关税问题重创美国对华龙虾出口

　　来源：CGTN

　　原标题：关税问题重创美国对华龙虾出口

　　China‘s economic boom has bolstered the disposable income of its middle class whose desires for the finer things in life has risen。

　　中国经济繁荣发展增加了中产阶级的可支配收入，他们更加渴望生活中美好的事物。

　　Those finer things include me， a lobster， once a luxury that only the rich could afford。

　　那些美好的事物就包括我，一只龙虾，曾经是有钱人才买得起的奢侈品。

　　The Chinese love affair with me has really taken off in the last decade or so。

　　中国人和我的爱情故事过去十年左右才开花结果。

　　And the North American crustacean， found along the coasts of both the U.S。 and Canada， has become a particular favorite as a status symbol。 That‘s because of my red color， which many in China regard as a mark of prosperity。

　　来自美国和加拿大的北美龙虾备受宠爱，成为一种身份的象征。这是因为龙虾的皮肤呈红色，许多中国人认为这是富贵的标志。

　　It helps that I am an excellent source of lean protein and low in fat and calories。 

　　我富含蛋白质，低脂肪，低热量。

　　A good indicator of China‘s rise as an economic force is that this symbol of western affluence has become an affordable treat for many across the country。

　　中国作为一个崛起中的经济大国，标志之一就是，在西方象征富裕的龙虾，已成为许多中国人餐桌上的常见之物。

　　The Chinese market has proven to be a godsend for U.S。 producers at a time when output was high and prices were falling。

　　在龙虾高产、价格下跌的情况下，中国市场给美国龙虾生产商带来了及时雨。

　　Sales expanded rapidly。

　　龙虾销售额迅速攀升。

　　In 2010， China accounted for just about one percent of exports of American lobsters by value。 

　　2010年，中国仅占美国龙虾出口额的1%左右。

　　Six years later， that figure had risen to 15 percent， and stayed that way for a while。

　　六年后，这个数字上升到15%，随后几年一直在这个数字上下徘徊。

　　That was until 2018 when President Donald Trump launched his trade war with China， complete with new levies on billions of dollars in goods。

　　直到2018年，特朗普总统发起了对华贸易战，对数十亿美元的中国商品加征关税。

　　The Chinese government retaliated with a 25 percent tariff on U.S。 lobster imports in July of last year （with a 10 percent additional tariffs added from September this year）。

　　作为反击，中国政府去年7月对美国龙虾征收25%的关税，从今年9月1日起又加征10%的关税。

　　As a result， Chinese importers felt compelled to turn their backs on the ever more pricey American lobster。 It has since all but disappeared from markets in China， once its second-biggest destination。

　　因此，中国进口商不得不放弃日益昂贵的美国龙虾。从那以后，美国龙虾几乎从中国的市场上消失了，中国曾经可是它的第二大出口目的地。

　　The U.S。 state of Maine， America‘s lobster capital， has seen its exports drop by 84 percent。

　　美国龙虾之都缅因州的出口下降了84%。

　　Maine lobster business in China had looked on course for a record year in 2018。

　　缅因州对中国的龙虾出口本来有望在2018年创造新的纪录。

　　Exports during that period rose to 128.5 million dollars in the first six months – an increase of 169 percent。

　　2018年前六个月，缅因州对华龙虾出口为1.285亿美元，增长169%。

　　The state‘s congressional representatives were so worried earlier this year that they urged the Trump administration to prioritize lobster during the on-and-off trade negotiations with China。

　　今年早些时候，来自缅因州的国会议员非常担心，他们敦促特朗普政府在与中国断断续续的贸易谈判中优先考虑龙虾。

　　Experts say Maine may never recover its previously dominant position in the market， whatever the outcome of the negotiations。

　　专家表示，无论谈判结果如何，缅因州可能永远无法恢复其在中国市场的主导地位。

　　When President Trump declared that trade wars were easy to win， he did not count on the resilience of China‘s economy nor did the determination of its leaders not to give in to bullying。

　　当特朗普总统宣称贸易战很容易打赢时，他并没有预料到中国经济的韧性，以及中国领导人不屈服于霸凌的决心。

　　Lobster farming is a tough business that requires a fair amount of patience。 U.S。 producers will require a lot of that if they are to recapture their share of the Chinese market。

　　养龙虾是一种艰难的营生，需要相当多的耐心。如果美国生产商想要重新夺回他们在中国市场的份额，也需要很大的耐心。

责任编辑：覃肄灵