对中国轮胎征收惩罚性关税损害中美双方利益
新华社记者 明金维 刊发时间：2009-09-13 08:50:27 光明日报
正当全球“同舟共济”应对金融危机之际,美国政府11日采取了损害中美双方利益的举动,宣布对从中国进口的所有小轿车和轻型卡车轮胎征收为期三年的惩罚性关税。
美国政府对中国输美轮胎产品采取特保措施,是对美国内贸易保护主义政治压力的妥协和屈服,违背了世贸组织规则,是严重的贸易保护主义行为。在当前
世界经济仍处于危机的背景下,奥巴马政府此举开了极坏的先例,重创了美国所谓支持自由贸易的形象。
贸易保护主义是一条死胡同,任何针对他国不公正、不合理的贸易保护主义举措,不仅损害对方,最终也会伤及自身利益。美国采取特保措施,非但不能解决所谓的轮胎产业工人失业问题,反而将严重影响依赖中国产品的10万名从事轮胎进口、销售、仓储等领域的工人就业问题。而且,此举也将损害美国消费者的利益,进而削弱美政府力图振兴汽车产业相关措施的效果。
美国政府的这一举动违背了其在20国集团金融峰会上所作的有关承诺。美联社评论说,奥巴马此前曾表示强烈反对贸易保护主义,希望在即将举行的二十国集团匹兹堡金融峰会上表达支持自由贸易的立场,但其他国家很可能会以中美轮胎特保案的裁决,作为美是否真正支持自由贸易立场的一个检验。文章指出,美国政府去年通过的经济刺激计划中因为包含有“购买美国货”条款,已引发其他国家的质疑,许多国家认为,美政府只会在其自己的行业未受威胁时, 才会措词强硬地谈论反对贸易保护主义。
此外,贸易问题再次成为美国内政治角力的牺牲品,实在令世人遗憾。美国政府不顾轮胎进口商、销售商以及中国政府的强烈反对,作出上述决定,迎合了美国内某些利益集团的需求,以换取他们对奥巴马政府医疗改革计划的支持。美国彼得森国际经济研究所专家胡夫鲍尔就认为,奥巴马政府的医疗改革计划目前陷入僵局,为达成妥协,奥巴马可能不愿在诸如轮胎特保案等问题上得罪支持工会的民主党人。
当前,世界经济在经历了二战以来最严重衰退后已显现趋稳、向好迹象,但复苏前景仍存在巨大变数。美国作为全球第一大经济体在这个关键时刻再次采取贸易保护主义措施,将在全球范围内发出错误的信号。正如世界贸易组织副总干事哈拉所说,美国对从中国进口的轮胎征收惩罚性关税无助于世界经济复苏和贸易往来。
贸易保护主义损人不利己。美国应当从上世纪30年代大萧条时期的错误政策中汲取教训。当时,正是美国率先大幅提高进口产品关税,最终引发了全球贸易战,加剧了危机。70多年后的今天,美国政府不应再蹈历史覆辙。正如美国“促进繁荣贸易联盟”负责人罗森斯蒂所说,美国政府要增加就业机会,要恢复经济健康,其贸易政策必须以合作为中心,而不应以对抗为主轴。
I must respectfully disagree on several points, Mr. Jinwei.
First of all our elected representatives have lost sight of the fact for years that “We The People” have every right to determine what role we will allow trade with other countries to play in our society.
It is a means to an end only, namely creating a just, equitable and prosperous society for the most people possible; but sadly one tool that has proven irrefutably to have played a devastating role in declining living standards for the vast majority and obscene profits for the very few.
As to your undoubtedly genuine concern for all of those American workers dependent upon the wages they earn participating in importing and distributing those goods we mostly used to manufacture ourselves; these jobs largely pay half of the wages earned by skilled manufacturing workers in small communities across America – these high paying jobs were the anchors of our villages and towns that allowed middle classs workers to send their kids to college and enjoy a modicum of comfort in their retirements – no more.
Also, the actual effect of protectionist trade policies in the throes of the Great Depression have been estimated by Nobel winning economists to have been only 2-3% of GDP.
Your critique of our stimulas money being directed largely to American companies is interesting in light of China’s own stimulas directive to spend your own domestically – something I entirely agree with by the way. I’d venture a guess your country will far more successful at that than mine.
There are many other groups like the Peterson Institute that have grown powerfully in America over the last forty years with two primary goals:
1) Spread disinformation and propaganda to manipulate ignorant American workers into voting against their own self interests and our Democracy.
2) Continually exploit the results for the obscene gain of the very few oligarchs allowed into the club – while they discuss ways to gain more power, money, and influence over our bought and paid for corporate servant politicians.
We hope to change that now. I’m confident our respective peoples can figure out a way to trade fairly without decimating our societies or our planet.