Japan is ready to relaunch the Trans-Pacific Partnership minus the US in a shift of position that could bring the huge trade deal back from the dead.
日本準備在美國缺席的情況下重啟《跨太平洋伙伴關系協(xié)定》(Trans-Pacific Partnership，簡稱TPP)，這一立場轉變有望讓這個巨大的貿易協(xié)定起死回生。
According to trade officials, Tokyo is ready to proceed without much change to the existing TPP text. Previously, it had been reluctant to expose Japanese farmers to a surge of agricultural imports without offsetting ease of access to the US car market.
據貿易官員們介紹，東京已準備好推進這一協(xié)定，而不對現(xiàn)有TPP文本作大量更改。此前，日本不愿意在得不到美國汽車市場更便利準入的情況下，讓日本農民受到農產品進口激增的影響。
The decision could be a huge boon to non-US food exporters such as Australia and could shift the dynamics for trade deals in Asia by offering an alternative to the China-centred Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.
這個決定對澳大利亞等非美國食品出口國來說可能是一個巨大利好，并可能改變亞洲貿易協(xié)定的格局，提供一個替代以中國為中心的區(qū)域全面經濟伙伴關系協(xié)定(Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership，簡稱RCEP)的選擇。
“We will start talks on an 11-member TPP, minus the US, at the [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation] meeting in May,” said Taro Aso, Japan’s finance minister, at a recent event in New York. Steven Ciobo, Australia’s trade minister, visited Japan a week ago to discuss a revived TPP.
“在沒有美國的情況下，我們將在5月份的（亞太經合組織）會議上，就11個成員國的TPP開始談判，”日本財務大臣麻生太郎(Taro Aso)日前在紐約舉行的一個活動上表示。澳大利亞貿易部長史蒂文?喬博(Steven Ciobo)一周前訪問了日本，討論重啟TPP事宜。
One of Donald Trump’s first acts as US president was to withdraw from the unratified TPP deal. That left Japan as the largest remaining economy. The other 10 members are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
唐納德?特朗普(Donald Trump)就任美國總統(tǒng)后的首批行動之一，就是退出尚未獲得國會批準的TPP協(xié)定。這使得日本成為該協(xié)定中的最大經濟體。其他10個成員國是澳大利亞、文萊、加拿大、智利、馬來西亞、墨西哥、新西蘭、秘魯、新加坡和越南。
Australia wanted to go ahead regardless, but Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister, said TPP was “meaningless” without the US, reflecting the loss of a big market for Japan’s industrial products.
澳大利亞早就希望繼續(xù)推進，但日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)當時表示，TPP在沒有美國的情況下是“無意義的”，此言反映出日本的工業(yè)產品將失去一個大市場。
However, several factors have caused Tokyo to rethink. First, says Kenichi Kawasaki, senior fellow at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, is the realisation that TPP offers economic benefits even without the US — and Japan needs them.
不過，有幾個因素促使東京方面重新思考。據東京的政策研究大學院大學(GRIPS)高級研究員川崎研一(Kenichi Kawasaki)介紹，首先是日方意識到，即使沒有美國，TPP也能帶來經濟效益——而日本需要這些效益。
“We cannot expect economic revitalisation without any free-trade agreements,” says Mr Kawasaki. Most of Japan’s putative gains from tariff reduction were due to the US, he says, but those from non-tariff barriers mainly relate to Asian trading partners.
“若沒有任何自由貿易協(xié)定，我們就不能指望重振經濟，”川崎說。他表示，對日本來說，來自關稅減免的大部分推定收益涉及美國，但是來自非關稅壁壘消除的推定收益主要涉及亞洲貿易伙伴。
There is also a geopolitical aspect: TPP will cement Japan’s relations with important regional partners such as Australia and Vietnam. Furthermore, it will keep alive TPP’s tough rules in areas such as intellectual property and government procurement. This will create pressure for higher standards in the RCEP deal, which covers a different set of Asian countries including Japan, China, Indonesia and the Philippines.
還有一個地緣政治層面：TPP將鞏固日本與澳大利亞和越南等重要地區(qū)合作伙伴的關系。而且此舉將保住TPP在知識產權和政府采購等領域確立的嚴格規(guī)則。這將形成壓力，要求RCEP協(xié)定也達到更高標準，后者覆蓋一組不同的亞洲國家，包括日本、中國、印度尼西亞和菲律賓。
When Mike Pence, the US vice-president, visited Tokyo last week he declared: “The TPP is a thing of the past for the United States of America.” Despite that, Tokyo remains keen to lure the US back.
美國副總統(tǒng)邁克?彭斯(Mike Pence)上周訪問東京時宣告：“TPP對美國來說已經是過去的事情了�！北M管如此，東京方面依然熱衷于把美國拉回來。
“The US may lose from TPP11 [a TPP without the US] because of trade diversion effects,” said Mr Kawasaki. Australian beef and Chilean wine, for example, will be better placed in the Japanese market than their US competitors.
“由于貿易轉移的影響，美國可能會因TPP11（美國缺席的TPP）吃虧，”川崎表示。例如，澳大利亞牛肉和智利葡萄酒在日本市場可能比美國競爭對手處于更有利地位。
