2006年VOA标准英语-India, US Aim to Boost Economic Cooperatio

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
05 March 2006

 
President George W. Bush, left, with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during meeting
  
Economic cooperation was a major topic during the recent visit of President Bush to India, with the United States agreeing to an ambitious three-year target for doubling trade. A delegation¹ of top American business executives also accompanied the president, keen to explore investment opportunities in one of the world's fastest-growing economies.

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As the president visited India, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman accepted a challenge from his Indian counterpart (Trade Minister Kamal Nath) to push bilateral² trade to $50 billion in three instead of five years, as earlier targeted. Bilateral trade stood at over $28 billion last year.

The optimism is based on the growing interest among American businesses in India's vibrant³ economy.

The head of the financial services company JP Morgan Chase, William Harrison, co-chairs a forum⁴ of 20 major American and Indian companies that is outlining a plan to boost commercial collaboration⁵.

Harrison says U.S.-based multinationals⁶ see India as an important destination as it catches up with the other booming economy in the region - China. "You can't be a global CEO (Chief Executive Officer) today, doing your job and not really focusing on how you can do business in India. You just can't be. And, by the way, a lot of people love to compare China and India. It is not an 'either-or.' I think for most big multinational⁷ companies, you have got to be looking at both of them because they are both right at the top of the list of where you have got to be to do business in the future," he said.

Dozens of U.S. businesses already have a foothold in India. Technology companies Microsoft and Cisco have invested billions of dollars developing research centers in India to use its pool of skilled talent.

Other multinationals are targeting India's 300 million middle-class consumers, who buy Levis jeans, aspire⁸ to own a Ford⁹ car, and frequent McDonalds and Pizza Hut outlets¹⁰.

And the American defense¹¹ industry wants to sell warplanes and high-tech¹² weapons to India as the political relationship between the two nations enters a new phase.

Indian Finance Minister P. Chidambaram told the visiting business executives the country wants more U.S. investment, especially to revamp its overburdened infrastructure¹³. "For the U.S. side it means a great opportunity, an opportunity to invest in India, in our roads, our rail network, or airports and seaports¹⁴, to use your acknowledged strengths in the financial sector¹⁵ and invest in our insurance sector and banking¹⁶ sector," he said.

But American businesses say India has to liberalize more rapidly, especially in fast-growing services such as banking, insurance and retail¹⁷, if U.S. investment there is to reach its potential.

JP Morgan Chase Chairman Harrison identifies other factors that intimidate¹⁸ American businesses thinking of increasing their stake in India. "It is infrastructure first, lack of infrastructure, and secondly¹⁹ the perception, real or not, of the bureaucracy, of doing business here; whether that is getting permits to do business, or getting licenses²⁰; whether it is the delay in the court system to settle contract disputes or whatever it is, there is a perception there that we think [all this] could be facilitated [speeded up]," he said.

The Indian-American business forum has several recommendations for removing obstacles to cooperation. These include speeding up infrastructure development in India, making Bombay a regional hub for the financial operations of U.S. companies, and increasing cooperation between top technical institutes.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

3 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

6 multinationals   

跨国公司( multinational的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These local companies are only small fry compared with the huge multinationals. 同那些跨国公司比，这些当地的公司不过是小鱼小虾。
• Some people believe that the multinationals have too much power. 有人认为跨国公司的权力太大了。

7 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

8 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

9 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

10 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

13 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

14 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

16 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

17 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

18 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

19 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

20 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句