【双语社评】贸易战，美国第一次疼得咧嘴了
US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US Department of Agriculture will adopt a $12 billion emergency plan to aid farmers hurt by the trade war. It is considered a clear signal that the trade war is causing a real impact on the US economy as well as an avowal by Trump to deploy tariffs as a weapon of trade war.
特朗普政府24日宣布，农业部将采取措施紧急援助受到贸易战打击的美国农民，向农牧场主们提供120亿美元的补贴。这被认为是贸易战已对美国经济造成实际冲击的明确信号，也是特朗普决心要把加征关税作为主要贸易战方式推行下去的一种宣示。
This is a funny scene. The US is not suffering natural disasters. American farmers should have made money expanding their markets. But they are now being aided. No one knows how long this peculiar "disaster" will last. Many US famers must be at a loss over their future livelihoods.
这是很滑稽的一幕，美国没有遭遇天灾，农民们本应通过拓展更大的市场赚钱，但他们却成为了美国政府的“救济对象”。而且这种特殊的“受灾”和“吃救济”不知要持续多久，想必很多美国农民对未来生计的安排一片茫然。
With the escalation of the trade war, more industries will be affected. It will be difficult to decide who will receive subsidies and who will not. Trump's administration is disrupting the basic logic of economic life. By causing trouble for China, the EU, Mexico and Canada, it is plunging the US domestic economy in chaos.
随着贸易战扩大，美国受损的行业将越来越多，补贴谁不补贴谁、以及怎么补贴是很难平衡的事情。特朗普政府在打乱经济生活的基本逻辑，在给中国、欧盟、墨西哥和加拿大等带来麻烦的同时，它也在让美国经济的内部秩序和关系陷入混乱。
Other countries including China will of course be forced to face the impact of the trade war. They will also carry out assistance activities to affected industries and companies. The White House is hoping that Beijing will make a major concession to Washington when it can no longer stand the escalating damages.
中国等当然也将被迫面对贸易战的冲击，对受损行业和企业开展帮助。白宫的如意算盘是：中国等受损面更大，因而承受不起困难，会先行对美做出重大退让。
Such wishful thinking is too naïve. Trump believes that US society can endure the agony of a temporary trade war for long-term interests. Then why would he be certain that China cannot bear the same pain?
这样的一厢情愿过于幼稚。特朗普认为美国社会能够为了长远贸易利益忍受一时的贸易战痛苦，他为什么会觉得中国等就受不了呢？
The vast majority of Chinese people are well aware that China has been confronted by the US with a trade war. No matter how reluctant the nation is to fight, it has no alternative. But US society knows that the trade war was launched by the White House and the ball is in the US court to stop it or find a wiser option. The Trump administration needs to prove that it is correct to bring its people anguish through the trade war, while other nations do not need to do anything more than retaliate.
绝大多数中国人都很清楚，这场贸易战是美国逼到我们头上来的，尽管我们不想打，但不得不打，除此中国没有选项。美国社会则知道这是白宫主动惹出来的事端，美方有停止贸易战、换一种更聪明做法的选项。特朗普政府需要随时证明它带给人们贸易战痛苦“是对的”，而其他国家用不着这样证明，打就是了，痛苦也是外部强加的。
China has experienced numerous difficulties and challenges. Its development in the past 20 years has been relatively smooth, but its mechanism remains to deal with major obstacles. The nation once faced massive layoffs among its State-owned enterprises and collective economic sanctions from the West. How could the difficulties of a trade war be insurmountable?
中国经历过无数困难和挑战，最近20年相对比较顺利，但应对重大困难的机制犹在。中国国企改革有过下岗潮，再早我们受到过西方的集体经济制裁，贸易战的困难又怎能是无法克服的呢？
Washington has always accused Europe and China of agriculture subsidies. As a matter of fact, the US itself has long offered subsidies to its farmers, and now it has announced increased subsidies. It seems that the international discourse around the rules will be changed.
华盛顿一直指责欧洲和中国搞农业补贴，其实美国长期是农业补贴大国，现在又公然宣布增加补贴，以后看来国际间围绕规则的话语环境都要变了。
Some believe that Trump will hold onto his mistakes before the mid-term election in November, so as to maintain support.
一些人相信，特朗普在11月美国中期选举前会把他的错误做法坚持下去，想尽办法维持住选民的支持。
But the Chinese people are looking beyond November. They are preparing to fight in the long run. Perhaps only with such a massive trade war can Washington rethink the value of Sino-US cooperation.
但是多数中国人已经抛掉这一想法，我们的准备是贸易战要比持续到11月份长得多，完全不排除它要经历特朗普总统的整个任期。或许只有这种规模的贸易战才足以让美方重新思考中美合作的可贵。
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