IN THE NEWS - East Asian Leaders Form New Group to Improve A

IN THE NEWS - East Asian Leaders Form New Group to Improve Area's Future
By Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Saturday, December 17, 2005

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Two meetings this week in Asia could set the direction for the future of world trade, and the future of Asia itself.

In Kuala Lumpur, leaders of sixteen countries held the first East Asia Summit¹. The leaders met Wednesday in the Malaysian capital to plan for a united future. They agreed to create a group that will work together to improve economic, security² and political conditions in Asia.

 
Participants of the EAS meeting in Kuala Lumpur
The new sixteen-member group will include both China and India.

The leaders represented the ten members of ASEAN, the Association³ of Southeast Asian Nations. They also represented Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

The sixteen-member group will represent about three thousand million people, half the world's population. And it will represent about twenty percent of world trade.

Both numbers are expected to increase in the future. An expert on Asia says it will have three of the four largest economies in the world by two thousand fifty.

Some Asian leaders say the new group is needed because East Asia does not want to lose trade and influence to the Americas and Europe. Supporters say the new group could become an economic force like the European Union in the future.

But that will take work. For now, the sixteen leaders from Asia and the Pacific have agreed to meet again next year. They plan to meet in the Philippine capital, Manila, just after the next ASEAN meeting.

The other big meeting in Asia this week is the ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization. There are protests⁴ outside, as at earlier meetings.

The W.T.O. has one hundred forty-eight members. It is the only international organization that negotiates⁵ trade rules. The last ministerial conference two years ago in Cancun, Mexico, ended without a new trade agreement. Objections⁶ by poor countries to agricultural support programs and trade barriers in wealthy ones were major issues.

The United States, the European Union and Japan said they have been trying to avoid such problems in Hong Kong. They announced plans for thousands of millions of dollars in aid to poor countries. They also announced plans to end import taxes on goods from some of these nations. Some officials, however, said the proposals⁷ came with too many conditions.

The W.T.O. had hoped for a free trade agreement by the end of last year on trade in farm and industrial goods and services. Now the hope is to have one completed by the end of two thousand six. But in Hong Kong Friday, Reuters news agency⁸ said rich nations were arguing over protected farm markets. And developing countries threatened to block any deal that did not give them better prices for bananas, sugar and cotton.

European Union Trade Commissioner⁹ Peter Mandelson said the talks were, if anything, "going backwards¹⁰." The meeting is to end on Sunday.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Nancy Steinbach.  I'm Steve Ember.

1 summit   

n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点

参考例句：

• They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山，最终达到了山顶。
• The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。

2 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

3 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

4 protests   

n.[体]抗议；抗议，反对( protest的名词复数 )v.声明( protest的第三人称单数 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• The protests have forced the government to back-pedal on the new tax. 抗议活动已迫使政府撤销新的税目。
• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。

5 negotiates   

谈判，协商，议定( negotiate的第三人称单数 )； 兑现（支票等）； 通过，越过（险要路段）

参考例句：

• Huifeng welcomes old and new customers cooperation, negotiates wholeheartedly! 新力竭诚欢迎新老客户合作、洽谈！
• It is the only international organization that negotiates trade rules. 该组织是唯一商讨贸易原则的国际性组织。

6 objections   

n.反对( objection的名词复数 )；异议；厌恶；反对的理由

参考例句：

• I think we can safely dismiss their objections. 我认为我们对他们的异议完全可以不予理会。
• The chairman overrode the committee's objections and signed the agreement. 主席不顾委员会的反对，径行签署了协议。

7 proposals   

n.提议( proposal的名词复数 )；推荐；求婚；赞成提案

参考例句：

• The director has given her assent to the proposals. 负责人已表示同意提案。
• The police gave the proposals their full backing. 警方对这些提案给予全力支持。

8 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

9 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

10 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。