恐美贸易保护，日欧联手签约降关税
Posted: July 21st, 2018, 3:46 am
Japan, EU sign free trade pact amid worries about Trump
Stanley White
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the European Union signed a wide-ranging free trade deal on Tuesday that both sides hope will act as a counterweight(对等平衡之物) to the protectionist(贸易保护主义的) forces unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The ambitious trade pact(协定；公约；条约；契约), which creates the world’s largest open economic area, comes amid fears that a trade war between the United States and China will diminish(减轻、削弱) the role of free trade in the global economic order.
“There are rising concerns about protectionism, but I want Japan and the EU to lead the world by bearing the flag of free trade(扛起自由贸易的大旗),” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a news conference after the signing ceremony(签约典礼、签约仪式).
The United States this month imposed 25 percent tariffs(施加25%的关税) on $34 billion of Chinese goods to lower the U.S. trade deficit, and China quickly retaliated(报复) with an increase in tariffs on U.S. goods.
The Japan-EU trade deal is also a sign of shifting global ties as Trump distances the United States from long-time allies like the EU, NATO and Canada.
“We are sending a clear message that we stand against protectionism. The EU and Japan remain open for cooperation,” European Council President Donald Tusk, who speaks for the 28 EU national leaders, told reporters.
The deal removes EU tariffs of 10 percent on Japanese cars and 3 percent on most car parts. It would also scrap(废弃、解除) Japanese duties of some 30 percent or more on EU cheese and 15 percent on wines, and secure(获取) access to large public tenders in Japan.
Europe’s food sector is one of the biggest winners from the deal, which should allow it to capitalize on Japanese demand for high-quality cheese, chocolates, meats and pasta.
Japanese car and car parts makers are also expected to increase their sales to Europe, where they have lagged behind(落后、滞后) European rivals.
However, Japan’s dairy industry is expected to lose market share to European products once tariffs of up to 40 percent on some cheese imports start falling.
Japan and the EU also agreed on Tuesday to establish a regular dialogue(定期磋商) on trade and economic policy, with the first meeting to be held before year’s end.
The dialogue will be chaired by Japan’s trade and foreign ministers and the European Commission’s vice-president for competitiveness, both sides said in a joint statement.
Both Japan and the EU, having seen Trump pull back from free trade relationships, are keen to show they remain committed to removing barriers they say hamper growth, analysts said.
“Trade liberalization and market openness continue to march ahead in Asia-Pacific,” said Ajay Sharma, the regional head of global trade and receivables finance at banking and financial services provider HSBC.
EU accords(与……的协议) with Singapore and with Vietnam were at the ratification stage(处于批准阶段), while deals with Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand were being negotiated, he added.
A China-EU summit ended on Monday with a communique affirming the commitment of both sides to the multilateral trading system.
Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Japan and 10 other states on his first day in office in January 2017 and has pushed to renegotiate a free trade pact with Canada and Mexico.
Trump says he is taking a hard line(采取强硬措施、态度) on trade to protect U.S. workers and U.S. companies, but critics say his approach is upending(颠倒、对立) the rules of multilateral global trade.
Japan and the EU account for about a third of global GDP and their trade relationship has room to grow, according to EU officials, who expect the deal to boost the EU economy by 0.8 percent and Japan’s by 0.3 percent over the long term.
Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Clarence Fernandez
references:
1. distance: to act in a way that shows that you are not connected with someone or something, usually because you do not approve of them; to make or maintain a personal or emotional separation from; to place or keep at a distance
She distances herself from her coworkers.
The company is trying to distance itself from remarks made by the former director.
2. capitalize on something: to use an event or a situation to help you to achieve something or to get an advantage
He is trying to capitalize on popular discontent with the government.
3. pull back from: to decide not to do something that will probably have bad effects
The government has pulled back from sending the navy there.
4. account for: to form, use, or produce a particular amount or part of a group of people or things
Electronic goods account for over 30% of our exports.
source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-eu-trade/japan-eu-sign-free-trade-pact-amid-worries-about-trump-idUSKBN1K714I
extended reading:
新浪新闻：日本与欧盟签订经济协定 迈出背叛特朗普第一步？
对抗保护主义 欧盟与日本签署经济伙伴关系协定
The New York Times: The E.U.-Japan Trade Deal: What’s in It and Why It Matters
European Commission: EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
日本外务省网站/Economic Diplomacy/Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
Stanley White
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan and the European Union signed a wide-ranging free trade deal on Tuesday that both sides hope will act as a counterweight(对等平衡之物) to the protectionist(贸易保护主义的) forces unleashed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The ambitious trade pact(协定；公约；条约；契约), which creates the world’s largest open economic area, comes amid fears that a trade war between the United States and China will diminish(减轻、削弱) the role of free trade in the global economic order.
“There are rising concerns about protectionism, but I want Japan and the EU to lead the world by bearing the flag of free trade(扛起自由贸易的大旗),” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a news conference after the signing ceremony(签约典礼、签约仪式).
The United States this month imposed 25 percent tariffs(施加25%的关税) on $34 billion of Chinese goods to lower the U.S. trade deficit, and China quickly retaliated(报复) with an increase in tariffs on U.S. goods.
The Japan-EU trade deal is also a sign of shifting global ties as Trump distances the United States from long-time allies like the EU, NATO and Canada.
“We are sending a clear message that we stand against protectionism. The EU and Japan remain open for cooperation,” European Council President Donald Tusk, who speaks for the 28 EU national leaders, told reporters.
The deal removes EU tariffs of 10 percent on Japanese cars and 3 percent on most car parts. It would also scrap(废弃、解除) Japanese duties of some 30 percent or more on EU cheese and 15 percent on wines, and secure(获取) access to large public tenders in Japan.
Europe’s food sector is one of the biggest winners from the deal, which should allow it to capitalize on Japanese demand for high-quality cheese, chocolates, meats and pasta.
Japanese car and car parts makers are also expected to increase their sales to Europe, where they have lagged behind(落后、滞后) European rivals.
However, Japan’s dairy industry is expected to lose market share to European products once tariffs of up to 40 percent on some cheese imports start falling.
Japan and the EU also agreed on Tuesday to establish a regular dialogue(定期磋商) on trade and economic policy, with the first meeting to be held before year’s end.
The dialogue will be chaired by Japan’s trade and foreign ministers and the European Commission’s vice-president for competitiveness, both sides said in a joint statement.
Both Japan and the EU, having seen Trump pull back from free trade relationships, are keen to show they remain committed to removing barriers they say hamper growth, analysts said.
“Trade liberalization and market openness continue to march ahead in Asia-Pacific,” said Ajay Sharma, the regional head of global trade and receivables finance at banking and financial services provider HSBC.
EU accords(与……的协议) with Singapore and with Vietnam were at the ratification stage(处于批准阶段), while deals with Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand were being negotiated, he added.
A China-EU summit ended on Monday with a communique affirming the commitment of both sides to the multilateral trading system.
Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership with Japan and 10 other states on his first day in office in January 2017 and has pushed to renegotiate a free trade pact with Canada and Mexico.
Trump says he is taking a hard line(采取强硬措施、态度) on trade to protect U.S. workers and U.S. companies, but critics say his approach is upending(颠倒、对立) the rules of multilateral global trade.
Japan and the EU account for about a third of global GDP and their trade relationship has room to grow, according to EU officials, who expect the deal to boost the EU economy by 0.8 percent and Japan’s by 0.3 percent over the long term.
Reporting by Stanley White; Editing by Darren Schuettler and Clarence Fernandez
references:
1. distance: to act in a way that shows that you are not connected with someone or something, usually because you do not approve of them; to make or maintain a personal or emotional separation from; to place or keep at a distance
She distances herself from her coworkers.
The company is trying to distance itself from remarks made by the former director.
2. capitalize on something: to use an event or a situation to help you to achieve something or to get an advantage
He is trying to capitalize on popular discontent with the government.
3. pull back from: to decide not to do something that will probably have bad effects
The government has pulled back from sending the navy there.
4. account for: to form, use, or produce a particular amount or part of a group of people or things
Electronic goods account for over 30% of our exports.
source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-eu-trade/japan-eu-sign-free-trade-pact-amid-worries-about-trump-idUSKBN1K714I
extended reading:
新浪新闻：日本与欧盟签订经济协定 迈出背叛特朗普第一步？
对抗保护主义 欧盟与日本签署经济伙伴关系协定
The New York Times: The E.U.-Japan Trade Deal: What’s in It and Why It Matters
European Commission: EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
日本外务省网站/Economic Diplomacy/Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)