2006年VOA标准英语-APEC Summit Opens This Weekend

By Deborah Block
Washington, DC
17 November 2006
 
watch APEC Summit Preview

This weekend (Saturday and Sunday) APEC -- the 21 economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group -- is having a summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.  The agenda includes creating a free-trade zone across the Pacific Ocean, dealing¹ with potential epidemics³ such as bird flu, and fighting terrorism.  APEC leaders also hope to restart world trade negotiations⁴. But as VOA's Deborah Block reports North Korean nuclear issues threaten to overshadow the talks.

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George W. Bush waves to students after delivering a speech at National University of Singapore Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006  
  
Security in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, was increased as the city prepared to receive many of the world's most powerful leaders for the APEC Summit.  They include U.S. President George W. Bush, Chinese leader Hu Jintao, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  The 21 APEC countries account for more than half of all world trade.

High on the summit's agenda is the controversy⁵ over North Korea and Iran's nuclear programs.  Representatives from the United States, Australia and Japan held a meeting Thursday in Hanoi where they discussed their concerns.  

Alexander Downer  
  
Alexander Downer is Australia's Foreign Minister. "It was a very good opportunity to talk about where we're at in terms of North Korea and also Iran. This trilateral strategic dialogue is becoming an important component⁶ of the relations between Japan, the United States and Australia. We are three democracies, we have liberal economies, the United States has alliances with both Japan and Australia, so we have a lot of common views and significantly common outlook on some of the big issues facing the region."

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this week that North Korea must come to new disarmament talks ready to deal or their would be no point in holding the session. 

But organizers hope trade issues will be at the forefront of the meeting whose major focus is expected to be the deadlocked⁷ Doha Development Agenda. The World Trade Organization plan would raise less developed nations out of poverty by increasing trade between poorer and richer countries. The latest round of talks on the strategy in July failed to reach an agreement on lowering import taxes and subsidies⁸ protecting farmers in the U.S. and Europe.  

Jeffrey Schott   
  
Jeffrey Schott works on international trade policy issues at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a private research firm in Washington.  "In order to resume the negotiations, the major trading nations, the United States, European Union, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Brazil and others will have to commit the improve the offers they have on the table to reduce their trade barriers, to reduce their level of trade distorting subsidies, and to provide greater access to their markets for poorer countries."

The United States supports setting up a free trade zone across the Pacific Ocean.  But the idea has sparked concern among some APEC members, who fear that businesses in less developed countries might not be able to compete with richer ones. 

APEC leaders will also call for a regional approach to fight bird flu. They will encourage more involvement by the private sector⁹ to ensure business, trade and essential services will continue if there is an epidemic².   Bird flu has killed at least 150 people worldwide since the virus first infected Asian poultry¹⁰ stocks in 2003. 

Politically, Japan is likely to try to re-build strained relations with China and South Korea. 

Since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, President Bush has used the annual meeting as a platform to discuss security issues.  On his way to the APEC meeting in Hanoi, he stopped in Moscow to meet with President Putin, and then flew to Singapore where he attended a dinner with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  President Bush wants to reassure¹¹ Asian allies that the U.S. has a long-term commitment to the region.

After the APEC summit, the president heads to Indonesia for talks Monday with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.  Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and many are concerned about the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Azyumardi Azra, president of the State Islamic University in Indonesia, thinks it is likely that conflict will be discussed. "We know that now the situation is far from being resolved in the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, so this is still one of the biggest problems that affects the Indonesian people's perception of the U.S. administration."

The U.S. and Indonesian leaders are expected to focus on terrorism, poverty, education and corruption¹².

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

3 epidemics   

n．流行病

参考例句：

• Reliance upon natural epidemics may be both time-consuming and misleading. 依靠天然的流行既浪费时间，又会引入歧途。
• The antibiotic epidemics usually start stop when the summer rainy season begins. 传染病通常会在夏天的雨季停止传播。

4 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

5 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

6 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

7 deadlocked   

陷入僵局的；僵持不下的

参考例句：

• The plan deadlocked over the funds. 这个计划由于经费问题而搁浅了。
• The meeting deadlocked over the wage issue. 会议因工资问题而停顿下来。

8 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

10 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

11 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

12 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。