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美国最大港口担忧中美贸易战

时间:2018-07-29 15:47:17

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Users of America’s Largest Ports Fear US-China Trade War

The combined California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the largest in the United States.

An estimated $417 billion worth of goods pass through the two ports each year. About $362 billion of that comes from trade with the Asia Pacific area.

But businesses using the ports are expecting a sharp rise in shipping1 costs because of tariffs3 announced by the United States and China.

Liang Liang owns an import company in Los Angeles that deals mainly with toys and clothes from China. He told VOA he has had concerns about his business in recent weeks after hearing about planned tariff2 increases.

“I have been watching the news every day. When will the tariffs be put in place? When are my goods arriving? It’s a fight against time. I’m trying to order all my products for the rest of the year.”

Liang said he expects a 10- to 20-percent increase in shipping costs if a trade war breaks out between the U.S. and China. He said if tariffs were to increase more than 20 percent, he would be forced to raise the prices of his goods.

Stephen Cheung is president of the Los Angeles-based World Trade Center. The center provides assistance to international companies seeking to bring or expand operations in the area.

He said that as tariffs from both countries increase the cost of goods, manufacturers and sellers may order fewer products. This, Cheung said, would result in a decrease in overall trade between the U.S. and China.

“Once that happens, you’re going to see an increase in the rates for shipping. Because when you don’t have the volume to justify4 the goods going back and forth5, you are going to see a further increase in that shipping cost.”

Cheung said this rise in shipping costs would eventually result in higher prices for people buying the products.

Other officials at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach say it is still too early to tell what effect additional trade tariffs will have.

Duane Kenagy is currently deputy director of the Port of Long Beach. He told VOA that so far, the port has seen record container business this year. For now, Kenagy is waiting to see how different businesses change their supply operations to deal with the tariff environment. But he warned that a continuing trade war could be “devastating6” to both the U.S. and Chinese economies.

President Donald Trump7 and other U.S. officials have accused China of carrying out unfair trading practices. The officials say tariffs are needed to reduce a large trade imbalance. The United States imported more than $500 billion in Chinese goods last year, compared to $130 billion in U.S. products exported to China.

Importer Liang Liang remains8 hopeful that a U.S.-China trade war can be avoided. He said he thought recent announcements on tariffs were made for political purposes and may not last.

Stephen Cheung said he understands the reasons the United States decided9 to announce heavy tariffs on Chinese imports. But he urged administration officials to carefully consider how such changes will affect local importers.

“What are the steps you’re going to use to mitigate10 some of these damages that will be happening to the local community? These are huge issues that have not been addressed yet,” he said.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

tariff – n. tax on goods coming into or leaving a country

volume – n. the number or amount of something

justify – v. to give a good enough reason to make something seem acceptable

devastating – adj. causing great damage or harm

mitigate – v. reduce the harmful effects of something

eventually – adv. ?at some later time

toy – n. ?object for children to play with


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1 shipping WESyg     
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
参考例句:
  • We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
  • There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
2 tariff mqwwG     
n.关税,税率;(旅馆、饭店等)价目表,收费表
参考例句:
  • There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
  • The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。
3 tariffs a7eb9a3f31e3d6290c240675a80156ec     
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。
4 justify j3DxR     
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护
参考例句:
  • He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
  • Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗?
5 forth Hzdz2     
adv.向前;向外,往外
参考例句:
  • The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
  • He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。
6 devastating muOzlG     
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的
参考例句:
  • It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
  • Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
7 trump LU1zK     
n.王牌,法宝;v.打出王牌,吹喇叭
参考例句:
  • He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
  • The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手,作为他的王牌。
8 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
9 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
10 mitigate EjRyf     
vt.(使)减轻,(使)缓和
参考例句:
  • The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
  • Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。

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