北約盟國敦促美國不要打壓鋼鐵進口

European members of Nato have mounted an unusual lobbying campaign against an expected US crackdown on steel imports, arguing it will hit American allies rather than China, the intended target.

北約(Nato)歐洲成員國針對美國預計將采取的打擊鋼鐵進口的舉動，發(fā)起了不同尋常的游說，辯稱此舉將損傷美國盟友，而不是中國這個打擊目標。

Military officials from Germany and the Netherlands have in the past two weeks taken their case to the Pentagon and James Mattis, the US defence secretary, who, Washington officials say, has been passing on their concerns.

過去兩周，德國和荷蘭的軍方官員把他們的擔憂反映給了美國國防部及其部長詹姆斯•馬蒂斯(James Mattis)。華盛頓官員稱，馬蒂斯已經傳達了他們的顧慮。

The US is set to base its clampdown on national security grounds. Domestic manufacturers argue that dumping by China and other countries has hurt their ability to supply the American military.

美國預計將以國家安全為由采取壓制措施。美國國內鋼鐵生產商認為，中國及其他國家的傾銷行為損害了它們對美國軍方的供應能力。

Washington’s steel-producing Nato partners that would be hit by the move are keen to rebut the national security arguments, and warn of further strains to the transatlantic alliance. The US could try to impose punitive tariffs or a quota system on imports.

生產鋼鐵、可能受到此舉沖擊的北約伙伴國急于反駁國家安全的說法，并警告稱此舉可能會加劇跨大西洋聯(lián)盟的緊張關系。美國可能征收懲罰性關稅或對鋼鐵進口采取配額制度。

Such lobbying tactics are highly unusual, since US defence officials do not normally get involved in trade disputes.

這種游說策略極不尋常，因為美國國防官員通常不會涉入貿易糾紛。

Germany in particular is worried by the impact of a White House move on steel at next month’s G20 summit in Hamburg. European officials warn that a US crackdown would feed anti-American sentiment in Europe and add to existing friction over proposed new US sanctions on Russia, Washington’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and President Donald Trump’s scepticism towards Nato.

下月20國集團(G20)峰會將在漢堡舉行，德國格外擔心美國對鋼鐵進口采取措施所帶來的影響。歐洲官員警告稱，美國打擊鋼鐵進口的舉動將助長歐洲的反美情緒，使得因美國提出針對俄羅斯的新制裁、美國退出巴黎氣候協(xié)定以及唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)對北約的懷疑態(tài)度而起的現(xiàn)有摩擦進一步加大。

Mr Trump has repeatedly said he will follow through on campaign promises to protect the steel industry from what he sees as unfair global competition.

特朗普再三表示，他將兌現(xiàn)競選承諾，保護鋼鐵行業(yè)免受他所認為的不公平的國際競爭。

Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary, is expected to announce within days the findings of a hurried special investigation into the impact of steel imports on US national security.

美國商務部長威爾伯•羅斯(Wilbur Ross)預計將在未來幾天宣布針對鋼鐵進口對美國國家安全影響從快進行的特別調查的結果。

The steel investigation has also set off another heated trade debate within the Trump administration.

鋼鐵調查還引發(fā)了特朗普政府內部另一場激烈的貿易辯論。

Trade hawks are pushing for the president to impose a broad tariff on imports while business-friendly voices such Gary Cohn, the head of Mr Trump’s National Economic Council, have argued for restraint. Following the push by allies, Mr Mattis has joined those arguing for restraint.

貿易鷹派正在推動特朗普對進口實施全面關稅，而白宮國家經濟委員會主席加里•科恩(Gary Cohn)等親商派則主張克制。在盟國表態(tài)后，馬蒂斯也加入了主張克制的陣營。

“The notion that imports from Eur­ope are [considered] a national security threat [by the US] is really worrying to us,” said a European official. “The mood is to retaliate.”

“從歐洲進口(被美國認為)對國家安全構成威脅，這種說法真的令我們擔心，”歐洲一名官員表示，“目前的情緒是報復。”