

For years, Burma’s military closely controlled the economy. Relatives and friends of military members received rich contracts.

Now, the civilian government wants to expand services and manufacturing. It is considering giving foreign companies low tax rates so they will invest.

But experts say this could be a mistake. Sean Turnell says investors are concerned about infrastructure problems, not taxes. Economists⁸ also say tax breaks for local businesses may not be the answer either. They say the lack of access to credit for farmers and businesses in Burma is a bigger problem.

Reform in Burma is still in the early stages. The country recently announced new rules ending direct government censorship of news media. Reporters now must send censors⁹ their work after it is published, instead of before. Some reporters say they will wait to see if this means more freedom.

Cyn-Young Park says investors too are waiting to see if reform will succeed. 

CYN-YOUNG PARK: “It is really going to take a while before the investors do believe that this reform is sincere and the government is not going to retract¹⁰.”

The foreign investment legislation could be signed into law as early as this month.

And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. I’m Mario Ritter.

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

5 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

6 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 censors   

删剪（书籍、电影等中被认为犯忌、违反道德或政治上危险的内容）( censor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The censors eviscerated the book to make it inoffensive to the President. 审查员删去了该书的精华以取悦于总统。
• The censors let out not a word. 检察官一字也不发。

10 retract   

vt.缩回，撤回收回，取消

参考例句：

• The criminals should stop on the precipice, retract from the wrong path and not go any further.犯罪分子应当迷途知返，悬崖勒马，不要在错误的道路上继续走下去。
• I don't want to speak rashly now and later have to retract my statements.我不想现在说些轻率的话，然后又要收回自己说过的话。