美国牛肉成美韩自由贸易协定关键

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The United States and South Korea are each gearing up for a crucial vote to ratify a major trade liberalization deal. In South Korea, opponents of the pact are trying to block a separate compromise to open up the country to American beef imports - a crucial step in getting the free trade deal passed in Washington.

美国和韩国都在为举行批准一项重要的自由贸易协议的表决而加紧准备。在韩国，反对这项协议的人士试图阻止达成一项准许美国牛肉向韩国出口的单独妥协方案。如果要让这项自由贸易协定在华盛顿获得通过，准许美国向韩国出口牛肉就是关键的一步。

South Korean cattle farmers and their supporters came out in force, Thursday, one day before a scheduled parliament session expected to be dominated by debate about trade with the United States.

韩国养牛业界人士及其支持者星期四展开了强有力的活动。韩国国会星期五即将召开会议，预计其主要议题将是韩美贸易问题。

"Stop imports of U.S. beef!" shouts the crowd of nearly 10,000 people, in a street rally near Seoul.

将近1万人在首尔附近的一条街道举行集会，他们高喊：“停止从美国进口牛肉。”

U.S. beef imports were banned here after a single American animal was diagnosed with the fatal nervous disorder known as "mad cow disease" in 2003. The fatal disease can be transmitted to humans eating meat from an infected animal.

2003年，美国的一只牛被查出感染了致命的神经系统疾病疯牛病，随后韩国禁止从美国进口牛肉。人吃了感染疯牛病的牛肉有可能染上这种致命的疾病。

South Korea began resuming imports of boneless U.S. beef last April, then re-imposed the complete ban after bones were found in several shipments.

去年4月，韩国恢复从美国进口不带骨头的牛肉，但后来在几批进口牛肉中发现了骨头，于是再次全面禁止进口美国牛肉。

Last May, the United Nations effectively backed Washington's assertions that American beef is safe. Last week, South Korea announced it would fully re-open its beef market, removing the final political obstacle to a much broader trade liberalization deal between the two countries.

去年5月，联合国支持华盛顿有关美国牛肉安全的说法。上星期，韩国宣布将全面重新开放本国牛肉市场，从而消除了美韩两国签订广泛得多的自由贸易协定的最后一个政治障碍。

The purported health threat of U.S. beef imports is a rallying cry South Korean producers invoke interchangeably with the far more imminent economic threat.

韩国的养牛业界人士造成了一种声势，指称进口美国牛肉会对健康构成威胁，而且进口美国牛肉还被视为一种更迫在眉睫的经济威胁。

Fifty-six-year-old farmer Lee Chang-bae says the market price of cattle feed has doubled recently, and that it is getting impossible for farmers to live. He asks who will protect consumers' health, now that the import ban has been lifted.

一位56岁的韩国牧场主说，最近牛饲料的市场价格翻了一番，牧场主开始感到难以维持。他问道：如果取消了进口美国牛肉的禁令，谁来保护消费者的健康呢？

American agriculture officials point out there have only been two documented cases of mad cow disease in U.S. cattle - neither of which made it into the food supply. American beef producers are cynical about their South Korean counterparts' emphasis on health concerns - saying it is a mask for trade protectionism.

美国农业官员指出，美国只发生过两起记录在案的疯牛病病例，而且受到感染的牛肉并没有进入食品供应系统。美国牛肉业界人士对韩国同行强调健康问题的立场加以讽刺，并说这是为贸易保护主义做幌子。

"It's interesting to me that, when Koreans travel to America, no one thinks twice about having 'LA kalbi' or T-bone steaks. They don't think about their safety," said Tami Overby, the president and chief executive officer of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea.

奥弗比是在韩国的美国商会会长兼总裁。他说：“我觉得很有趣，韩国人到美国来，吃这里的无骨小牛排和带骨牛排的时候都毫不犹豫。他们从来没想过会有健康问题。”

Three of South Korea's liberal parties say they will open hearings Friday aimed at delaying or even blocking U.S. beef imports. President Lee Myung-bak's conservative Grand National Party, which won a majority in recent elections, is calling for a nationally televised debate on the issue, rather than parliament hearings.

三个持自由派立场的韩国政党表示，将在星期五举行听证会，目的是延缓甚至阻止进口美国牛肉。韩国总统李明博所在的大国家党持保守立场，该党主张就进口美国牛肉问题举行全国电视辩论，而不是在国会举行听证会。大国家党在最近的选举中赢得了国会的多数席位。

American lawmakers say failure to resume U.S. beef imports here in South Korea could seriously threaten the passage of the two-way free trade agreement signed last year. That deal, which covers everything from automobiles to insurance, would boost the already robust American-South Korea trade relationship by an estimated $20 billion a year.

美国国会议员说，如果韩国不恢复进口美国牛肉，就会严重影响去年签署的双边自由贸易协定在美国国会获得通过。这项协定的内容涉及从汽车到保险业的所有领域，如能获得通过，将进一步推动目前已经很强的美韩贸易关系。据估计，美韩每年的双边贸易额为200亿美元。