US challenges China over cheap loans to aluminium producers
奥巴马卸任前夕再将中国诉至WTO
广州贸易翻译公司：美国在世贸组织提起名义上针对中国铝业的新案件，指控中国通过国内金融业提供人为低廉的资金以补贴本国工业。
US president Barack Obama has fired a parting shot at Beijing with his administration launching a challenge to one of the competitive pillars of the Chinese economy just a week before leaving office.
美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)在卸任一周前对北京方面采取行动，他领导的行政当局向中国经济的竞争支柱之一发起挑战。广州贸易翻译公司。
Yesterday, the US launched a new case at the World Trade organisation that is nominally targeted at the Chinese aluminium industry. The US and others have accused China of flooding world markets with underpriced aluminium, steel and other products in recent years.
昨日，美国在世界贸易组织(WTO)提起了名义上针对中国铝业的新案件。此前美国和其他一些国家已经指责中国近年向世界市场投放大量定价过低的铝、钢材等产品。
But according to US officials, the latest case, is aimed squarely at challenging how Beijing’s financial sector subsidises China’s industry via artificially cheap financing.
但根据美国官员的说法，最新案件针对的是北京方面通过国内金融业提供人为低廉的资金以补贴中国工业。
“We’re taking action to protect the workers — at home and around the world — who are hurt every day by these policies,” Mr Obama said. “China gives its aluminium industry an unfair advantage through underpriced loans and other illegal government subsidies. These kinds of policies have disadvantaged American manufacturers and contributed to the global glut in aluminium, steel, and other sectors.”
“我们正在采取行动保护国内乃至世界各地的工人，他们天天受到这些政策的伤害，”奥巴马表示，“中国通过低价贷款和其他非法政府补贴，为其铝业提供不公平的优势。这类政策使美国制造商处于不利地位，并加剧铝、钢材和其他行业的全球过剩。”
The move highlights how trade tensions between the US and China have been growing even before Donald Trump takes office in Washington.
此举突显出，即使在唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)尚未在华盛顿就职之前，美国和中国之间的贸易紧张就已升温。广州贸易翻译公司。
It is also a gift to Mr Trump. The incoming president has appointed a band of hawks to deliver on his campaign vow to crack down on China, which he said on Wednesday had “taken total advantage of us economically”. Should the US win the latest case, Mr Trump would be able to claim victory.
此举也是给特朗普留下的一份礼物。即将上任的总统已任命一个鹰派团队来兑现打击中国的竞选承诺。特朗普周三表示，中国“在经济上全面占了我们的便宜”。如果美国赢得最新案件，特朗普将能够宣告胜利。
Mr Obama’s administration has taken a more measured public approach towards economic diplomacy with China. But it has also rolled out a steady stream of trade cases against Beijing. Yesterday’s case is the 16th filed by the outgoing president against China at the WTO.
奥巴马政府迄今在对华经济外交上采取了更有分寸的公开姿态。但它也不断向北京方面提起贸易诉讼。昨日的案件是即将卸任的总统在世贸组织对中国提起的第16起诉讼。
The US has also mounted a steady stream of anti-dumping cases against Chinese steel and other products.
美国还不断对中国钢铁等产品提起反倾销诉讼。
“Our record of tough enforcement with China speaks for itself: When China cheats, we’ve been right there,” said Mike Froman, the US trade representative.
“我们对中国严格追究的记录本身就说明问题：当中国作弊时，我们就在那里，”美国贸易代表迈克•弗罗曼(Mike Froman)表示。
US officials have grown frustrated with China’s slow delivery of promised economic reforms and increasingly sceptical about the prospect for future reforms.
美国官员对中国在兑现经济改革承诺方面的迟缓感到沮丧，并对未来改革的前景越来越感到怀疑。广州贸易翻译公司。
That frustration has also been behind US resistance to granting China “market economy” status within the WTO, something Beijing claims should have been awarded automatically last month with the 15th anniversary of it joining the global trade body.
这种失望也是美国抵制在世贸组织内给予中国“市场经济”地位背后的因素，北京方面声称，中国应该在上月、即入世15周年之际自动获得这一地位。
The latest case is aimed at one particular area of US frustration: what the US sees as China’s overproduction of aluminium and its damaging impact on US industry.
最新案件针对美国感到特别恼火的领域：美国认为中国铝产量过剩，而这对美国工业造成破坏性影响。
The US claims that through artificially cheap loans China illegally subsidised its aluminium industry and caused an expansion of Chinese production and market share as well as a slump in global prices in recent years. Besides low-cost loans China also provides low-priced coal, electricity, and alumina to its producers, the US says.
美国声称，通过人为廉价贷款，中国非法补贴其铝业，并导致中国产量和市场份额的扩大以及近年全球价格的下降。美国称，除了低成本贷款外，中国还向其生产企业提供低价煤炭、电力和矾土。
“China’s subsidies have done enormous damage to the US and global aluminium industries,” said Michael Bless, chief executive of Century Aluminum.
“中国的补贴对美国乃至全球铝业造成了巨大损害，”美国世纪铝业公司(Century Aluminum)首席执行官迈克尔•布莱斯(Michael Bless)表示。
