VOA标准英语2014--柬埔寨部长承诺对美国投资者进行有意义的改革

 

Cambodian Minister Vows¹ ‘Meaningful’ Reforms to US Investors² 柬埔寨部长承诺对美国投资者进行有意义的改革

WASHINGTON —

Cambodian Commerce Minister Sun Chanthol has concluded a trade mission to the United States during which he emphasized his government’s willingness to make “deep” reforms to improve its investment climate. 

After visits to Los Angeles and Seattle, Minister Sun Chanthol capped off his week-long tour with an appearance in Washington, where he spoke³ about his government's recent anti-corruption⁵ efforts.

“We carry out these reforms to help investors so that there will be less informal costs, less transportation costs, less energy costs, and [we will] train our people to have better skills," he said.

He said the new-found political will to make reforms is due to last year’s general election -- in which the ruling Cambodian People’s Party lost a significant number of seats in parliament along with opposition⁶ allegations of vote fraud.

Alex Feldman, president and CEO of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council, says investment interest in Cambodia has grown steadily⁷. But he said investors need more evidence of reform.

“What the minister was talking about today was all very positive and all things that will attract business," he said. "We have seen progress.  It’s probably not been as much as the U.S. investors or the government would like.  Hopefully, this time we make more progress.  But we’ll have to wait and see.”

Feldman says Cambodia should continue to improve infrastructure⁸, improve the skill base of its citizens and fight corruption.

In 2013, Transparency International named Cambodia the most corrupt⁴ country in Southeast Asia.

But Sun Chanthol says Phnom Penh has taken “unprecedented” steps toward reform, including passing an anti-corruption law and creating an anti-corruption unit.

Nevertheless, Storm Tiv, a senior associate for the Asia division at Human Rights Watch, told VOA that while anti-corruption efforts have increased, the lack of transparency in the process will make them ineffective.  

“The lack of the ability to publicly disclose the assets of ministers keeps corruption as an issue," he said. "And so unless assets are publicly disclosed, corruption is still going to be an issue.  The existence of an anti-corruption unit, then, doesn’t seem to show any real difference in how Cambodia addresses corruption.”

Participants in the minister’s discussions in Washington seemed cautiously optimistic about Cambodia’s reform plans.  But they said it's too soon to tell if those promises will actually materialize.

1 vows   

誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿

参考例句：

• Matrimonial vows are to show the faithfulness of the new couple. 婚誓体现了新婚夫妇对婚姻的忠诚。
• The nun took strait vows. 那位修女立下严格的誓愿。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

5 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

6 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。

7 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

8 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。