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VOA慢速英语2014 China Plans Economic Reforms as its Economy Slows 中国计划经济改革应对经济增长放缓

时间:2014-02-08 14:46:47

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China Plans Economic Reforms as its Economy Slows 中国计划经济改革应对经济增长放缓

Hello there!  Welcome to As It Is.  I’m Steve Ember in Washington. 

Twenty years have passed since South Africa ended its system of racial separation, known as apartheid.  Under apartheid, a white minority ruled the country, while the rights of non-whites were limited.  Many people wondered what would happen to the South African economy after the minority government left office.  Today we look at how the economy is doing now.    

But first, we turn to economic conditions in China.  Mario Ritter tells us how China’s economic growth is slowing.  

China Plans Economic Reforms as its Economy Slows 

For the past 30 years, economic growth in China has lifted millions of people out of poverty.  The country is now a world power, second only to the United States.  But its growth has slowed, and social problems are increasing.  Many people now agree that China must change the economic model it has used since the 1980s.

Experts say China has been too dependent on cheap or low-cost labor1, cheap exports and cheap resources like coal to fuel its economic growth.  Now, as wages rise, the world economy continues to struggle, and Chinese citizens are increasingly worried about the environment and pollution.

Yang Jisheng is a Chinese journalist. 

He says the country cannot continue to operate as it has.  A new model is needed, he says.  He adds there has been talk of a new model for more than 10 years but change has not been possible under the current system.  So what China needs now, he says, is even more reform. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials met recently to discuss plans for dealing2 with the country’s problems over the next five to 10 years.  The official Xinhua news agency reported on the four-day-long-meeting.  It said the Communist Party suggested a greater role for the free market in China’s state-controlled economy.

David Kelly works in Beijing for the group China Policy.  He says one problem facing China is its state-owned businesses.  They are politically powerful and have controlled large parts of the country’s economy for many years.  Experts say these companies have demonstrated more power than some government ministries3.  They are also a source of corruption4, a problem the new leadership has promised to deal with.  China’s leadership has called its campaign against corruption, a life or death struggle for the Communist Party.

“The other thing is the world financial crisis, which leaves China with a slowing growth rate, which it has to now really believe, even though it has mouthed this before, that it is real.  So, these things mean that, I would say that you cannot use the textbook, for what we know about the function of the third plenum, it is likely to have some extraordinary items.”

Chinese economist5 Mao Yushi agrees that political reforms are needed, but he is not sure they will be carried out.  Mao Yushi says the new leadership’s efforts against corruption are welcome.  But he says the campaign has yet to gain strength. 

In his words, “The real root of this problem is the public’s ability to exercise oversight6 of the Communist Party.  And recently the government has been tightening7 its controls of speech and oversight.”

I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Steve Ember.  You are listening to As It Is from VOA Learning English. 

 

Report Praises South Africa’s Economic Progress  

The banking8 company Goldman Sachs recently praised South Africa for its growing economy over the past 20 years.  We have more on the story from our economics reporter, Mario Ritter

Colin Coleman works for the company.

“South Africa in the last year has tended to have a motional, somewhat negative reaction both domestically and internationally.  And my view is that we needed to kind of get some perspective on the past 20 years as to what’s been achieved in order to get a better balance in the debate.”

The report notes changes to the South African economy over the past 20 years.  For example, the value of all goods and services produced in the country jumped from $136 billion to $400 billion.  And, the percentage of homes with electricity increased from 60 to 85.

“When you look back at what Nelson Mandela inherited in May when he became president, it was (a) really bitter pill.  Because you had an indebted nation that had no money, there was growing below population growth with huge unemployment, huge racial disparities, a very volatile9 political social environment.  Effectively that gave way to a golden period of growth, low inflation, bringing the debt down and an extraordinary performance until the global financial crisis.”

The report says the amount of money collected in taxes increased from $114 billion in 1994 to $814 billion.  And the total value of companies traded on the Johannesburg stock market rose from $3 billion to $50 billion.

South Africans are not always happy about the direction of the economy.  But business leaders and economists10 were pleased to see a long-term look at some of the improvements.

Joanne Yawitch heads the National Business Initiative.  The organization works on efforts to help strengthen the economy.

“There’s often a lot of doom11 and gloom talk about South Africa, but what the report did point out is some fairly significant achievements over the last 20 years.  In particular, there has been an increase in productivity, an increase in employment, there has been a huge increase in the number of people in the middle class -- quite a substantial improvement in the quality of life of a great number of people, as well as some significant problems.”

But the country still has problems.  The report notes South Africa’s education system continues to struggle, and the unemployment rate remains12 at about 24 percent.  It says 70 percent of those jobless are under age 34.  There are also great racial inequalities, especially in terms of earnings13.  The report says 85 percent of blacks are poor, while 87 percent of whites are middle to upper class.

There have been criticisms of the report.  Some people say it depends heavily on general information, not cultural evidence.

Tracy Ledger14 is a research fellow with the Public Affairs Research Institute at Wits University in Johannesburg. 

“I don’t think that there is an adequate enough analysis or understanding of the real drivers of poverty in South Africa.”

She notes that rising wages are a result of the high cost of living.

Joanne Yawitch agrees with some of the criticisms.  But she says the report shows the country has come a long way.

“I think the reality certainly for me -- I mean I grew up under apartheid and have spent 20 years in this democracy -- is that life in South Africa is a lot better for most people than it ever was.  But there are very, very big things that still have to happen.  And I think that’s what the report draws our attention to, is that it’s a long journey and that we’ve made progress and must carry on.”

And that’s As It Is for today.  VOA world news is coming up at the top of the hour, Universal time.

I’m Steve Ember.  Thanks for joining us and we’ll see you next week.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
2 dealing NvjzWP     
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。
3 ministries 80c65392682fb821af91521513be1259     
(政府的)部( ministry的名词复数 ); 神职; 牧师职位; 神职任期
参考例句:
  • Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
  • The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。
4 corruption TzCxn     
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。
5 economist AuhzVs     
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。
6 oversight WvgyJ     
n.勘漏,失察,疏忽
参考例句:
  • I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
  • Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。
7 tightening 19aa014b47fbdfbc013e5abf18b64642     
上紧,固定,紧密
参考例句:
  • Make sure the washer is firmly seated before tightening the pipe. 旋紧水管之前,检查一下洗衣机是否已牢牢地固定在底座上了。
  • It needs tightening up a little. 它还需要再收紧些。
8 banking aySz20     
n.银行业,银行学,金融业
参考例句:
  • John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
  • He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。
9 volatile tLQzQ     
adj.反复无常的,挥发性的,稍纵即逝的,脾气火爆的;n.挥发性物质
参考例句:
  • With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定,投资冒着很大的风险。
  • His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱,喜怒无常。
10 economists 2ba0a36f92d9c37ef31cc751bca1a748     
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》
11 doom gsexJ     
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定
参考例句:
  • The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
  • The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。
12 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
13 earnings rrWxJ     
n.工资收人;利润,利益,所得
参考例句:
  • That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
  • Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。
14 ledger 014xk     
n.总帐,分类帐;帐簿
参考例句:
  • The young man bowed his head and bent over his ledger again.那个年轻人点头应诺,然后又埋头写起分类帐。
  • She is a real accountant who even keeps a detailed household ledger.她不愧是搞财务的,家庭分类账记得清楚详细。

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