中國鋁出口激增 美國工會請愿要求提高關稅

HONG KONG — An American labor union plans topush the United States to impose broad, steeptariffs on aluminum imports using a little-used butwide-ranging trade law that has riled the country’strading partners in the past.

香港——一個美國勞工工會計劃援引某條鮮少使用，但管制范圍十分廣泛的貿易法規(guī)，以促使美國政府對進口鋁全面開征高額關稅。這條法規(guī)在過去曾令美國的貿易伙伴十分惱怒。

The effort by the United Steelworkers union comeswith trade increasingly an election-year issue in theUnited States and elsewhere. More than three-quarters of the United States aluminumsmelting industry that existed five years ago will have been idled or shut down permanentlyby this summer as imports have surged, according to the union’s legal petition.

伴隨著美國鋼鐵工人聯合會(United Steelworkers union)的這種做法，貿易已日益成為了美國和世界其他地區(qū)的選舉年話題。根據該工會提交的法律請愿書所述，因為鋁進口量激增的緣故，五年前還在美國國內運轉的煉鋁相關產業(yè)中，有超過四分之三將在今年夏季或之前遭到閑置或永久關閉。

The union blames China’s rising exports, though if successful its effort would also affectAmerican imports from Canada and many other countries.

雖然該工會指控的是中國有增無減的鋁出口量，要是他們的請愿成功的話，也會影響到加拿大與其他許多國家對美國的鋁出口。

The union and its law firm said that they plan on Monday to file the petition, which covers rawaluminum imports, with an American trade panel. The petition invokes Section 201 of the1974 Trade Act. The section was last invoked by President George W. Bush in 2001 to start alegal process that led to American tariffs on steel imports the following year.

該工會與其委任律師事務所表示，他們計劃在周一向美國一個貿易審查委員會遞交這份涵蓋了進口鋁等事宜的請愿書。該請愿書援引的是1974年的《美國貿易法》(1974 Trade Act)的第201條。這項條款上回被引用是在2001年、美國總統(tǒng)喬治?W?布什(George W. Bush)為了在翌年對進口鋼鐵加收關稅，而要推動法律程序的時候。

A Section 201 case covers essentially all imports of a product from all over the world. Thatmakes it more controversial than anti-subsidy and anti-dumping cases against imports froma single country. The European Union objected to President Bush’s use of Section 201, whichresulted in American tariffs on a wide range of steel products, until the administrationdropped them in late 2003.

基本上，201條款的管制范圍可涵蓋某產品自世界各地的所有進口，使得該條款比針對單一國家進口產品的反補貼或反傾銷案更具爭議。歐盟就曾反對布什總統(tǒng)引用201條款;此舉使美國得以對大量鋼鐵產品課稅，直到美國政府在2003年底取消這些關稅為止。

But Section 201 cases are also harder to win. They require proof that a domestic industry hasbeen “seriously injured” by imports, a harder test than the mere proof of “injury” from importsthat is required for other trade cases.

不過，援引201條款的貿易案也更難過關。請愿方必須證明某國內產業(yè)持續(xù)遭到同類型進口產品的“嚴重傷害”，此一標準比僅需證明產業(yè)受到進口產品“傷害”的其他案件來得更為嚴苛。

Terence P. Stewart, the managing partner of the law firm Stewart and Stewart and the leadlawyer on the aluminum case, contended that raw aluminum could meet the test. “Thedomestic industry is disappearing before our eyes,” he said. ”Quick relief and addressing theunderlying imbalance between global supply and demand are essential if we are going tohave any industry left.”

斯圖爾特與斯圖爾特律師事務所(Stewart and Stewart)的執(zhí)行合伙人泰倫斯?斯圖爾特(Terence P.Stewart)是該請愿案的主要律師，他聲稱鋁進口能夠符合該條款所要求的標準。“本土的煉鋁業(yè)正在大家眼前消失，”斯圖爾特表示。“如果我們還想讓任何煉鋁業(yè)者存活下去，盡快解除進口壓力、著手處理背后的全球供需失衡問題是當務之急。”

The union also argues that aluminum is important to national defense because it is widelyused in military equipment.

該工會也辯稱，煉鋁業(yè)對國防至關重要，因為鋁金屬是軍事裝備廣泛使用的原材料。

Section 201 cases are reviewed by the United States International Trade Commission, abipartisan, quasi-judicial group of trade experts in Washington. The commission then makes arecommendation to the president within two to six months, who makes the final decision onwhether to impose tariffs. The law allows government officials, industries or unions to fileclaims.

第201條款案由華盛頓特區(qū)的美國國際貿易委員會(United States International Trade Commission)負責審理，這是由貿易專家組成、不分黨派的準司法團體。該委員會會在受理案件后二到六個月內對美國總統(tǒng)提出建言，總統(tǒng)再就是否加征關稅做最后決定。依照美國法律規(guī)定，政府官員、產業(yè)代表或工會都能對該委員會提出申請。

Presidents have almost always followed the commission’s advice, although President Carterturned down a recommendation for tariffs on stainless steel flatware in 1978 and PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush rejected a recommendation for tariffs on extruded rubber threads in1992. The Office of the United States Trade Representative declined to comment on theunion’s contentions.

歷任美國總統(tǒng)幾乎都會聽從美國國際貿易委員會的建言，不過卡特總統(tǒng)曾在1978年拒絕了該委員會對不銹鋼餐具加征關稅的建議;喬治?H?W?布什總統(tǒng)(President George H.W. Bush)則在1992年拒絕了對橡膠線加征關稅的建議。美國貿易代表辦公室(The Office of the United States Trade Representative)拒絕對該工會的主張發(fā)表評論。

China, which already produces more than half the world’s aluminum, is expanding capacityeven as its economy decelerates. The result has been a surge in exports and falling prices foraluminum.

中國已出產全球一半以上的鋁材;雖然該國經濟增長正在放緩，目前仍在繼續(xù)擴張鋁工業(yè)的產能。此舉的后果就是鋁出口量大幅上升、價格下滑。

Chinese exports of aluminum jumped more than 27 percent in the past two years, Chinesecustoms figures show.

中國海關的數據顯示，中國的鋁材出口量在過去兩年間激增了27%。

A spokesman for the government-affiliated China Aluminum Association, who gave his familyname as Zeng, said aluminum’s increasing use in high-speed railway equipment, aerospaceand electronics justified China’s expanding production capacity and rising exports.

政府附屬機構中國鋁業(yè)協會的曾姓發(fā)言人表示，高鐵裝備、航空及電子領域的鋁材使用量日益增加，是中國產能擴大、出口激增的原因所在。

Smelters in Canada and elsewhere, having been displaced in their traditional internationalmarkets, have stepped up shipments of raw aluminum to the United States. American importsof raw aluminum from Canada, the biggest supplier, jumped 10 percent by tonnage last year,United States customs data shows.

加拿大等地的冶煉廠在其傳統(tǒng)的國際市場中已經被取而代之，于是加緊向美國出口原鋁。美國海關的數據顯示，去年，美國從原鋁最大供應方加拿大處進口的原鋁噸數增長了10%。

Other factors are influencing the aluminum trade. Alcoa, the main aluminum smeltingcompany in the United States, has announced the closing of a series of smelting operations inthe United States while relying more on production in Canada, Iceland and Saudi Arabia, aspart of what it describes as an effort to improve overall efficiency. In a statement it said, “Alcoa has a long history of cooperation with the U.S. government. We haven’t seen thepetition and look forward to reviewing it.”

其他一些因素也在影響鋁材貿易。美國最主要的煉鋁企業(yè)美鋁公司(Alcoa)已經宣布關閉美國境內的一系列冶煉廠，同時更加倚重加拿大、冰島和沙特阿拉伯的產出，并稱這是竭力提高總體效率之舉。該公司在一份聲明中表示，“美鋁公司與美國政府長期保持合作。我們尚未看到那份請愿書，希望有機會仔細研究它。”

Exports to the United States are an important source of employment in China, and Chineseofficials have been increasingly concerned about Donald J. Trump’s populist appeals for atougher trade policy, including a steep tariff on goods from China. Finance minister Lou Jiweiof China told The Wall Street Journal during a visit to Washington in the past week thatimposing such a tariff would violate World Trade Organization rules.

在中國，產品銷往美國的出口企業(yè)是就業(yè)崗位的重要來源之一，該國官員對唐納德·J·特朗普(Donald J.Trump)的民粹主義訴求——包括大幅度提高中國商品的進口關稅——憂懼日增。中國財政部長樓繼偉曾在上周到訪華盛頓期間告訴《華爾街日報》(The Wall Street Journal)，這樣大幅提高關稅是違反世界貿易組織(WTO)規(guī)則的。