2007年VOA标准英语-US-South Korea Trade Deal Faces Opposition

By Dan Robinson
Washington
14 June 2007

A proposed free trade agreement between the United States and South Korea is still facing opposition¹ from some members of Congress. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.

Objections center on concerns it will hurt rather than help U.S. consumers, and worries that goods manufactured in North Korea could end up entering the United States at some point.

House Democrats³ assert that the deal could allow goods manufactured in the North Korean Kaesong industrial complex run jointly⁴ with South Korea, to be incorporated into products that could enter the United States.

In a hearing of the House subcommittee on trade, critics such as California Democrat² Brad Sherman said the agreement raises the possibility that products in any region in North Korea designated as a special processing zone and granted a form of sovereignty could be admitted under the deal.

However, Republican Ed Royce, and one of two Bush administration witnesses, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia, defended the agreement which contains a provision for a panel to make recommendations on such goods.

Bhatia said a successful deal will help the U.S. remain an active economic presence in East Asia which accounts for 29 percent of U.S. exports, while laying the groundwork for further trade liberalization in the region.

"The comprehensive trade agreement would eliminate tariffs⁵, and other barriers to trade in goods and services, open South Korea's agricultural market, promote economic growth in both countries and strengthen ties between the U.S. and South Korea," she said.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Christopher Hill said the impact of the free trade deal will go far beyond bilateral⁷ commercial trade benefits, as a symbol of the strong U.S.-South Korean security alliance.

A group of House Democrats along with U.S. and some South Korean labor⁸ leaders gathered outside the Capitol to urge congressional rejection⁹ of the trade deal.

Walter Jones, a Republican from North Carolina, a state hit with job losses to overseas textile manufacturing, says the deal will worsen the U.S. trade deficit¹⁰.

 "To protect American sovereignty, American security, and American jobs, if the president sends Congress a U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, Congress must defeat it, must defeat it," he said.

Jeff Vogt of the AFL-CIO, the largest trade confederation in the U.S., says while it does not oppose expanding trade with Korea an agreement must promote the interests of working people and benefit the economies of both countries.

"In its rush to conclude an agreement before the expiration¹¹ of trade promotion¹² authority, USTR shortchanged concerns for the economic future of workers in the U.S. and Korea. Negotiations¹³ with one of our largest trading partners should have been handled with much greater degree of deliberation and consultation¹⁴ with civil society and Congress, both of which made it clear that another trade agreement based on the failed NAFTA model is unacceptable," he said.

Demostrators at US Capitol protest US-South Korean trade agreement

The U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement has also become an issue in the 2008 U.S. presidential race.

Speaking in the auto-making center of Detroit recently, Senator Hillary Clinton, considered a front-runner among Democrats, called the pact⁶ inherently unfair saying it does not go far enough in bringing down South Korean barriers to U.S. car exports.

A South Korean trade official said Wednesday that Seoul will not accept any proposal to renegotiate automobile¹⁵ provisions in the deal, which must be ratified¹⁶ by the U.S. Congress and South Korea's legislature.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

5 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。

6 pact   

n.合同，条约，公约，协定

参考例句：

• The two opposition parties made an electoral pact.那两个反对党订了一个有关选举的协定。
• The trade pact between those two countries came to an end.那两国的通商协定宣告结束。

7 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。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

10 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

11 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

12 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

13 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

14 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。

15 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

16 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。