每日一读2014年4月高考英语考前突破 阅读理解能力 财经新闻 日本与澳大利亚达成贸易协定.docVIP

日本与澳大利亚达成贸易协定 Japan and Australia have agreed a trade deal which will see them lower tariffs on imports of key products. 日本与澳大利亚达成一项贸易协定，据此协定双方进口核心产品的关税将降低。 ? Japan has agreed to lower duties on Australian beef and raise the duty-free quota（配额） on cheese - Australias biggest dairy export to Japan. ? Australia will cut tariffs on Japanese electronics, cars and white goods. ? The deal, agreed after seven years of negotiations, is expected to be finalised later this year when Japans prime minister visits Australia.? ? Australias Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who is currently visiting Japan, called the pact a historic one. ? This is the first time that Japan has negotiated a comprehensive economic partnership agreement or free trade agreement with a major economy, particularly a major economy with a strong agricultural sector, Mr Abbott said. ? Broader deal ? The pact between the two countries comes as officials are trying to push for an ambitious US-led 12-nation free trade plan, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). ? Negotiations between representatives of the various nations, which include Australia and Japan, hit a roadblock earlier this year. ? Differences on the issues of tariffs on imported goods, particularly between the US and Japan, were among the issues that were unresolved. ? Agricultural tariffs have become a sticking point（症结，关键） for Japan, which is keen to protect its rice, wheat, beef and pork producers from outside competition.? ? Some analysts suggested that the Australian and Japan deal may help spur progress on the TPP talks. ? Aurelia George Mulgan, a professor of Japanese politics at University of New South Wales said the bilateral deal means that Australia gets preferential treatment over the US. ? She said that US would be under pressure to agree a deal that puts it on a level playing field with Australia. ? Japan knows that America wants it on board, because TPP without Japan is not much worth all that much. Japan is playing hardball, she added. ?