中國爲獲得市場經濟地位加緊遊說

China is intensifying lobbying to gain “market economy status” under the World Trade Organisation despite growing opposition in Europe and the US to a move that would make it harder for other major economies to bring anti-dumping cases against Beijing.

中國正在加緊遊說，希望獲得世界貿易組織(WTO)框架下的“市場經濟地位”。不過，歐洲和美國對此的反對日益強烈，因爲如果中國獲得市場經濟地位，那麼其他主要經濟體將更加難於提起針對中國的反傾銷案件。

Washington and many European politicians, under pressure from protesters fretting about the impact of Chinese imports on jobs, are seeking to block automatic MES for Beijing, which China says should be accorded in December — the 15th anniversary of its 2001 accession to the WTO.

受到不滿進口中國商品衝擊就業的抗議者的壓力，華盛頓方面和許多歐洲政客正致力於阻止中國自動獲得市場經濟地位。中國表示，在其加入世貿組織滿15週年的今年12月，應自動獲得市場經濟地位。中國於2001年加入世貿組織。

Instead the US and Europe want to gain a few years’ reprieve by requiring China to jump through the hoops for MES when it contests its next anti-dumping case at the WTO.

而美國和歐洲想要拖延幾年時間，要求中國在世貿組織對下一次反傾銷案進行抗辯之時穿過層層關卡，之後才能獲得市場經濟地位。

The timing is especially sensitive as jobs and factories are scythed globally as a result of China-swollen capacity surpluses in areas such as steel.

當前時刻尤爲敏感，在鋼鐵等行業，中國嚴重的產能過剩導致全球大量工人失業、工廠關閉。德國和布魯塞爾的鋼鐵工人已走上街頭，抗議他們所稱的不公平的中國競爭。

An upcoming paper from the European Commission analysing the domestic impact attracted more than 5,000 responses during the public comment period, most of them from the steel industry. On Tuesday a commission representative will appear before the European Parliament to lay out its case.

歐盟委員會(EC)即將發表的一篇分析各國國內所受影響的報告，在徵求公衆意見期間得到了逾5000份回覆，多數回覆者來自於鋼鐵業。週二，一名歐盟委員會代表將現身歐洲議會(European Parliament)，陳述分析結論。

Securing market economy status would benefit China by requiring global trade regulators to compare the price of Chinese exports to its domestic market — instead of higher-priced third countries — in anti-dumping cases and thus limiting their ability to impose tariffs.

獲得市場經濟地位將令中國受益。全球貿易監管機構在審理反傾銷案件時，將必須把中國出口產品價格跟中國國內市場——而不是價格更高的替代國——的價格進行比較，這就限制了它們對中國產品強加關稅的能力。

“China is firmly against any misinterpretation or delay in performance of the clause. We call on members, such as the US and EU, to take necessary measures as soon as possible in order to ensure ending the use of ‘third countries’ before the due time,” China’s Ministry of Commerce said in response to questions from the FT.

“中方堅決反對任何曲解、拖延該條款執行的行爲，敦促美歐等成員儘快採取必要措施，確保如期棄用‘替代國’做法，”中國商務部在回答英國《金融時報》的問題時表示。

Mei Xinyu, a researcher at a think-tank affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce, went further. “If the EU doesn’t want to honour the WTO protocol it has signed, it should consider withdrawing its membership. The clause in the protocol is very clear and it’s unconditional.”

中國商務部下屬的一家智庫的研究員梅新育則更進一步。“如果歐盟不想遵守自己簽字的世貿組織協議，那就應該考慮放棄成員身份。協議中的該條款是非常明確的，而且是無條件的。”

Although international politicians are against the move, European trade negotiators are more supportive. The European Parliament must vote on granting the status to China, whereas the US Trade Representative has some political wiggle-room as it does not keep specific non-MES lists.

儘管國際政客持反對意見，但歐洲貿易談判代表則較爲支持。歐洲議會必須就是否給予中國市場經濟地位進行投票，而美國貿易代表辦公室(USTR)則擁有一定的政治騰挪空間，因爲它並不保留一份具體的非市場經濟地位國家名單。

The clause in question states that “in any event”, provisions allowing Chinese goods to be compared with those of third countries “shall expire 15 years after the date of accession.”

相關條款指出，“在任何情況下”，允許將中國產品價格與替代國比較的條款“應在中國加入世貿組織滿15年之後失效”。

However, loose language in other parts of the agreement has allowed trade lawyers to argue that importing states can still decide on whether or not China is a market economy after December 2016.

然而，貿易律師們抓住協議其他部分的模糊語言辯稱，在2016年12月之後，進口國仍可以決定是否認爲中國是市場經濟。

Politicians in Washington and Europe are betting that any challenge would take two to three years to wend its way through the WTO. That could buy their own industries some time.

華盛頓和歐洲的政客們在押注，中國提出的任何抗辯，都將在世貿組織內耗費兩三年時間。這可能會爲他們自己代表的行業贏得一些時間。

“China also needs to ask itself if it has really transformed into a complete market economy,” said Zhang Haibin, director of the Centre for International Organizations at Peking University, who believes that US and European concerns about competition are behind the recent unwillingness to grant the status.

“中國也需要自問，自己是否已真正轉型爲完全的市場經濟，”北京大學國際組織研究中心主任張海濱說。他認爲，美國和歐洲對於競爭的擔心，是他們近來不願給予中國市場經濟地位的原因。

“Recognising it or not should have been a simple trade issue, but now there are politics behind it.”

“是否承認中國的市場經濟地位，本該是個簡單的貿易問題，但現在它背後存在政治因素。”