The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries this year intend to expand the forum’s list of environmental goods that receive reduced tariff treatment, a top New Zealand trade official said this week, arguing the APEC push could be a “building block” for work on the issue at the World Trade Organization.
新西蘭一位高級貿(mào)易官員本周表示，亞太經(jīng)濟(jì)合作組織（關(guān)務(wù)小二注：即亞太貿(mào)易協(xié)定）國家今年打算擴(kuò)大該環(huán)保商品清單，以獲得減免關(guān)稅的待遇，并認(rèn)為亞太經(jīng)合組織的推動(dòng)可以成為世界貿(mào)易組織在這個(gè)問題上開展工作的 "基石"。 (, 下載次數(shù): 0)
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New Zealand is this year's APEC host. The country’s deputy trade secretary, Vangelis Vitalis, on Tuesday said his government’s plans for outcomes include an expanded environmental goods list and a commitment to ensure ongoing reviews to update the list in the future. This effort, along with other plurilateral climate and trade initiatives, can set the stage for environmental work at the WTO, he argued, including renewing negotiations on an Environmental Goods Agreement.
新西蘭是2021年APEC的東道主。該國貿(mào)易副部長Vangelis Vitalis周二表示，該國政府的成果計(jì)劃包括一個(gè)擴(kuò)大的環(huán)保商品清單，并承諾確保在未來持續(xù)審查以更新該清單。他認(rèn)為，這一努力以及其他諸邊氣候和貿(mào)易倡議，可以為世貿(mào)組織的環(huán)境保護(hù)工作奠定基礎(chǔ)，包括重新進(jìn)行環(huán)保商品協(xié)議的談判。
Specifically, Vitalis said during a Washington International Trade Association webinar that the APEC trade ministers will work on updating the list during their June ministerial. New Zealand could then announce the expanded list at the end of the year. He added that he expects ministers to “commit to regular reviews” of the list.
具體而言，Vitalis在華盛頓國際貿(mào)易協(xié)會(huì)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)研討會(huì)上說，亞太經(jīng)合組織的貿(mào)易部長們將在6月的部長級會(huì)議上努力更新清單。然后，新西蘭可能會(huì)在今年年底宣布擴(kuò)大的清單。他補(bǔ)充說，他希望部長們能 "致力于定期審查 "該清單。
“This is a living list. It needs to be regularly updated and refreshed,” Vitalis argued. He said he expected each country would bring a list of goods to the table and then would work to prove those items are “credible” to be included as environmental goods. He said the discussions would “define by doing” rather than get bogged down in agreeing to a definition of an environmental good.
"這是一份靈活的清單。它需要定期更新和刷新，"Vitalis認(rèn)為。他預(yù)計(jì)每個(gè)國家都會(huì)帶來一份商品清單，然后將努力證明這些項(xiàng)目是 "可信的"，可以被列為環(huán)保商品。他說，討論將 "通過實(shí)踐來定義"，而不是在商定環(huán)境產(chǎn)品的定義上陷入困境。
The list, which was agreed to in 2011, includes 54 items. Countries committed to reducing tariffs on these products to 5 percent or less by 2015. It includes a variety of products, from bamboo flooring and boiler parts to water filters and solar energy goods.
該清單是在2011年達(dá)成的，包括54個(gè)項(xiàng)目。各國承諾到2015年將這些產(chǎn)品的關(guān)稅降至5%或更低。它包括各種產(chǎn)品，從竹地板、風(fēng)力渦輪機(jī)、環(huán)境監(jiān)測分析評估設(shè)備和鍋爐部件，到水過濾器和太陽能產(chǎn)品。
Vitalis argued that because APEC is not a trade negotiation forum, it could provide a path for a quick success and a “reference point” to move the needle.
維塔利斯認(rèn)為，由于亞太經(jīng)合組織不是一個(gè)貿(mào)易談判論壇，它可以提供一個(gè)快速成功的路徑和一個(gè) "參考點(diǎn) "來推動(dòng)工作。
“We are not going to do this for the next four years. We are doing it this year simply to identify the products. And given that APEC is both consensus and voluntary, we think that is an opportunity to develop a longer list, a more ambitious list,” he said. “And then … we hope that APEC economies will want to take that to Geneva as a contribution to the process there. And for people to think of that as a reference point.”
"我們不打算在未來四年里這樣做。我們今年這樣做只是為了確定產(chǎn)品。鑒于亞太經(jīng)合組織既是協(xié)商一致的，又是自愿的，我們認(rèn)為這是一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)，可以制定一個(gè)更長久的清單，一個(gè)更為大膽的清單，"他說。"而且，我們希望亞太經(jīng)合組織經(jīng)濟(jì)體能夠把這一計(jì)劃帶到日內(nèi)瓦，作為對那里環(huán)保工作進(jìn)程的貢獻(xiàn)。并讓人們把它作為一個(gè)參考點(diǎn)。"
The Environmental Goods Agreement talks stalled in 2016 and the Trump administration showed no interest in reviving them. President Biden, though, has made climate change a centerpiece of his administration’s agenda, and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s first speech since her confirmation emphasized her intention to use trade policy as a tool for climate mitigation.
環(huán)境產(chǎn)品協(xié)議談判在2016年停滯不前，特朗普政府沒有表現(xiàn)出恢復(fù)談判的興趣。不過，拜登總統(tǒng)已將氣候變化作為其政府議程的核心，而美國貿(mào)易代表凱瑟琳-戴在她被確認(rèn)后的第一次演講中強(qiáng)調(diào)，她打算將貿(mào)易政策作為緩解氣候的工具。
A group of House Democrats earlier this month urged the Biden administration to restart EGA talks as a part of its emphasis on climate change.
一批眾議院民主黨人本月早些時(shí)候敦促拜登政府重啟EGA談判，作為其強(qiáng)調(diào)氣候變化的一部分。
The Atlantic Council’s Mark Linscott, during the same webinar, noted that the EGA talks had their fair share of bumps in the road, starting as a multilateral negotiation but moving to plurilateral after counties like India and South Africa “clearly did not want an ambitious agreement.”
大西洋理事會(huì)的馬克-林斯科特在同一網(wǎng)絡(luò)研討會(huì)上指出，EGA談判在道路上有其公平的份額，開始是多邊談判，但在印度和南非等國家 "顯然不想要一個(gè)雄心勃勃的協(xié)議 "之后，轉(zhuǎn)為諸邊談判。
Linscott said he wasn’t very optimistic about the prospects for EGA, arguing that “the WTO’s not ready – even plurilaterally, I think – to do much on the environmental goods front.” However, he added, upcoming major climate events – this week’s White House-led Leaders Summit on Climate and the United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year – could provide momentum for tackling environmental trade issues.
林斯科特說，他對EGA的前景不是很樂觀，認(rèn)為 "WTO還沒有準(zhǔn)備好--即使是多邊的，我認(rèn)為--在環(huán)境產(chǎn)品方面做很多事情。" 然而，他補(bǔ)充說，即將到來的重大氣候事件--本周由白宮領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的氣候問題領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人峰會(huì)和今年晚些時(shí)候的聯(lián)合國氣候變化大會(huì)--可以為解決環(huán)境貿(mào)易問題提供動(dòng)力。
Vitalis said he was heartened by Tai’s speech, arguing that U.S. leadership is integral to progress on these issues. “U.S. leadership in the trade and environment field has been absolutely critical to any successes we’ve been able to achieve. And when that leadership hasn’t been there, we simply haven't made the progress that we really urgently need to do,” he said. “Not to put too fine a point on it, I’m certainly hoping we will see leadership” from the new administration.
維塔利斯說，他對戴笠的講話感到振奮，認(rèn)為美國的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力對這些問題的進(jìn)展不可或缺。"美國在貿(mào)易和環(huán)境領(lǐng)域的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力對于我們所能取得的任何成功都是絕對關(guān)鍵的。當(dāng)這種領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力不存在的時(shí)候，我們根本沒有取得我們真正迫切需要的進(jìn)展，"他說。"不要說得太細(xì)，我當(dāng)然希望我們能看到新政府的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力"。
(本文由關(guān)務(wù)小二整理自并粗略翻譯。)