美国拟组建特别工作组监督中国贸易行为

President Barack Obama plans to create a U.S. government task force designed to monitor China for possible trade and other commercial violations as part of a larger White House effort to get more assertive with Beijing this election year, two senior administration officials said.

两位美国政府高级官员称，奥巴马总统计划创建一个美国政府特别工作组，目的是监督中国可能存在的贸易及其他商业违规行为，这是白宫在本大选年对北京采取更加强硬姿态的广泛努力之一。

The group, called the Enforcement Task Force, will aim to enforce U.S. trade rules. Despite the generic name, officials said the group is specifically meant to target China. It will include officials from various government agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Commerce Department, the Energy Department and U.S. Trade Representative's office.

该机构名为“履约问题特别工作组”(Enforcement Task Force)，旨在实施美国的贸易规定。尽管工作组的名字中未具体指明，但官员们说，它专门针对的是中国。工作组将包括各政府部门的官员，他们来自财政部、商务部、能源部和美国贸易代表办公室。

Mr. Obama is expected to announce the initiative during or around his State of the Union address later this month. The committee─and Mr. Obama's broader effort to be tougher on China over currency, market access and intellectual property rights─also are expected to be on the White House's agenda when Vice President Xi Jinping of China visits Washington next month.

预计奥巴马将在本月晚些时候发表国情咨文时或在那前后宣布这一计划。预计下个月中国国家副主席习近平访问华盛顿时，该特别工作组将被列入白宫的议事日程中，同时被列入议事日程的预计还有奥巴马在汇率、市场准入和知识产权问题上对中国采取更加强硬姿态的更广泛举措。

Part of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's mission during a trip to Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday is to discuss the administration's plans with China's leaders, officials said.

美国官员们说，财政部长盖特纳(Timothy Geithner)周二、周三访华的任务之一是与中国领导人讨论美国政府的这一计划。

The formation of the task force has significant political implications for the 2012 election. It is a large plank in Mr. Obama's broader intent to challenge China more, an effort he telegraphed during a trip through Asia last November.

组建“履约问题特别工作组”对2012年的美国总统大选有着重要的政治影响。这是奥巴马更多挑战中国的广泛计划的重要组成部分之一。去年11月，奥巴马在亚洲之行期间展示了对中国采取更强硬姿态的努力。

China has emerged as an important issue in the Republican presidential candidates' battle. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has argued the U.S. needs to get tougher on Beijing. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama's former ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman, who also is running for the GOP nomination, has urged more caution in the U.S. approach. The two sparred over the issue in debates this past weekend, with Mr. Romney criticizing Mr. Huntsman's service in the Obama administration.

在美国共和党总统候选人提名战中，中国成为一个主要议题。前马萨诸塞州州长罗姆尼(Mitt Romney)一直说，美国需要对北京采取更加强硬的姿态。与此同时，也在争取获得共和党总统提名的前驻华大使洪博培(Jon Huntsman)则敦促美国行动要更加谨慎。在刚刚过去这个周末举行的辩论中，两人在这个问题上展开了唇枪舌剑，罗姆尼批评洪博培曾在奥巴马政府中任职。

Confronting China has cross-party appeal. Democrats, particularly organized labor, would like the U.S. to get tougher on Beijing. That stance also resonates among Republicans and business owners, who have expressed concerns about Beijing having an unfair economic advantage.

对抗中国这一话题对民主、共和两党都有吸引力。民主党人士（特别是工会工人）希望美国对北京的姿态更加强硬。这一立场在共和党人及企业主中也引发了共鸣，他们担心北京拥有不公平的经济优势。

The White House declined to comment on the task force, the details of which officials said were still being worked out.

白宫拒绝就特别工作组置评，官员们说特别工作组的具体细节仍在研究制定中。

Members of Congress have increasingly pressured the White House to take a tougher tack with China. Lawmakers heap blame on the country for hurting U.S. employers and GOP presidential candidates criticize the administration's engagement with the world's second-largest economy. U.S. businesses have been pressing policy makers to pressure China to protect American jobs and intellectual property.

国会议员不断向白宫施压，敦促白宫对中国采取更加强硬的姿态。议员们纷纷指责中国损害了美国雇主，而共和党总统参选人们则批评美国政府与世界第二大经济体中国的接触。美国企业一直在敦促决策人士向中国施压，以便保护美国的就业岗位和知识产权。

"It's not a surprise to the business community that the administration wants to talk tough on China in an election year," said Myron Brilliant, senior vice president for international affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "We have serious issues that need to be addressed in the commercial relationship and the administration has to walk a fine line between engagement and enforcement."

美国商会(U.S. Chamber of Commerce)负责国际事务的高级副会长薄迈伦(Myron Brilliant)说，对于美国商界来说，美国政府在选举年对中国态度强硬并不出人意料。他说，我们在商业关系上还有许多严肃的问题需要解决，政府需要在接触和施压之间找到平衡。

"The administration is sending a direct message to China that all actions are on the table and they won't hesitate to take trade and enforcement actions that are warranted," Mr. Brilliant said.

他说，政府正在向中国发出直接的信息，即所有行动都是明摆着的，他们会毫不犹豫地采取合理的贸易和施压行动。

The formation of the new task force is being overseen by Mike Froman, the White House deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. It marks the latest step in a top-down review of the relationship with China, leading to a potentially larger role for Vice President Joe Biden in the dialogue between the two countries.

美国白宫负责国际经济事务的副国家安全顾问弗洛曼(Mike Froman)负责新工作组的组建。这是全面审视对华关系的最新举措，副总统拜登(Joe Biden)可能因此在两国对话中发挥更大的作用。

The White House is exploring a variety of ways to challenge China as a trade partner, including a possible new trans-Atlantic partnership with the European Union, one senior administration official said.

一位高级政府官员说，白宫正在采取各种手段来挑战中国这个贸易伙伴，包括可能同欧盟建立新的跨大西洋伙伴关系。

The world's two largest economies have grown increasingly aggressive in recent months on trade concerns. Both nations face the prospect of political transitions starting this fall, with widespread economic fears weighing on leadership in Beijing and Washington. Neither government wants to be seen at home as backing down given heightened concerns about job creation, setting the stage for more friction on issues ranging from currency to market access to intellectual-property protection.

美中这两个世界最大经济体近几个月在贸易问题上变得越来越强势。两国从今年秋天开始都将面临政府换届，而两国领导层普遍受到经济担忧的重压。鉴于就业创造方面的担忧加剧，两国政府都不希望在国内被视为退缩，从而有可能在从汇率、市场准入到知识产权等诸多问题上产生更多摩擦。

"The relationship is entering a difficult phase," said Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University professor of trade policy and former head of the International Monetary Fund's China division. "Given the political circumstances on both sides of the Pacific, there is going to be a hardening of positions."

康奈尔大学(Cornell University)教授、曾在国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)任中国部门负责人的普拉萨德(Eswar Prasad)说，两国关系正在进入一个艰难的阶段，考虑到太平洋两岸的政治环境，两国的立场都会更加强硬。

The White House also faces mounting pressure from Congress to take a tougher position with China. Responding to complaints from U.S. businesses about what they see as an undervalued Chinese currency, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have pushed the White House to fight China more aggressively to protect U.S. jobs. A weaker yuan supports Chinese exports, making U.S. products less competitive.

白宫还面临国会越来越大的压力，要求对中国采取更强硬的立场。美国商界抱怨人民币币值被低估，作为回应，美国两党议员都敦促白宫更为激进地对抗中国，以保护美国的就业。人民币走低有利于中国的出口，使美国的产品竞争力下降。

A bipartisan group of 63 Senate lawmakers in October voted for legislation intended to punish China, through tariffs or penalties, for keeping the yuan low. The measure hasn't progressed in the House. China warned that it could spark a trade war, and the White House warned that it could be counterproductive.

由63名参议员组成的两党团体去年10月投票赞成一项通过关税或罚款等手段惩罚中国低估人民币的立法。这个措施没有在众议院取得进展。中国警告说这将会引发贸易战。白宫警告说这将会适得其反。

The administration also opted not to label China a currency 'manipulator' in a semiannual Treasury report late last month, a move that would be largely symbolic. But Treasury said it would continue to press Beijing for greater exchange-rate appreciation, on top of the nearly 12% yuan appreciation against the U.S. dollar on an inflation-adjusted basis since June 2010.

在美国财政部于上个月末发布的半年一次的报告中，美国政府没有将中国列为汇率操纵国，给中国贴上汇率操纵国的标签基本上只会有象征意义，而无实际效果。但是财政部说将继续向北京施压，要求人民币汇率更大力度的升值。自2010年6月以来，人民币经通胀因素调整后对美元升值近12%。

Meanwhile, the administration has been pressing China on a number of other trade concerns─on products from chicken to tires─through the World Trade Organization, the international arbiter of trade policies. Those efforts led China to slap tariffs on imports of some U.S. vehicles last month.

同时，政府还通过国际贸易政策仲裁机构世界贸易组织(World Trade Organization, WTO)在一系列其他贸易问题上向中国施压，涉及从鸡肉到轮胎等众多产品。这些举措引发中国上个月对从美国进口的部分汽车加征关税。