欧洲议会反对给予中国市场经济地位

European parliamentarians have delivered a blow to China’s ambition to be recognised as a “market economy”, a status that would give the Asian country’s exports easier entry into the bloc.

欧洲议员们对中国争取“市场经济地位”的雄心给予了打击，市场经济地位将使这个亚洲国家的出口更容易进入欧盟。

EU lawmakers passed a resolution saying that China was still not eligible for such a step and that there was no case for relaxing anti-dumping rules against the country, which can place retaliatory tariffs on Chinese goods that are found to be below market prices.

欧盟议员通过一项决议，认为中国仍没有资格获得这一地位，而且没有理由放松针对中国的反倾销规则；按照这些规则，欧盟可对被发现低于市场价格的中国产品开征报复性关税。

Yesterday’s resolution was supported by 546 lawmakers, while only 28 voted against and 77 abstained.

昨日的决议得到546名欧洲议员赞成，只有28票反对，77票弃权。

China says it is automatically entitled to obtain market economy status globally, which is one of its most coveted political goals, at the end of this year under World Trade Organisation rules. Supporters of the move, including the UK government, say that awarding the status would boost investment between Europe and China.

中国声称，按照世界贸易组织(WTO)规则，它将在今年底在全球范围自动获得市场经济地位，这也是中国最梦寐以求的政治目标之一。此举的支持者（包括英国政府）表示，授予中国市场经济地位将促进欧洲和中国之间的投资。

However, the status would also make it harder to hit China with anti-dumping tariffs. The recent crisis in the European steel industry has heightened concerns about relaxing such levies, with Europe’s companies saying they have been hammered by un-fairly cheap imports from Chinese mills.

但是，这一地位也将加大对中国产品征收反倾销关税的难度。欧洲钢铁行业近期爆发的危机加剧了有关各方对放松此类关税的担忧，欧洲企业称，他们被来自中国钢厂的价格便宜得不公平的产品压得喘不过气来。

Europe’s growing hostility towards granting China the status comes amid a global backlash against relaxing trade barriers; German public opinion is swinging against a landmark accord with the US, while an unusually protectionist rhetoric is colouring the US presidential race.

欧洲在给予中国市场经济地位问题上态度日益敌视之际，全球都出现了反对放松贸易壁垒的情绪；德国舆论大幅转向反对与美国达成具有里程碑意义的贸易协定，而美国总统竞选也充斥着格外强烈的保护主义论调。

Yesterday’s vote was non-binding but sends a signal to the European Commission, which must issue a proposal on the matter this year. The parliament will then vote on whether to approve it.

欧洲议会昨日的投票并无约束力，但它向欧盟委员会(European Commission)发出了一个信号，后者今年必须就这件事提交议案，然后由欧洲议会投票决定是否批准。

“This vote sends a signal that the European Parliament will not accept any measures that weaken our ability to defend ourselves from unfair Chinese competition,” said David Martin, an MEP from the UK Labour party.

“此次投票发出一个信号：如果任何措施削弱我们捍卫自己不受中国不公平竞争影响的能力，欧洲议会就不会接受这种措施，”来自英国工党的欧洲议会议员戴维•马丁(David Martin)表示。

“Recognising China as a market economy at the WTO would be to tighten the noose around the UK steel industry’s neck . . . We must act now or there won’t be any EU industry left to defend.”

“在WTO层面承认中国是市场经济，将等于收紧套在英国钢铁行业脖子上的绞索……我们现在必须采取行动，否则欧盟将连一个值得捍卫的产业都保留不下来。”

But people close to the case said the commission was broadly in favour of gran-ting the status, backing Beijing’s claim it was legally entitled to the upgrade. The debate had shifted to whether a deal could be struck that gave special protection to vulnerable industries such as steel, cera-mics, textiles and bicycles, they added.

但是，知情人士表示，欧盟委员会大致上赞成授予中国市场经济地位，认同北京方面有关中国依法有资格获得这一地位升级的主张。他们补充说，辩论已转向这样一个问题：能否达成一项给予脆弱产业（如钢铁、陶瓷、纺织和自行车）特别保护的协议？

If China wins the status, importing countries would have to prove that its goods could be classed as dumped by using prices in the Chinese market as their reference. If China is not classed as a market economy, importers can use prices in a third country as a comparison point, enabling them to choose a country that bolsters their case.

若中国赢得市场经济地位，进口国在中国产品构成倾销时，将不得不使用中国市场的价格作为比较基准。在中国没有市场经济地位的情况下，进口国可以用第三国的价格作为基准，这使他们能够选择一个有利于自己主张的国家。

Marietje Schaake, a Dutch liberal lawmaker, warned after yesterday’s parliamentary session that China could take legal action to obtain the status.

来自荷兰自由党的欧洲议会议员玛丽切•沙克(Marietje Schaake)在欧洲议会昨日投票后警告，中国可能会采取法律行动来获得市场经济地位。

“It is a case that we could lose, which means we would be forced to develop a new approach after all,” she said.

“这是一个我方可能败诉的案子，那意味着我们还是会被迫拿出一种新对策，”她说。