美國擬組建特別工作組監督中國貿易行爲

President Barack Obama plans to create a U.S. government task force designed to monitor China for possible trade and other commercial violations as part of a larger White House effort to get more assertive with Beijing this election year, two senior administration officials said.

兩位美國政府高級官員稱，奧巴馬總統計劃創建一個美國政府特別工作組，目的是監督中國可能存在的貿易及其他商業違規行爲，這是白宮在本大選年對北京採取更加強硬姿態的廣泛努力之一。

The group, called the Enforcement Task Force, will aim to enforce U.S. trade rules. Despite the generic name, officials said the group is specifically meant to target China. It will include officials from various government agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, the Energy Department and U.S. Trade Representative's office.

該機構名爲“履約問題特別工作組”(Enforcement Task Force)，旨在實施美國的貿易規定。儘管工作組的名字中未具體指明，但官員們說，它專門針對的是中國。工作組將包括各政府部門的官員，他們來自財政部、商務部、能源部和美國貿易代表辦公室。

Mr. Obama is expected to announce the initiative during or around his State of the Union address later this month. The committee─and Mr. Obama's broader effort to be tougher on China over currency, market access and intellectual property rights─also are expected to be on the White House's agenda when Vice President Xi Jinping of China visits Washington next month.

預計奧巴馬將在本月晚些時候發表國情諮文時或在那前後宣佈這一計劃。預計下個月中國國家副主席習近平訪問華盛頓時，該特別工作組將被列入白宮的議事日程中，同時被列入議事日程的預計還有奧巴馬在匯率、市場準入和知識產權問題上對中國採取更加強硬姿態的更廣泛舉措。

Part of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's mission during a trip to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday is to discuss the administration's plans with China's leaders, officials said.

美國官員們說，財政部長蓋特納(Timothy Geithner)週二、週三訪華的任務之一是與中國領導人討論美國政府的這一計劃。

The formation of the task force has significant political implications for the 2012 election. It is a large plank in Mr. Obama's broader intent to challenge China more, an effort he telegraphed during a trip through Asia last November.

組建“履約問題特別工作組”對2012年的美國總統大選有着重要的政治影響。這是奧巴馬更多挑戰中國的廣泛計劃的重要組成部分之一。去年11月，奧巴馬在亞洲之行期間展示了對中國採取更強硬姿態的努力。

China has emerged as an important issue in the Republican presidential candidates' battle. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has argued the U.S. needs to get tougher on Beijing. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's former ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, who also is running for the GOP nomination, has urged more caution in the U.S. approach. The two sparred over the issue in debates this past weekend, with Mr. Romney criticizing Mr. Huntsman's service in the Obama administration.

在美國共和黨總統候選人提名戰中，中國成爲一個主要議題。前馬薩諸塞州州長羅姆尼(Mitt Romney)一直說，美國需要對北京採取更加強硬的姿態。與此同時，也在爭取獲得共和黨總統提名的前駐華大使洪博培(Jon Huntsman)則敦促美國行動要更加謹慎。在剛剛過去這個週末舉行的辯論中，兩人在這個問題上展開了脣槍舌劍，羅姆尼批評洪博培曾在奧巴馬政府中任職。

Confronting China has cross-party appeal. Democrats, particularly organized labor, would like the U.S. to get tougher on Beijing. That stance also resonates among Republicans and business owners, who have expressed concerns about Beijing having an unfair economic advantage.

對抗中國這一話題對民主、共和兩黨都有吸引力。民主黨人士（特別是工會工人）希望美國對北京的姿態更加強硬。這一立場在共和黨人及企業主中也引發了共鳴，他們擔心北京擁有不公平的經濟優勢。

The White House declined to comment on the task force, the details of which officials said were still being worked out.

白宮拒絕就特別工作組置評，官員們說特別工作組的具體細節仍在研究制定中。

Members of Congress have increasingly pressured the White House to take a tougher tack with China. Lawmakers heap blame on the country for hurting U.S. employers and GOP presidential candidates criticize the administration's engagement with the world's second-largest economy. U.S. businesses have been pressing policy makers to pressure China to protect American jobs and intellectual property.

國會議員不斷向白宮施壓，敦促白宮對中國採取更加強硬的姿態。議員們紛紛指責中國損害了美國僱主，而共和黨總統參選人們則批評美國政府與世界第二大經濟體中國的接觸。美國企業一直在敦促決策人士向中國施壓，以便保護美國的就業崗位和知識產權。

"It's not a surprise to the business community that the administration wants to talk tough on China in an election year," said Myron Brilliant, senior vice president for international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We have serious issues that need to be addressed in the commercial relationship and the administration has to walk a fine line between engagement and enforcement."

美國商會(U.S. Chamber of Commerce)負責國際事務的高級副會長薄邁倫(Myron Brilliant)說，對於美國商界來說，美國政府在選舉年對中國態度強硬並不出人意料。他說，我們在商業關係上還有許多嚴肅的問題需要解決，政府需要在接觸和施壓之間找到平衡。

"The administration is sending a direct message to China that all actions are on the table and they won't hesitate to take trade and enforcement actions that are warranted," Mr. Brilliant said.

他說，政府正在向中國發出直接的信息，即所有行動都是明擺着的，他們會毫不猶豫地採取合理的貿易和施壓行動。

The formation of the new task force is being overseen by Mike Froman, the White House deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. It marks the latest step in a top-down review of the relationship with China, leading to a potentially larger role for Vice President Joe Biden in the dialogue between the two countries.

美國白宮負責國際經濟事務的副國家安全顧問弗洛曼(Mike Froman)負責新工作組的組建。這是全面審視對華關係的最新舉措，副總統拜登(Joe Biden)可能因此在兩國對話中發揮更大的作用。

The White House is exploring a variety of ways to challenge China as a trade partner, including a possible new trans-Atlantic partnership with the European Union, one senior administration official said.

一位高級政府官員說，白宮正在採取各種手段來挑戰中國這個貿易伙伴，包括可能同歐盟建立新的跨大西洋夥伴關係。

The world's two largest economies have grown increasingly aggressive in recent months on trade concerns. Both nations face the prospect of political transitions starting this fall, with widespread economic fears weighing on leadership in Beijing and Washington. Neither government wants to be seen at home as backing down given heightened concerns about job creation, setting the stage for more friction on issues ranging from currency to market access to intellectual-property protection.

美中這兩個世界最大經濟體近幾個月在貿易問題上變得越來越強勢。兩國從今年秋天開始都將面臨政府換屆，而兩國領導層普遍受到經濟擔憂的重壓。鑑於就業創造方面的擔憂加劇，兩國政府都不希望在國內被視爲退縮，從而有可能在從匯率、市場準入到知識產權等諸多問題上產生更多摩擦。

"The relationship is entering a difficult phase," said Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University professor of trade policy and former head of the International Monetary Fund's China division. "Given the political circumstances on both sides of the Pacific, there is going to be a hardening of positions."

康奈爾大學(Cornell University)教授、曾在國際貨幣基金組織(International Monetary Fund)任中國部門負責人的普拉薩德(Eswar Prasad)說，兩國關係正在進入一個艱難的階段，考慮到太平洋兩岸的政治環境，兩國的立場都會更加強硬。

The White House also faces mounting pressure from Congress to take a tougher position with China. Responding to complaints from U.S. businesses about what they see as an undervalued Chinese currency, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have pushed the White House to fight China more aggressively to protect U.S. jobs. A weaker yuan supports Chinese exports, making U.S. products less competitive.

白宮還面臨國會越來越大的壓力，要求對中國採取更強硬的立場。美國商界抱怨人民幣幣值被低估，作爲迴應，美國兩黨議員都敦促白宮更爲激進地對抗中國，以保護美國的就業。人民幣走低有利於中國的出口，使美國的產品競爭力下降。

A bipartisan group of 63 Senate lawmakers in October voted for legislation intended to punish China, through tariffs or penalties, for keeping the yuan low. The measure hasn't progressed in the House. China warned that it could spark a trade war, and the White House warned that it could be counterproductive.

由63名參議員組成的兩黨團體去年10月投票贊成一項通過關稅或罰款等手段懲罰中國低估人民幣的立法。這個措施沒有在衆議院取得進展。中國警告說這將會引發貿易戰。白宮警告說這將會適得其反。

The administration also opted not to label China a currency 'manipulator' in a semiannual Treasury report late last month, a move that would be largely symbolic. But Treasury said it would continue to press Beijing for greater exchange-rate appreciation, on top of the nearly 12% yuan appreciation against the U.S. dollar on an inflation-adjusted basis since June 2010.

在美國財政部於上個月末發佈的半年一次的報告中，美國政府沒有將中國列爲匯率操縱國，給中國貼上匯率操縱國的標籤基本上只會有象徵意義，而無實際效果。但是財政部說將繼續向北京施壓，要求人民幣匯率更大力度的升值。自2010年6月以來，人民幣經通脹因素調整後對美元升值近12%。

Meanwhile, the administration has been pressing China on a number of other trade concerns─on products from chicken to tires─through the World Trade Organization, the international arbiter of trade policies. Those efforts led China to slap tariffs on imports of some U.S. vehicles last month.

同時，政府還通過國際貿易政策仲裁機構世界貿易組織(World Trade Organization, WTO)在一系列其他貿易問題上向中國施壓，涉及從雞肉到輪胎等衆多產品。這些舉措引發中國上個月對從美國進口的部分汽車加徵關稅。