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Obama, In Canada, Warns Against Protectionism
2009年2月20日
President Barack Obama, in his first foreign trip, sought to reassure Canada that he had no intention of turning some of his campaign rhetoric on trade into actual barriers between the U.S. and its largest trading partner.
'Now is a time where we've got to be very careful about any signals of protectionism, because as the economy of the world contracts, I think there's going to be a strong impulse, on the part of constituencies in all countries, to see if they can engage in beggar-thy-neighbor policies,' Mr. Obama said.
Visiting Canada has traditionally been the first trip for a new U.S. president. In his daylong trip here, Mr. Obama touched upon an array of bilateral concerns, from trade to a declining North American auto industry to Afghanistan, where Canadian combat forces are set to leave by mid-2011.
He capped the visit with a joint appearance with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that highlighted some strains that have developed between the two sides in recent years. Mr. Harper took some apparent swipes at the Bush administration's position on climate change, noting that Washington was only now forming a comprehensive policy on the environment and energy.
'I will be watching what's done in the United States with great interest,' the Canadian leader said. 'But I'm quite optimistic that we now have a partner on the North American continent that will provide leadership to the world on the climate-change issue.'
Mr. Harper also questioned whether the North American Free Trade Agreement could be reopened, as Mr. Obama had pledged to do during the campaign, without 'unraveling what is a very complex agreement.' Mr. Obama reiterated his belief that Nafta side agreements on environmental and labor standards should be incorporated into the main agreement to ensure enforcement.
'My hope is that as our advisers and staffs and economic teams work this through, that there's a way of doing this that is not disruptive to the extraordinarily important trade relationships that exist between the United States and Canada,' Mr. Obama said. He repeatedly stressed his commitment to open trade between the U.S. and Canada.
Canada's concerns over Mr. Obama's pledge to reopen Nafta have been exacerbated by a provision in the president's just-passed $787 billion economic-stimulus package that stipulates that certain building materials for infrastructure projects funded by the plan come from U.S. suppliers. The plan says the provision must be carried out in accordance with the U.S.'s obligations under the World Trade Organization, but questions remain over how the two mandates can be reconciled.
Mr. Obama had criticized Nafta on the campaign trail last year in hard-hit industrial states, where many people blame the trade deal for robbing the U.S. of manufacturing jobs.
U.S.-Canada relations are likely to become a testing ground for Mr. Obama's efforts to balance the demands of his liberal and labor backers with the broader considerations and sensitivities he must consider as president. Before his departure, some labor and progressive groups sent a letter to Mr. Obama urging him to stand by his Nafta pledge.
Environmentalists are pushing Mr. Obama to take a firm stand against Canada's already ailing oil-sands industry, which emits more greenhouse gases in the production of oil than are emitted in the production of ordinary crude. Mr. Obama brought along his energy czar, Carol Browner, who is expected to push hard for policies to address climate change.
The two leaders announced an agreement to begin a clean-energy dialogue. White House aides had said Mr. Obama would bring up his effort to advance research into technologies that capture carbon emissions and trap them underground, even from dirty fuel sources, such as Canadian oil sands and U.S. coal. The stimulus plan provides $3.5 billion for developing carbon capture and sequestration technology.
Denis McDonough, Mr. Obama's deputy national security adviser, said the president would also press for the tougher greenhouse-gas reduction targets advocated by Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
On Afghanistan -- where Mr. Obama has pledged to increase U.S. troop presence by about 50% -- the president didn't push Canada to rethink its plans to withdraw its troops. Instead, he said he praised Canada for its sacrifices and for making Afghanistan its largest recipient of foreign aid.
Ottawa has said it won't renew its troop commitment to a conflict that has killed 108 Canadian soldiers.
奥巴马首访加拿大 警告防范贸易保护主义
奥巴马总统在上任后的首次出访中试图安抚加拿大：他无意将竞选时的言论转为两国间真正的贸易壁垒。加拿大是美国最大的贸易伙伴。
奥巴马说，我们现在必须对任何贸易保护主义的苗头都非常谨慎，因为随着世界经济的收缩，我认为所有国家的人都会有强烈的冲动，想看看是否能采取以邻为壑的政策。
Getty Images 美国总统奥巴马周四和加拿大总理哈珀在渥太华
首次会面
加拿大传统上一直是美国新总统出访的第一站。在为期一天的访问中，奥巴马谈到了双边关注的一系列问题，其中包括贸易问题、北美汽车业的下滑以及阿富汗问题。驻阿富汗的加拿大作战部队定于2011年年中撤军。
奥巴马在访问结束后与加拿大总理哈珀共同露面，从中能够明显感受到近几年来两国关系中的一些紧张气氛。哈珀对布什政府在气候变化问题上的立场大加挞伐，他指出，华盛顿直到现在才形成了一个全面的环境和能源政策。
哈珀说，我将以极大的兴趣密切关注美国的行动，但我十分乐观地认为，现在我们在北美大陆有了一个合作伙伴，将在气候变化问题上发挥领导全球的作用。
对于奥巴马在竞选期间就北美自由贸易协定重新进行谈判的承诺，哈珀质疑在没有解决非常复杂的协议的情况下是否可行。奥巴马重申了他的看法，即北美自由贸易协定有关环境和劳工标准的附加协议应纳入主协议框架，以确保执行。
奥巴马说，我希望，我们负责此事的顾问、工作人员和经济团队能够找到办法解决这个问题，而不破坏美国和加拿大之间现有的极其重要的贸易关系。他再次强调了对开放美加贸易的承诺。
加拿大对奥巴马承诺重新谈判北美自由贸易协定感到担忧，而奥巴马刚刚批准的7,870亿美元经济刺激方案中的一项条款使这种情绪进一步加剧。这项条款规定，该方案资助的基础建设项目中的某些建筑材料需要从美国供应商那里购买。这项计划说，该条款必须在符合美国对世界贸易组织所担义务的框架下执行，但如何才能调和这两个要求依然受到了外界的质疑。
奥巴马在去年的竞选活动中曾在一些受到严重打击的工业大州中批评北美自由贸易协定。这些州中有许多人都指责这项贸易协定抢走了美国的制造业岗位。
作为总统，奥巴马必须更全面地考虑自由派和劳工派支持者的要求，以及这个问题的敏感性，美加关系很可能成为奥巴马平衡两方面要求的考场。临行前，一些劳工和进步团体致函奥巴马，敦促他坚持其北美自由贸易协定承诺。
Associated Press 奥巴马周四抵达渥太华后，皇家加拿大骑警向他行礼致敬
环保主义者要求奥巴马对加拿大已深陷困境的油砂业采取强硬立场。油砂的开发要比普通的原油开发排放出更多的温室气体。奥巴马带来了被称为“能源沙皇”的布朗纳，预计她将对解决气候变化问题推行强硬政策。
两位领导人宣布了启动清洁能源对话的协议。白宫助手曾说，奥巴马会努力推进捕获碳排放物（甚至可以从加拿大油砂和美国煤炭等污染更大的燃料来源中捕获）和将其封存于地下的技术研究。这项刺激计划将提供35亿美元用于开发碳捕获和封存技术。
奥巴马的副国家安全顾问麦克唐纳说，奥巴马也将尽力争取墨西哥总统卡尔德龙所倡导的更严格的温室气体减排目标。
在阿富汗问题上，奥巴马并未要求加拿大重新考虑撤出部队的计划。相反，他说，他对加拿大的牺牲和阿富汗成为加拿大最大受援国的贡献表示赞赏。奥巴马已承诺将驻阿富汗美军人数增加约50%。
加拿大表示，不会延长在阿富汗的驻军时间。这场冲突已造成108名加拿大士兵丧生。
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发表于 2016-8-12 16:30:54