Amid a weakening U.S. economy, America's foreign-trade policy has become a contentious issue in the presidential race. Both major Democratic Party candidates say free-trade pacts have harmed American workers, while the presumed Republican nominee - as well as President Bush - are defending trade as necessary and economically beneficial.

在美國經濟日益疲軟的情況下，美國的對外貿易政策已經在這次總統競選中成為引起爭論的議題。民主黨的兩位主要參選人都說自由貿易傷害了美國工人，而可望獲得提名的共和黨候選人以及布什總統卻辯護說貿易是必要的，對經濟有好處。

America's economy has undergone a transformation in recent decades, with millions of manufacturing jobs transferred overseas. At the same time, much of the job growth recorded in the United States has come in the service sector, often at lower wages and with fewer benefits than the manufacturing jobs that once formed the backbone of the U.S. economy.

美國經濟在近幾十年里經歷了轉型，數以百萬計的工作崗位轉移到了海外。與此同時，在美國就業增長統計中，有很大一部分出自服務行業，往往比一度構成美國經濟支柱的制造業的工作薪水低，福利待遇少。

Despite this trend, U.S. gross domestic product has nearly tripled during the past 20 years, with unemployment rates that rarely rise above six percent. But America's strong overall economic performance does not appear to have boosted the public's perceptions of the benefits of trade.

盡管出現了這種趨勢，美國的國內生產總值在過去20年間翻了將近兩番，失業率很少有超過6%的時候。但是美國強勁的總體經濟表現似乎沒有增強人們對貿易好處的認識。

Recent polls show declining support for pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. The agreement, known as NAFTA, was negotiated in the 1990s between the United States, Canada and Mexico. It is particularly unpopular in states like Ohio that have seen entire industries relocate overseas.

近來的民意調查顯示，北美自由貿易協議之類的條約所獲得的支持率正在下降。這項協議是在1990年代由美國、加拿大和墨西哥談判達成的。在像俄亥俄州這樣的各種工業遷到海外的一些州，這項協議尤其不得人心。

At a recent Democratic presidential debate in Ohio, Illinois Senator Barack Obama said trade pacts like NAFTA have harmed American workers and their communities.

最近在俄亥俄州舉行的民主黨總統競選辯論中，伊利諾伊州參議員奧巴馬說，像北美自由貿易協議這樣的貿易條約傷害了美國工人和他們的社區。

"If you travel through Youngstown [Ohio] and you travel through communities in my home state of Illinois, you will see entire cities that have been devastated as a consequence of trade agreements that were not adequately structured to make sure that U.S. workers have a fair deal," said Senator Obama.

他說：“如果你到俄亥俄州的洋茲城和我的家鄉伊利諾伊州的社區走一趟，你會看到整個城市陷于蕭條，這是貿易協議的一個后果。這些貿易協議沒有寫上充分的條款來保證美國工人得到一個公平協議。”

Obama stressed he is not anti-trade, but wants to make sure that future trade pacts include labor, safety and environmental standards to protect American workers and consumers.

奧巴馬強調他不反對貿易，但是他要確保未來的貿易條約必須包括勞工、安全和環保等方面的標準，來保護美國工人和消費者。

His Democratic rival, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, had a similar message.

他的同黨對手、紐約州參議員希拉里.克林頓發出了類似的信息。

"I have seen the factories close and move," said Senator Clinton. "We need to have a plan to fix NAFTA. I would immediately have a trade time out. [temporary halt]"

她說：“我看到了工廠關門和搬遷。我們需要有一個修改北美自由貿易協議的計劃。”

But if Democrats are sounding protectionist themes, not so Republicans. The presumed Republican presidential nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain, recently said that NAFTA has created jobs in the United States, and that erecting trade barriers would be self-defeating.

如果說民主黨人似乎發出了保護主義的呼聲，共和黨人卻不是這樣。有望獲得共和黨候選人提名的亞利桑那州參議員麥凱恩最近說，北美自由貿易協議在美國創造了就業機會，而設置貿易壁壘將會是自取失敗。

Thursday, President Bush echoed those words.

上星期四，布什總統應聲附和了麥凱恩的話：

"Free trade is essential to the formation of high-paying quality jobs," said President Bush.

“自由貿易對于創造高薪高品質的工作機會是至關重要的。”

Mr. Bush added that dismantling or rejecting trade pacts would anger and alienate U.S. allies.

布什還說，撕毀或者反對貿易條約將會激怒并且疏遠美國的盟友。

In recent years, the U.S. Congress has approved free-trade deals with Central American nations and Peru. Approval is pending for similar pacts with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.

近年來，美國國會批準了同中美洲國家以及秘魯的自由貿易協議。美國跟哥倫比亞、巴拿馬和韓國達成的類似協議正在等待批準。

Stu Rothenberg, who publishes a political newsletter in Washington, says in the current political climate, with a weakened U.S. economy, getting the Democratically-controlled Congress to approve further trade deals will be difficult.

在華盛頓出版發行一份政治刊物的斯圖.羅森堡說，在當前的政治氣候下，由于美國經濟疲弱不振，要讓民主黨控制的國會批準更多的貿易協議將是困難的。

"Democrats believe that the evolution of the U.S. economy is a function of jobs going overseas, and they regard the loss of those [manufacturing] jobs as a huge problem for the country," said Stu Rothenberg. "The way they often put it is that high-paid, skilled manufacturing jobs go overseas, and in place we get more people serving hamburgers at McDonalds."

羅森堡說：“民主黨人認為，美國經濟的演變是就業機會流向海外的作用，他們把那些制造業的工作流失看作是這個國家的一個極大問題。他們經常的說法是高薪的、技能型的制造業工作遠走海外，而我們換來的卻是有更多人在麥當勞賣漢堡包。”

Rotherberg says, on the whole, Americans have grown wary of free trade. But he is quick to add that the sentiment is not uniform. He notes that in U.S. regions that depend on exports, especially in agriculture, voters tend to reject protectionism.

羅森堡說，總的來看，美國人對于自由貿易變得警覺起來。不過，他補充說，這種情緒并不是普遍一致的。他指出，在美國一些依賴出口的地區，特別是在農業方面，選民們趨向于反對保護主義。

"[In] many Midwest states, people in Kansas and Nebraska tend to be very [supportive of] free trade, because exporting U.S. agricultural products is absolutely crucial to them," he said.

他說：“在中西部許多州，在堪薩斯州和內布拉斯加州的人往往非常支持自由貿易，因為出口美國農產品對于他們來說是絕對重要的。”

Rothenberg notes that many of the states where trade is contentious issue - like Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania - are so-called "swing states" in the presidential race, where neither party can automatically assume victory.

羅森堡指出，貿易問題成為爭論性議題的許多州，比如俄亥俄、密西根和賓夕法尼亞等州，是在總統競選中所謂的“搖擺不定的州”。在這些州，任何一個政黨都不能輕言勝券在握。

In 2004, George Bush's win in Ohio gave him the electoral votes he needed to surpass his Democratic rival, John Kerry, and win re-election. Ohio is certain to be a major target for the eventual Democratic presidential nominee, and if the current debate among candidates is any indication, trade will remain a central campaign issue in the months ahead.

2004年，喬治.布什在俄亥俄州取得的勝利給予他超過民主黨對手約翰.克里所需要的選舉人票而再次當選。俄亥俄州肯定是獲得提名的民主黨總統候選人的必爭之地。如果當前候選人之間的辯論有任何指標意義，那就是，貿易將在今后幾個月繼續作為選戰的一項核心議題。