The perception in China is that revaluation ended the Japanese miracle Since the Bretton Woods system of ①fixed exchange rates collapsed in 1971,some of the most high-profile attempts at global co-ordination have involved trying to stabilise major currencies.But the mixed record of these ad hoc efforts gives reluctant countries such as China an excuse not to repeat them—C suggesting that,for now,the Group of 20 leading nations will struggle to even try to match the role played by its predecessors,the G5 and G7. After the collapse of Bretton Woods,some European countries attempted to manage their exchange rates against each other in the evocatively named“currency snake”,which hardened into a more formal system of fixed values and,eventually,the euro. Otherwise,however,currencies ②swung against each other,sometimes wildly,as the economic and monetary turmoil of the 1970s combined with high and volatile oil prices to push exchange rates around. The growing economic power of Japan,one of the first Asian export powerhouses,③raised concerns in the US about unfair currency valuations. In the Plaza and Louvre accords of 1985 and 1987,the G5(later G7)grouping of governments agreed first to ④weaken the dollar then to stabilise it,hoping to reduce the US current account imbalance,particularly against Japan.But though the dollar did weaken,America’s trade deficit remained a problem. Moreover,the exercise was blamed in Japan for helping create the financial and property bubbles of the late 1980s,as monetary policy had to be loosened to offset the effects of a rising yen. Two decades later,some are pushing for the 1980s movie to be remade with China taking the part of Japan and the G20 supplanting the G7.“Some international co-operation would be helpful in ⑤ensuring that exchange rates could play their role in rebalancing the world economy,”says Gerard Lyons,chief economist at Standard Chartered bank. But China seems recalcitrant. Yesterday Wen Jiabao,premier,made clear that European attempts to press Beijing into letting the renminbi rise would be no more effective than US efforts.“There is a perception in China that the currency revaluations of the 1980s ended the Japanese economic miracle,”says Mark Manger,an expert on political economy at the London School of Economics,“so they are very reluctant to ⑥follow suit.”
译文梗概
中国缘何不愿重蹈日本汇率覆辙
自1971年布雷顿森林体系之下的固定汇率制度崩溃以来,全球在协同经济方面所做尝试中,最引人瞩目的举措都涉及稳定主要货币汇率。但这些临时举措好坏参半,令中国等不太情愿的国家有理由不再重新尝试。这意味着,就目前而言,20国集团(G20)哪怕只是试着与其前身五国集团(G5)或七国集团(G7)所扮演的角色大致相同,也将十分困难。 日本是亚洲最早的出口大国之一,其迅速增长的经济实力,引发了美国对于货币估值有失公允的担忧。 在1985年广场协定(Plaza Accord)和1987年卢浮宫协定(Louvre Accord)中,G5 (后来是G7)成员先是同意让美元贬值,后来又决定稳定美元汇率,希望以此减少美国经常账户赤字,尤其是对日本的赤字。尽管美元的确贬值,但美国贸易逆差的问题依然存在。此外,日本国内则指责这种做法助长了20世纪80年代末的日本金融及房地产泡沫。 20年之后,一些人正力图让上世纪80年代的影片重演,由中国扮演日本的角色,而G7则由G20来取代。“一定的国际协作,将有助于确保汇率在恢复全球经济平衡方面发挥自己的作用,”渣打银行(Standard Chartered)首席经济学家杰拉德·莱昂斯表示。 但中国似乎不愿从命。11月30日,中国国务院总理温家宝明确表示,欧洲向北京施压、要求人民币升值的努力,不会比美国的努力更有效。 “在中国有这样一种看法,即上世纪80年代日元的升值,终结了日本的经济奇迹。”伦敦政治经济学院(LSE)政治经济学专家马克·曼格(Mark Manger)表示,“因此他们非常不愿意重蹈覆辙。”
(文章来源:FT中文网)
点评: ①fixed exchange rates固定汇率,与high-profile相反的是low-profile(意为“低调的、低姿态的”);currency和monetary都是指货币,前者是名词,后者用作形容词。 ②swing本意是“摆动,摇动”的意思,在这里是指各种货币间的汇率的变动,A货币对B货币的汇率,介词用against。 ③raise concerns about…引发关于…的担忧。 ④关于货币价值的变化说法,常见的主要有这几种:appreciate\strengthen或devalue\weaken the currency(dollar),升值、贬值;hoping……现在分词短语作目的状语;current account是指经常账户,与资本和金融账户capital and financial account一起构成一国国际收支平衡表(International Balance of Payments)的主要两部分。相关的术语还有balance account结余,差额清算,决算账户;false account假账。 ⑤ensure vt.担保,确保,在此相当于make certain that;rebalancing the world economy意为世界经济再平衡,imbalance“失衡”。 ⑥follow suit愿意是指在玩牌时出同花色的牌,该短语译法灵活,可以表示照着做,如法炮制之意。在这里的意思是重蹈覆辙。 |