VOA慢速英语2018 欧盟与中国讨论改革世界贸易组织

EU, China Discuss Reforming the World Trade Organization

The European Union (EU) and China have agreed to launch a working group that aims to propose reforms to the World Trade Organization.

欧盟和中国已经同意成立一个工作组，向世贸组织提出改革建议。

The move is considered an effort to update the international body responsible for settling trade disputes.

此举被认为是升级世贸组织这一负责解决贸易争端的国际机构所做努力。

High-level officials met in Beijing Monday to discuss trade and related issues.

高层官员周一在北京开会讨论了贸易和相关问题。

Most of the likely proposals from the EU are connected to trade measures and policies that are used in China. Many of the EU's concerns are similar to those expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump¹. His administration has ordered high tariffs² on about $34 billion in Chinese goods.

欧盟绝大多数可能的提案都跟中国采用的贸易措施和政策相关。欧盟的很多担忧都跟美国总统川普所表达的类似。川普政府已经下令对大约340亿美元中国商品征收高额关税。

The Trump administration announced Monday that it was considering restrictions³ on foreign investment in the technology industry.

川普政府周一宣布，该政府还在斟酌对科技行业的外国投资施加限制。

WTO reform not easy

WTO改革不容易

European Commission Vice⁴ President Jyrki Katainen has said reforming the WTO would take time and would not be easy. But he warned that, if nothing is done, "the environment for multilateral trade will vanish."

欧盟委员会副主席卡泰宁表示，对世贸组织进行改革需要时间也不容易。但他警告说，如果毫无作为，“多边贸易环境将会消失。”

China's state media have said Monday's meeting with EU officials was part of an effort to oppose "unilateralism and protectionism."

中国官方媒体表示，周一同欧盟官员的会晤是反对“单边保护主义和保护主义”努力的一部分。

But the EU wants reform efforts to deal with issues such as governments providing assistance to companies to make them more competitive. The EU also wants to stop what it calls the forced transfer of technology in exchange for being able to do business in a country.

但是欧盟希望通过改革措施解决诸如政府向企业提供补贴使其更有竞争力等问题。欧盟还希望停止它所谓的强制转让技术以换取市场准入问题。

Katainen said the two issues are "some of the reasons why the president of the United States is taking unilateral action."

卡泰宁表示，这两个问题是“美国总统采取单边行动的一些原因。”

He added that the issues have to be solved in an orderly way. He said the WTO needs to be updated to better deal with the current realities of the modern world.

他补充说，这些问题必须以有序的方式得到解决。他说，世贸组织必须进行升级，以更好地应对现代社会的现实情况。

"The EU is not siding with any party or any country, the only thing we are siding with is rules-based trade," said Katainen.

卡泰宁表示：“欧盟不会站在任何一方或任何国家一边，我们唯一支持的就是以规则为基础的贸易。”

Chinese state media have desCRIbed the talks as the EU and China joining in an effort to oppose U.S. trade policy that includes import taxes. China has strongly denounced U.S. tariffs on its aluminum⁵ and steel products announced earlier this year. The country also said it would place its own tariffs on U.S. products after the Trump administration recently announced tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods.

中国官方媒体将此次会谈描绘为欧盟和中国联合起来共同反对美国包括进口关税在内的贸易政策。中国强烈谴责美国今年早些时候对其铝和钢铁产品征收的关税。在川普政府最近宣布对500亿美元中国商品征收关税之后，中国也表示将会对美国商品出台自己的关税。

China has accused the U.S. of using "extreme pressure" and has promised to answer U.S. trade moves.

中国指责美国使用”极端压力“并承诺对美国的贸易举动做出回应。

A report in the state-operated China Daily noted⁶ how disputes with the U.S. had created closer ties between the EU and China.

《中国日报》的一份报告指出了中美之间的争端如何为中欧之间创造了更紧密的关系。

China's Vice Premier⁷ Liu He spoke⁸ to reporters with Katainen after the meeting Monday. He did not discuss the WTO reform working group directly. But, he said the sides agreed to reform the international "trade system and keep it advancing with the times."

中国副总理刘鹤在周一的会晤之后同卡泰宁一起出席了记者会。他并未直接提到世贸组织改革工作组。但他表示，双方同意改革”国际贸易体系并使其与时俱进。“

The meeting on Monday was held to prepare for a meeting of EU and Chinese leaders on July 16 and 17.

周一的会晤是为7月16日和17日举行的中欧领导人峰会预热。

Words in This Story

modernize⁹ –v. to make something better meet present needs

tariffs –n. taxes on imports or exports

multilateral –adj. involving more than one country or group

vanish –v. to disappear

transfer –v. to move from one place to another

unilateral –adj. involving one country or side

survey –n. a study in which people are asked questions about an issue in order to gain more information about what people think about it.

Advancing –v. moving forward

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。