Brussels is drawing up a plan to treat China as a market economy in trade disputes, but only in tandem¹ with US-style antidumping duties and big cuts to steel overproduction.

布鲁塞尔正在制定一项计划，拟在贸易争端中把中国视为市场经济体，但须与美国式的反倾销税和大幅削减钢铁过剩生产相关联。

The European Commission is seeking a middle way between China’s clamour to be treated the same as advanced economies and complaints from EU member states and industrial groups about surging steel imports.

一方面是中国强烈要求获得与发达经济体一样的对待，另一方面是欧盟成员国政府及工业集团抱怨进口钢材飙升，在这种情况下欧盟委员会(European Commission)正在寻求一条中间路线。

China says it is entitled to obtain market economy status at the end of the year under World Trade Organisation² rules. Supporters of the move, including the UK, say awarding the status would boost investment.

中国表示，按照世界贸易组织(WTO)规则，它有资格在今年底获得市场经济地位。此举的支持者（包括英国）表示，给予中国这一地位将促进投资。

But EU governments and Washington fear that such a move would open the floodgates for ultra-cheap imports. The commission needs to strike a compromise because Europe’s antidumping laws are tied to a WTO protocol³ on China that expires in December.

但欧盟各国政府和华盛顿方面担心，此举将打开超低价进口的闸门。欧盟委员会需要达成一个妥协，因为欧洲的反倾销法律与世贸组织有关中国的一项协议挂钩，而该协议将在12月失效。

A plan being discussed in Brussels today stresses links between China’s status, overcapacity and moves to strengthen Europe’s trade defences.

布鲁塞尔今日讨论的一项计划强调将中国的地位、产能过剩问题以及加强欧洲贸易防御的行动联系起来。

The measures include powers for Brussels to impose very high import duties in cases of exceptional overproduction, and grandfathering rights to pursue antidumping cases already in train under the old rules.

相关措施包括布鲁塞尔有权在极端产能过剩的情况下开征很高的进口关税，以及延续按照旧规则已经具备的发起反倾销案的权利。

While European manufacturers campaign against granting China a “licence to dump”, the commission’s plan is to toughen penalties and avoid any weakening of antidumping procedures.

虽然欧洲制造商反对给予中国“倾销许可证”，但欧盟委员会的计划是加强惩罚机制，避免削弱反倾销程序。

The “lesser⁴ duty rule” — part of guidelines under which EU duties are calculated — would be suspended in extreme cases, in effect removing the cap on levies⁵.

“从低征税规则”（lesser duty rule，计算欧盟关税准则的一部分）将在极端情况下被暂停，实际上等于取消关税上限。

“If the lesser duty rule was removed, in very simple terms it would enable the EU authorities to impose, in some cases, higher levels of duties,” said Peter Archbold, a senior director at Fitch, the credit rating agency.

“如果从低征税规则被移除，简单来说，它将使欧盟当局在某些情况下能够征收较高水平的关税，”信用评级机构惠誉(Fitch)的高级总监彼得•阿奇博尔德(Peter Archbold)表示。

“In Europe we’ve been seeing duty levels below 50 per cent, whereas in the US they have been well in excess of 200 per cent. And — certainly in part — that has contributed to the rise in the price of steel in the US.”

“在欧洲，我们看到的关税水平不到50%，而在美国，它们远远高于200%，而这肯定在一定程度上导致美国钢材价格上涨。”

The plan would accelerate EU antidumping procedures and entail⁶ a strengthening of little-used anti-subsidy penalties.

该计划将加速欧盟反倾销程序，并加强以往不常用的反补贴惩罚。

But the initiative faces significant hurdles⁷, both in Europe and China.

但这一举措无论在欧洲和中国都面临显著障碍。

Any change to the European regime would have to be endorsed⁸ both by member states and by the European Parliament, which has passed a non-binding resolution against market economy status for China.

欧洲制度的任何变化，都必须得到成员国和欧洲议会(European Parliament)批准，而欧洲议会已通过了一项反对给予中国市场经济地位的无约束力决议。

Countries resisting change include Italy and Spain, while Germany is sceptical. Such resistance comes as western leaders feel the wrath⁹ of antiglobalisation sentiment, and industrial groups say Chinese overproduction has put them under severe strain

抵制改变的国家包括意大利和西班牙，而德国持怀疑态度。出现这种阻力之际，西方国家领导人感受到强烈的反全球化情绪，同时工业集团表示，中国的过度生产使它们受到沉重压力。

In recent months Beijing has intensified¹⁰ its campaign for automatic entitlement to market status in December, the 15th anniversary of its accession to the WTO.

近几个月来，北京方面加强了争取在12月（中国加入世贸组织15周年）自动获得市场经济地位的活动。