美国国家公共电台 NPR For One U.S. Bike-Maker, Tariffs Are A Mixed Bag

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Back to the ongoing¹ trade conflict with China. The list of Chinese imports to the U.S. subject to increased tariffs³ runs 194 pages long. It includes things like frozen fish filets and bamboo furniture parts. The U.S. companies that depend on those items are evaluating what this means for their businesses, and that will determine how much consumers will pay. NPR's Yuki Noguchi has this report on how one business, a U.S. bike maker⁴, is affected⁵ by tariffs in ways you might not expect.

YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE⁶: When Zakary Pashak I moved to Detroit in 2011, the city was reeling. But Pashak saw opportunity.

ZAKARY PASHAK: What drew me to Detroit was the history, the music, the manufacturing. But, I mean, it was also the state that the city was in at that time.

NOGUCHI: The financial crisis had slammed automakers. Thousands were laid off. Many of those workers abandoned their homes. Pashak envisioned an urban revival⁷. Using those idle factories and workers, he wanted to build an American-made bicycle. That's how Detroit Bikes was born. As a domestic bike maker, Pashak is in a tiny minority. Nearly all bicycles sold in the U.S., 94%, come from China. At times, he endured ridicule⁸ at trade shows.

PASHAK: I'd get, you know, kind of surly bike mechanics coming up and telling me that my product stunk⁹ or, you know, whatever. There's definitely a fair bit of attitude in my industry.

NOGUCHI: But last September, the industry's tune¹⁰ abruptly¹¹ changed. The first round of tariffs upped the cost of imported Chinese bikes by 10%.

PASHAK: All of a sudden, I felt like, you know, the belle¹² of the ball or something.

NOGUCHI: Companies saw this rare U.S. bike maker as a potential partner. This month, the Trump¹³ administration upped tariffs - basically import taxes - by an additional 15%. Now several companies seeking to avoid those fees are considering hiring Detroit Bikes to manufacture bikes for their brands.

PASHAK: If these tariffs are still in place next year at this time, I would anticipate that would probably be quite good for my business.

NOGUCHI: But the tariffs aren't all good for Detroit Bikes. In fact, Pashak says the effects are so convoluted¹⁴ he's not sure yet whether they will ultimately help or hurt. For one thing, Detroit Bikes relies on imported parts, the lion's share of which come from China.

PASHAK: Like, the rims¹⁵, spokes¹⁶, the tires, the tubes...

NOGUCHI: Tariffs on those also increased 25%, driving up Detroit Bikes' expenses. To counteract¹⁷ that, Pashak is painstakingly¹⁸ evaluating each part to see whether cheaper alternatives are available elsewhere.

PASHAK: We'd want to be buying from Taiwan. Cambodia's sort of a new game, but it's sort of the new, you know, hot country, I guess, that everyone's trying to rush into.

NOGUCHI: Businesses like Detroit Bikes react to tariffs in many ways. Finding alternate sources of goods is a significant one. If Pashak succeeds in finding cheaper substitute parts, he keeps costs down on his $500 bikes. That then blunts the overall price increase for his customers. Economists¹⁹ like Amit Khandelwal call this substitution.

AMIT KHANDELWAL: The impacts of these wars depend heavily on the substitution effect.

NOGUCHI: Khandelwal teaches international business at Columbia University. He says some substitutes are relatively²⁰ easy to find. When China slapped retaliatory²¹ tariffs on American soybeans and corn, for example, buyers quickly turned to suppliers in South America. But finding replacements²² for things like bike chains or software chips is considerably²³ harder. You can't just gin up a factory.

KHANDELWAL: Generally, the more specialized²⁴ product often take longer to substitute.

NOGUCHI: And timing²⁵ is a key factor here. It's unclear whether the tariffs will remain for a week, a month or years. Businesses I talked to, from farmers to retailers²⁶, are reluctant to make big changes when they can't plan for the long haul. Zakary Pashak says he's already mapped out some ingenious - if complicated - workarounds if the tariffs stay put. It might involve a web of countries.

PASHAK: I can bring in Chinese parts to Canada at no tariff² code, bring in a Cambodian frame to Canada, or ship my American frames up to Canada, put the parts on them, and then import them into the country.

NOGUCHI: Doing so would relieve his tariff burden but would take months. In the meantime, he says tariffs might go away next week. So the easiest solution for many companies in the short run is to raise prices. Many of Detroit Bikes' rivals who rely on imported Chinese bikes say they'll have no choice. But Pashak says he's not sure if his company will follow suit.

PASHAK: It might be better for me strategically just to let all my competitors raise their prices because they have to.

NOGUCHI: He says he'll continue exploring options to make the tariffs work to his advantage. Yuki Noguchi, NPR News.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

3 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

8 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。

9 stunk   

v.散发出恶臭( stink的过去分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• Those rotten eggs have stunk the place. 那些臭蛋把这个地方弄得恶臭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A stunk made a bad smell in our yard last night. 昨天臭鼬在我们院子里弄得好臭。 来自互联网

10 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

11 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

12 belle   

n.靓女

参考例句：

• She was the belle of her Sunday School class.在主日学校她是她们班的班花。
• She was the belle of the ball.她是那个舞会中的美女。

13 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

14 convoluted   

adj.旋绕的；复杂的

参考例句：

• The snake slithered through a convoluted path.蛇在羊肠小道上爬行。
• The policy is so convoluted even college presidents are confused.这项政策太令人费解，甚至连大学校长们也是一头雾水。

15 rims   

n.（圆形物体的）边( rim的名词复数 )；缘；轮辋；轮圈

参考例句：

• As she spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened a little. 说时，眼圈微红。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Her eyes were a little hollow, and reddish about the rims. 她的眼睛微微凹陷，眼眶有些发红。 来自辞典例句

16 spokes   

n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动

参考例句：

• Her baby caught his fingers in the spokes of the pram wheel. 她宝宝的手指被婴儿车轮的辐条卡住了。 来自辞典例句
• The new edges are called the spokes of the wheel. 新的边称为轮的辐。 来自辞典例句

17 counteract   

vt.对…起反作用，对抗，抵消

参考例句：

• The doctor gave him some medicine to counteract the effect of the poison.医生给他些药解毒。
• Our work calls for mutual support.We shouldn't counteract each other's efforts.工作要互相支持，不要互相拆台。

18 painstakingly   

adv. 费力地 苦心地

参考例句：

• Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed. 原作的每一细节都经过了仔细研究，费尽苦心才得以重现。
• The cause they contrived so painstakingly also ended in failure. 他们惨淡经营的事业也以失败而告终。

19 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

21 retaliatory   

adj.报复的

参考例句：

• The process can take years before the WTO approves retaliatory action. 在WTO通过此行动之前，这个程序恐怕要等上一阵子了。 来自互联网
• Retaliatory tariffs on China are tantamount to taxing ourselves as a punishment. 将惩罚性关税强加于中国相当于对我们自己实施课税惩罚。 来自互联网

22 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

23 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

24 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

25 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

26 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。