貿易英語閱讀文章
貿易是人類進行商品和服務交易的重要方式,同時也是推動人類社會前進和經濟發展的核心驅動力。下面是小編帶來的,歡迎閱讀!
1
歐元區經濟經受住英國脫歐首輪衝擊
The eurozone’s slow economic recovery appears to have weathered the initial shock ofBritain’s vote to leave the EU with a closely watched survey of business activity reaching itshighest level in seven months.
歐元區緩慢的經濟復甦似乎經受住了英國脫歐公投的首輪衝擊,一項備受關注的調查顯示,歐元區商業活動達到了7個月來最高水平。
The purchasing managers’ index — which measures orders, production and deliveries to providea snapshot of corporate health — rose in August to 53.3 from 53.2 in July; a reading above 50signals economic expansion.
8月份採購經理人指數PMI升至53.3,7月為53.2。該指數衡量訂單、生產和交貨情況,提供了企業健康概況,50以上表示經濟擴張。
Coupled with a rise in a separate eurozone economic sentiment indicator, published by theEuropean Commission, the data are the latest to confound expectations of a sharp drop-offfollowing the Brexit vote.
同時歐盟委員會European Commission釋出的歐元區經濟信心指標也出現上升。這些資料是一個最新證據,證明英國脫歐公投後經濟急劇下降的預期是錯的。
The figures tally with bank lending surveys and other confidence indicators indicating thereferendum has had little impact so far on the eurozone economy.
上述資料與銀行貸款調查和其他信心指數相符,這些調查和信心指數表明公投到目前為止對歐元區經濟幾乎沒有影響。
Even in Britain itself, data have been mixed. Some measures, including PMIs, point to a rapidslowdown in activity, while others, such as consumer spending, show little change. The trendcontinued yesterday with UK government data showing that sales of commercial propertieshad fallen sharply in July but residential sales held steady.
即使對英國本身來說,資料也有好有壞。包括PMI在內的部分指標指向經濟活動快速放緩,而消費者支出等其他指標則顯示變化不大。昨日英國官方資料也顯示7月份商業地產銷售大幅下滑,但住宅銷售保持穩定。
2
Protectionism Doesn't Pay
The global financial crisis is no doubt a catalyst for trade protectionism. As the world economy deteriorates, some countries try to boost growth prospects by erecting trade barriers. China calls on these governments not to replay history and revert to protectionism and economic isolationism.
Previous global economic crises were usually accompanied by frequent trade disputes. The United States' erection of large-scale tariffs in 1930, for example, triggered a retaliatory global trade war. During the two oil shocks in the 1970s and 1980s, trade frictions emerged when major economies attempted to increase exports by depreciating their currencies. And in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, there was a notable uptick in antidumping actions, countervailing duties and other protectionist measures.
The financial crisis is now spilling over into the real economy, hitting sectors like manufacturing and services. In almost all countries, factories are closing and unemployment is rising, creating political pressure and social problems. More and more governments are strengthening intervention in their economies under the excuse of 'economic security' and protecting vulnerable domestic industries to curb imports from other countries, especially those in emerging markets.
Trade protectionism differs from legally acceptable measures to protect trade. It is an abuse of remedies provided by multilateral trade rules. This kind of protectionism is morphing into more complex and disguised forms, ranging from conventional tariff and nontariff barriers to technical barriers to trade, industry standards and industry protectionism.
With the economic crisis worsening, caution must be taken even in employing trade protection measures consistent with World Trade Organization rules. At the Group of 20 Financial Summit in November 2008, world leaders called for countries to resist trade protectionism and committed themselves to refraining from erecting new barriers to trade and investment, a message strongly echoed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the end of last year, and the World Economic Forum held in Davos last month.
History tells us that trade protection measures hurt not only other countries, but eventually the country that erected that trade barrier in the first place.
To counter the Great Depression, the U.S. adopted the Smoot-Hawley Act in 1930, which raised import duties of over 20,000 foreign products significantly and provoked protectionist retaliation from other countries. Faced with that crisis, other countries pursued beggar-thy-neighbor policies that slashed global trade volumes from $36 billion in 1929 to $12 billion in 1932. Among the victims, not the least was the U.S. itself, where exports shrank from $5.2 billion in 1929 to $1.2 billion in 1932. Even in the U.S., the Smoot-Hawley Act was widely believed to be a catalyst that aggravated the effects of Great Depression.
Global trade is now in dire straits. Thanks to shrinking external demand caused by the economic crisis, major trading countries have seen their export growth tumble or have suffered huge contractions. Germany's exports dropped 10.6% in November 2008, compared to the same period the prior year -- the highest one-month drop since 1990. China also experienced negative export growth in November, and a 17.5% decline last month, when compared to the prior year. Protectionist policies would make things even worse and the consequences would be hard to predict.
In the heat of the crisis, it's critical that all countries refrain from pointing fingers at each other or pursuing their own interests at the expense of others. The financial crisis reflects a chronic illness resulting from global economic structural imbalance and financial risk accumulation, and there is no quick fix to this malady. The fundamental interest of every country is to step up consultation and cooperation and keep international trade smoothly flowing. Healthy international trade can help revive the world economy. During the Great Depression, the U.S. recovered from its economic woes because the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration implemented the New Deal and shunned protectionism.
Today's unprecedented financial crisis has inflicted a severe impact on China and other countries as well. China's economic growth has slowed, exports have plunged and unemployment pressure has mounted. Yet even so, China still firmly believes that trade protectionism isn't a solution to the world's problems. In 2008, amid a contraction in global trade, China imported $1.133 trillion worth of goods from countries around the world -- an 18.5% increase over the prior year. These imports are boosting the economic development of China's trading partners. Since the crisis broke out, the Chinese government has decisively put forward a series of measures aiming at stimulating domestic demand. Given the size and openness of our country, the growth in China's domestic markets can be translated into greater market potential and investment opportunities for other countries. This year China will continue to increase imports and send buying missions abroad for large-scale purchase of equipment, products and technology.
China has always championed our mutually beneficial opening-up policy and advocated international economic cooperation. We maintain that the Doha Round of global trade negotiations should be taken forward in a way that meets the interests of members and complies with the multilateral trading system already established. China is ready to stand together with all nations in the world to face up to the challenges of today, tackle the financial crisis through cooperation and guide the world economy into a new period of prosperity.
貿易保護主義無法拯救世界經濟
對貿易保護主義來說,全球金融危機無疑是一針催化劑。近一時期,隨著全球經濟形勢惡化,一些國家自危、自利、自保傾向抬頭。有識之士為此感到憂慮,呼籲各國在出臺經濟刺激計劃時,一定要防止貿易保護主義和經濟孤立主義的歷史重演。
歷次全球經濟危機往往都伴隨著貿易爭端的高發。1930年美國政府大範圍提高關稅,引發了全球範圍報復性貿易戰。上世紀七八十年代兩次石油危機時,主要國家放任貨幣貶值以擴大出口的作法引發了貿易摩擦。1997年亞洲金融危機之後,全球反傾銷、反補貼和保障措施案件明顯增多。
David Klein當前,金融危機已蔓延到製造業、服務業等實體經濟領域,各國工廠倒閉劇增,失業率上升,政治壓力和社會問題接踵而至。越來越多國家以“經濟安全”和保護本國虛弱產業為由加強政府對經濟的干預,阻撓其他國家特別是新興國家企業出口。
貿易保護主義不同於正當的貿易保護措施,它是對多邊貿易規則中救濟措施的濫用。從傳統的關稅和非關稅壁壘,到技術性貿易壁壘、行業標準等,以及產業保護主義,當前貿易保護主義的形式更加複雜多樣,隱蔽性更強。在危機加劇的背景下,即使符合WTO規則的保護措施也應慎用,這已成為各國共識。在2008年11月舉行的G20金融峰會上,各國領導人同聲呼籲抵制貿易保護主義,承諾在未來一年內,避免設定新的貿易和投資壁壘。年底的APEC領導人會議和今年初的世界經濟論壇達沃斯年會,再次發出了反對保護主義強音。
歷史是一面鏡子。任何針對他國的貿易保護舉措,不僅會損害對方,最終也會傷及自身。經驗告訴我們,大規模的貿易保護措施將使金融危機下本已嚴峻的經濟形勢更加困難。
1930年美國為了應對經濟危機,頒發了《斯姆特-霍利關稅法》,大幅提高超過2萬種外國商品的進口關稅,結果引起了其他國家的貿易保護主義報復。面對危機,各國以鄰為壑,全球貿易總額大幅縮減,從1929年的360億美元縮小到1932年的120億美元,美國自身也深受其害,出口總額從1929年的52億美元左右縮減到1932年的12億美元。這一法案即使在美國國內也被普遍認為是大蕭條加劇的催化劑。
如今全球貿易形勢已相當嚴峻:經濟危機導致外需衰退,各主要貿易國的出口增速已急劇下滑,甚至出現大幅萎縮。德國08年11月份出口額較前月大幅下滑10.6%,為1990年以來的最大單月降幅。中國08年11月以來出口連續出現負增長,其中09年1月出口下降了17.5%。如果未來貿易保護主義氾濫,使嚴峻的形勢雪上加霜,造成的後果很難預料。我們應該認真思索,這樣的後果世界能否承受,又是否值得承受?
危機當頭,重要的是各國攜手共克時艱,而非互相指責,以鄰為壑。金融危機是全球經濟結構失衡、金融風險積聚長期積累的結果,解決問題也不可能一蹴而就。當前加強磋商、增強合作,保持國際貿易渠道暢通,才符合各國的根本利益。國際貿易的健康發展,是推動世界經濟復甦的重要力量。當年羅斯福政府實行新政,與貿易保護主義決裂,帶領美國經濟走出低谷,推動了全球經濟的增長。
在這場前所未有的世界金融危機中,中國與其他國家一樣都受到嚴重衝擊。去年第三季度以來,經濟增速放緩,出口大幅下滑,就業壓力加大。即便如此,中國仍堅定認為,貿易保護主義是條死衚衕。在全球貿易萎縮的情況下,2008年中國從各國進口11331億美元的商品,增長18.5%,促進了貿易伙伴的經濟發展。危機爆發以來,中國政府果斷出臺了一系列擴大內需的措施。作為一個開放的大國,中國內需的提升可為其他國家提供更大的市場空間和更多的投資機會。今年,中國將繼續擴大進口,積極組織企業採購團,赴海外大規模採購,進口裝置、商品和技術。
中國始終奉行互利共贏的開放戰略,倡導國際經濟合作。我們主張積極推進符合各國利益與多邊貿易體制的多哈回合談判。中國願與世界各國一道,以開放迎接挑戰,以合作應對危機,共克時艱,推動世界經濟走向新的繁榮。