Unless China does more soon to help lead the world toward freer trade, the global trading system may be in jeopardy. Although China has embraced its obligations as a member of the World Trade Organization, the continuing reluctance of Beijing to press for lower barriers to trade risks the very future of the WTO as the central forum and fulcrum for world trade.

除非中国很快采取更多行动来促进世界贸易进一步自由化，否则全球贸易体系可能岌岌可危了。尽管中国已经欣然接受了作为世界贸易组织(World Trade Organization, 简称WTO)成员的义务，但其迟迟不愿敦促降低贸易壁垒，这就把WTO作为世界贸易中央论坛和支点的未来置于险境。

This reluctance by China can be seen on a number of negotiating fronts. Most recent is the failure of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers to make any real progress toward reviving stalled talks to expand the WTO's Information Technology Agreement. The aim is to improve this highly successful agreement by eliminating tariffs on many additional information and communications technology products. The main obstacle remains China, which, despite being the world's biggest trader of high-tech goods, has resisted including many new products in an expanded agreement.

在不少谈判阵线上都可以看出中国的这种不情愿。最近的一个例子就是，亚太经济合作组织(Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation , 简称APEC)贸易部长们未能取得任何实质性进展，以重启陷入停滞的扩大WTO《信息技术产品协议》(Information Technology Agreement)谈判。该谈判的目的是，通过免除更多信息和通信技术产品的关税来增强这个极为成功的协议。而主要的障碍仍然是中国，中国虽是全球最大高科技产品贸易国，但很抵制扩大协议、把多种新产品囊括进来的做法。

This is only one example of how China's hesitancy is hindering freer trade and investment. Another is China's still unfulfilled promise of more than a decade ago to sign the WTO government procurement agreement. Yet another is the lack of bilateral investment treaties with the United States and the European Union, which could serve as templates for much-needed global rules on foreign direct investment. Some progress is at last being made on these and other fronts, but all too slowly.

这只是中国的犹疑妨碍贸易和投资进一步自由化的例子之一。另一个例子是，中国在十多年前承诺签署WTO政府采购协议，但至今都未能履行。还有一个例子，中国至今都未与美国和欧盟缔结双边投资协议，而这种协议可以担纲全球急需的外商直接投资规定的模板。这些以及其他一些事务终于取得了一些进展，但是速度都太慢了。

Since joining the WTO in 2001, China has been a constructive WTO member. Always polite and patient, it has participated diligently in WTO proceedings. China has complied increasingly with WTO rules and consistently with WTO rulings. It has done everything it should do as a member--except show the leadership to help sustain the centrality of the global trading system overseen by the WTO.

自从2001年加入WTO以来，中国一直都是一个很有建设性的WTO成员。中国总是很有礼貌和耐心，积极参与WTO事务。中国越来越遵守WTO规定，服从WTO裁决。除了一点以外，中国已经履行了作为WTO成员的所有义务，而这一点就是：展示出帮助维持WTO管理之下的全球交易系统的核心地位的领导力。

At first, this was understandable. As a new member, China needed some time to learn how to work within the WTO. Now, however, China has climbed to the top of the trading world.

起初，这也是可以理解的。作为一个新成员，中国需要时间来学习如何在WTO之内展开工作。然而现在，中国已经登上了这个靠贸易连接起来的世界的最顶端。

With great economic power comes great economic responsibility. Granted, as China reminds us, hundreds of millions of Chinese are still mired in poverty, and China's per capita income still is somewhat less than that of Peru. Nevertheless, the size and sway of China are such that, as with the United States, the European Union, and a number of other major players in world trade, nothing the members of the WTO may wish to do multilaterally on a whole host of global commercial concerns can be done successfully without the full engagement and the final agreement of China.

伴随强大经济实力而来的是巨大的经济责任。姑且承认，就像中国所说，数以亿计的中国人仍深陷贫困，中国的人均收入仍低于秘鲁。然而，中国经济的规模和影响力已达到这样一个水平，以致于如果没有中国的完全参与和最终同意，WTO成员国希望就大量全球商业问题采取的多边行动就不能成功实施，就像离不开美国、欧盟和其他多个国际贸易大国的参与一样。

There is also this for Chinese consideration. No other country in the world benefits more from membership in the WTO than China. Without the legal shelter of fundamental WTO rules of non-discrimination in world trade, China would surely have been singled out for widespread discrimination by other trading countries during the past dozen years of its economic rise. China would surely still be the target of such discrimination today if it were not a Member of the WTO.

另外，中国还应该考虑到这个问题：世界上没有哪个国家比中国从WTO成员国身份中受益更多。WTO制定了在国际贸易中禁止歧视的根本规则，如果没有这样的法律保护，中国在过去10年的经济崛起中肯定会受到其他贸易国普遍的歧视对待。如果不是WTO成员国，中国现在无疑仍是这种歧视所针对的目标。

So it should be of great concern to China that the rest of the world seems to be drifting farther and farther away from the WTO and moving more and more toward regional and other preferential trade arrangements that mostly do not include China. These other arrangements may yet be structured in ways that will ultimately strengthen the WTO, but they could instead be concluded in ways that could ultimately undermine the WTO--at great economic risk to China.

所以，中国应该为这样一种现状感到极大的忧虑：全球其他国家似乎越来越远离WTO，并越来越多地转向区域性及其他优惠性的贸易协议，而且这些协议大多都没有包含中国。这些贸易协议可能会以巩固WTO的构想制定，但却可能以最终削弱WTO的方式达成，这对中国来说是一个巨大的经济风险。

In the worst case, this global drift away from the WTO could lead to a world of exclusive and discriminatory trading blocs in which China would be left out. This drift will continue unless and until the Members of the WTO come together to prove anew that they can conclude significant deals that lower barriers to trade and investment. The WTO will not be closing any such deals without more leadership from China.

在最糟糕的情况下，全球对WTO的逐渐远离可能使世界充斥着排他性和歧视性的贸易集团，而中国会被这些贸易集团排除在外。这种远离将会持续下去，除非或者直到WTO成员国走到一起重新证明他们能够达成降低贸易及投资壁垒的重大协议。如果没有中国发挥更大的领导力，WTO将不会达成任何这样的协议。

China is, of course, far from alone in fault for the impasse in the global trading system that has put the WTO at risk by encouraging WTO members to look elsewhere for ways to increase trade and investment. Others are equally to blame. Yet with its newfound economic clout, China is uniquely placed to help prove that the success of the WTO in December in Bali in concluding an agreement to facilitate trade by cutting 'red tape' at the world's borders was not a fleeting digression from regionalism, but instead a down payment on bigger global trade deals to come.

这个全球贸易体系的僵局使WTO可能面临成员国从别处寻找办法增加贸易和投资的局面。当然，应该为此承担过错的远不止中国一方，其他各国同样负有责任。不过，新具备的经济影响力使中国处于一个得天独厚的地位，能够帮助证明，WTO去年12月份在巴厘岛成功达成的通过简化清关程序促进贸易便利化的协议并不是彻底背离区域主义，而是为今后更大规模的全球贸易协定预做准备。

In the aftermath of Bali, there are some reassuring signs that China is at least considering showing more global leadership on trade. An especially encouraging sign was when, at the last minute in Davos in January, China joined with the U.S., the EU, and a handful of other WTO members in launching negotiations within the WTO on an agreement that would remove tariffs on environmental goods. If done right, this initiative could lead to a comprehensive sustainable energy trade agreement.

巴厘岛会议之后，出现了一些令人安心的迹象，显示中国至少正考虑在贸易领域表现出更强的全球领导力。一个尤其令人鼓舞的迹象是，在1月份达沃斯论坛结束前的最后一刻，中国与美国、欧盟及其他一些WTO成员国一道发起了围绕在WTO内取消环保产品关税协议的谈判。如果进展顺利的话，这一动议有望催生一项全面、可持续的能源贸易协议。

There is also China's request to join with the U.S., the EU, and others in talks on a proposed agreement on international trade in services in Geneva on the sidelines of the WTO. There has even been some talk of China asking to join with the U.S., Japan and others in negotiations on a proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership. Chinese participation in these negotiations could help ensure their consistency with WTO rules and help transform them into preludes for eventual non-discriminatory agreements including many more countries within the framework of the WTO.

中国还请求在WTO会议间歇在日内瓦与美国、欧盟和其他国家一起参与围绕一项拟议的国际服务贸易协议的谈判。甚至还有人说中国请求与美国、日本等国一起就拟议的泛太平洋战略经济伙伴关系协议(Trans-Pacific Partnership，简称TPP)进行谈判。中国参与这些协议的谈判，可能帮助确保这些协议与WTO的规定保持一致，帮助催生包括WTO框架之下更多国家在内的最终的非歧视协议。

These are examples of the kinds of leadership needed now from China. But time is short. Momentum from the WTO's limited success in Bali is waning. The opportunity created by Bali will be missed without a show sometime soon of real leadership from the leading members of the WTO.

当前中国需要展示出这样的领导力。但时间紧迫。WTO在巴厘岛的有限成功带来的良好势头正在减弱。如果WTO主要成员国不很快显示出真正的领导力，巴厘岛会议创造的机会将被错过。

China could make an important start by making a much better offer on information technology. The credibility gained by China could be its ticket into the current services negotiations. A breakthrough on services that included China could breathe new life into the moribund Doha Round of global trade negotiations where the potential payoff in added prosperity is greatest for China and for all.

中国可以在信息技术领域做出更好的表现，进而迈出重要的第一步。中国由此获得的信誉可能成为其加入当前服务协议谈判的入场券。有中国参与的服务协议谈判若取得突破性进展，则可能给停滞不前的多哈回合全球贸易谈判注入新的活力。多哈回合谈判有望带来更大的繁荣，中国和世界各国都将获益匪浅。