(1). 1:Japan’s decision to limit exports is economically shortsighted, as it should know since it has itself been on the other side of such controls.
2:When China restricted exports of rareearth minerals in 2011, Japan responded by investing in its own mines.
3:China’s market share dropped.
4:Already, the South Korean government is discussing plans to foster the domestic chemicals production.
5:Japan insists that South Korean companies will, once approved, still be able to buy its chemicals, but the threat of an embargo, once issued, cannot be easily dispelled.
1:日本限制出口的决定在经济上是短视的,这是日本应该知道的,因为日本一直处于这种控制的另一边。
2:2011年,当中国限制稀土出口时,日本的反应是投资本国矿山。
3:中国的市场份额下降。
4:韩国政府已经在讨论促进国内化学品生产的计划。
5:日本坚持认为,韩国公司一旦获得批准,仍然可以购买日本的化学品,但禁运的威胁一旦发出,就不可能轻易消除。
(2). The broader geopolitical context makes Japan’s self-harm even more reckless. Regional supply chains are already under assault. South Korean and Japanese companies are scrambling to find alternatives to China as a manufacturing base to avoid American tariffs. Mr Trump has threatened both countries with import duties on their cars.
更广泛的地缘政治背景使得日本的自残行为更加鲁莽。区域供应链已经受到了冲击。韩国和日本企业正争先恐后地寻找中国以外的制造业基地,以避免美国的关税。特朗普威胁要对两国的汽车征收进口税。
(3). 1:、Ultimately, it is up to South Korea and Japan to repair relations.
2:But America’s waning interest in diplomacy does not help.
3:And Mr Trump is normalising the use of trade weapons in political spats.
4:His tactics teach others how to find an excuse for these actions: by citing national security.
5:Japanese media have suggested that South Korea has allowed the shipment of sensitive chemicals to North Korea, a far-fetched claim but one that could feature in a defence of its export restrictions.
6:Under a different president, America would be doing more to bind together Japan and South Korea, two indispensable allies.
7:Barack Obama pushed the Trans-Pacific Partnership that included Japan, and that South Korea was expected to join eventually.
8:One of Mr Trump’s first acts was to ditch that deal.
1:最终,修复关系将取决于韩国和日本。
2:但美国对外交兴趣的减弱也无济于事。
3:特朗普正在将贸易武器在政治争端中的使用正常化。
4:他的策略教会了其他人如何为这些行为找借口:以国家安全为由。
5:日本媒体曾暗示,韩国已允许向朝鲜运送敏感化学品,这一说法牵强附会,但可能是为其出口限制辩护的一个理由。
6:如果换一个总统,美国将会做更多的事情来团结日本和韩国,这是两个不可或缺的盟友。
7:巴拉克?奥巴马推动了包括日本在内的跨太平洋伙伴关系协定,预计韩国最终也会加入。
8:特朗普的第一反应之一就是放弃该协议。
(4). 1:It is not too late to defuse the situation.
2:The commercial damage has been limited so far.
3:Japan is aware that, notwithstanding America’s current tactics, export controls look bad; it is thus susceptible to pressure from other trading partners.
4:The two countries will discuss their disagreement at the World Trade Organisation later this month.
5:This is shaping up to be a test of whether the global trading system can, despite great strains, still soothe tensions—or whether it is being supplanted by a new, meaner order, in which supply chains are weaponised and commerce is purely an extension of politics.
1:现在缓和局势还为时不晚。
2:到目前为止,商业损失有限。
3:日本意识到,尽管美国采取了当前的策略,但出口控制看上去很糟糕;因此,中国很容易受到其他贸易伙伴的压力。
4:两国将于本月晚些时候在世界贸易组织讨论他们的分歧。
5:这将是对全球贸易体系的一次考验,看它能否在巨大的压力下仍能缓解紧张局势,或者是否正被一种新的、更为苛刻的秩序所取代,在这种秩序下,供应链被武器化,商业纯粹是政治的延伸。