美国选战大议题 自由贸易功与过

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Amid a weakening U.S. economy, America's foreign-trade policy has become a contentious issue in the presidential race. Both major Democratic Party candidates say free-trade pacts have harmed American workers, while the presumed Republican nominee - as well as President Bush - are defending trade as necessary and economically beneficial.

在美国经济日益疲软的情况下，美国的对外贸易政策已经在这次总统竞选中成为引起争论的议题。民主党的两位主要参选人都说自由贸易伤害了美国工人，而可望获得提名的共和党候选人以及布什总统却辩护说贸易是必要的，对经济有好处。

America's economy has undergone a transformation in recent decades, with millions of manufacturing jobs transferred overseas. At the same time, much of the job growth recorded in the United States has come in the service sector, often at lower wages and with fewer benefits than the manufacturing jobs that once formed the backbone of the U.S. economy.

美国经济在近几十年里经历了转型，数以百万计的工作岗位转移到了海外。与此同时，在美国就业增长统计中，有很大一部分出自服务行业，往往比一度构成美国经济支柱的制造业的工作薪水低，福利待遇少。

Despite this trend, U.S. gross domestic product has nearly tripled during the past 20 years, with unemployment rates that rarely rise above six percent. But America's strong overall economic performance does not appear to have boosted the public's perceptions of the benefits of trade.

尽管出现了这种趋势，美国的国内生产总值在过去20年间翻了将近两番，失业率很少有超过6%的时候。但是美国强劲的总体经济表现似乎没有增强人们对贸易好处的认识。

Recent polls show declining support for pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. The agreement, known as NAFTA, was negotiated in the 1990s between the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is particularly unpopular in states like Ohio that have seen entire industries relocate overseas.

近来的民意调查显示，北美自由贸易协议之类的条约所获得的支持率正在下降。这项协议是在1990年代由美国、加拿大和墨西哥谈判达成的。在像俄亥俄州这样的各种工业迁到海外的一些州，这项协议尤其不得人心。

At a recent Democratic presidential debate in Ohio, Illinois Senator Barack Obama said trade pacts like NAFTA have harmed American workers and their communities.

最近在俄亥俄州举行的民主党总统竞选辩论中，伊利诺伊州参议员奥巴马说，像北美自由贸易协议这样的贸易条约伤害了美国工人和他们的社区。

"If you travel through Youngstown [Ohio] and you travel through communities in my home state of Illinois, you will see entire cities that have been devastated as a consequence of trade agreements that were not adequately structured to make sure that U.S. workers have a fair deal," said Senator Obama.

他说：“如果你到俄亥俄州的洋兹城和我的家乡伊利诺伊州的社区走一趟，你会看到整个城市陷于萧条，这是贸易协议的一个后果。这些贸易协议没有写上充分的条款来保证美国工人得到一个公平协议。”

Obama stressed he is not anti-trade, but wants to make sure that future trade pacts include labor, safety and environmental standards to protect American workers and consumers.

奥巴马强调他不反对贸易，但是他要确保未来的贸易条约必须包括劳工、安全和环保等方面的标准，来保护美国工人和消费者。

His Democratic rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, had a similar message.

他的同党对手、纽约州参议员希拉里.克林顿发出了类似的信息。

"I have seen the factories close and move," said Senator Clinton. "We need to have a plan to fix NAFTA. I would immediately have a trade time out. [temporary halt]"

她说：“我看到了工厂关门和搬迁。我们需要有一个修改北美自由贸易协议的计划。”

But if Democrats are sounding protectionist themes, not so Republicans. The presumed Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain, recently said that NAFTA has created jobs in the United States, and that erecting trade barriers would be self-defeating.

如果说民主党人似乎发出了保护主义的呼声，共和党人却不是这样。有望获得共和党候选人提名的亚利桑那州参议员麦凯恩最近说，北美自由贸易协议在美国创造了就业机会，而设置贸易壁垒将会是自取失败。

Thursday, President Bush echoed those words.

上星期四，布什总统应声附和了麦凯恩的话：

"Free trade is essential to the formation of high-paying quality jobs," said President Bush.

“自由贸易对于创造高薪高品质的工作机会是至关重要的。”

Mr. Bush added that dismantling or rejecting trade pacts would anger and alienate U.S. allies.

布什还说，撕毁或者反对贸易条约将会激怒并且疏远美国的盟友。

In recent years, the U.S. Congress has approved free-trade deals with Central American nations and Peru. Approval is pending for similar pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.

近年来，美国国会批准了同中美洲国家以及秘鲁的自由贸易协议。美国跟哥伦比亚、巴拿马和韩国达成的类似协议正在等待批准。

Stu Rothenberg, who publishes a political newsletter in Washington, says in the current political climate, with a weakened U.S. economy, getting the Democratically-controlled Congress to approve further trade deals will be difficult.

在华盛顿出版发行一份政治刊物的斯图.罗森堡说，在当前的政治气候下，由于美国经济疲弱不振，要让民主党控制的国会批准更多的贸易协议将是困难的。

"Democrats believe that the evolution of the U.S. economy is a function of jobs going overseas, and they regard the loss of those [manufacturing] jobs as a huge problem for the country," said Stu Rothenberg. "The way they often put it is that high-paid, skilled manufacturing jobs go overseas, and in place we get more people serving hamburgers at McDonalds."

罗森堡说：“民主党人认为，美国经济的演变是就业机会流向海外的作用，他们把那些制造业的工作流失看作是这个国家的一个极大问题。他们经常的说法是高薪的、技能型的制造业工作远走海外，而我们换来的却是有更多人在麦当劳卖汉堡包。”

Rotherberg says, on the whole, Americans have grown wary of free trade. But he is quick to add that the sentiment is not uniform. He notes that in U.S. regions that depend on exports, especially in agriculture, voters tend to reject protectionism.

罗森堡说，总的来看，美国人对于自由贸易变得警觉起来。不过，他补充说，这种情绪并不是普遍一致的。他指出，在美国一些依赖出口的地区，特别是在农业方面，选民们趋向于反对保护主义。

"[In] many Midwest states, people in Kansas and Nebraska tend to be very [supportive of] free trade, because exporting U.S. agricultural products is absolutely crucial to them," he said.

他说：“在中西部许多州，在堪萨斯州和内布拉斯加州的人往往非常支持自由贸易，因为出口美国农产品对于他们来说是绝对重要的。”

Rothenberg notes that many of the states where trade is contentious issue - like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania - are so-called "swing states" in the presidential race, where neither party can automatically assume victory.

罗森堡指出，贸易问题成为争论性议题的许多州，比如俄亥俄、密西根和宾夕法尼亚等州，是在总统竞选中所谓的“摇摆不定的州”。在这些州，任何一个政党都不能轻言胜券在握。

In 2004, George Bush's win in Ohio gave him the electoral votes he needed to surpass his Democratic rival, John Kerry, and win re-election. Ohio is certain to be a major target for the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, and if the current debate among candidates is any indication, trade will remain a central campaign issue in the months ahead.

2004年，乔治.布什在俄亥俄州取得的胜利给予他超过民主党对手约翰.克里所需要的选举人票而再次当选。俄亥俄州肯定是获得提名的民主党总统候选人的必争之地。如果当前候选人之间的辩论有任何指标意义，那就是，贸易将在今后几个月继续作为选战的一项核心议题。