China announced yesterday it will impose a second round of tariffs on imports of US chicken products of as much as 31.4 per cent, raising the temperature in the ongoing trade tussles between the two countries.

　　中国昨日宣布将对从美国进口的肉鸡产品开征第二轮关税，税率最高达31.4%，此举导致两国之间的持续贸易角力升温。

　　The commerce ministry said the new tariffs were a response to what it said were unfair subsidies given to poultry farmers in the US. The duties come on top of tariffs of up to 105.4 per cent that China placed on US poultry two months ago because of alleged dumping.

　　中国商务部表示，新关税是对其所称的美国肉鸡生产者得到的不公平补贴的回应。2个月前中国曾以美国在华倾销为由对美国肉鸡产品开征最高达105.4%的关税，新关税将在此基础之上另行征收。

　　The new tariffs come at a time when economic friction between the two countries appeared to be relaxing, after the US Treasury department delayed its decision over whether to label China a currency manipulator and signals from Beijing that it will abandon its dollar peg.

　　新关税出炉之际，中美两国的经济摩擦似乎正在放缓，此前美国财政部决定推迟决定是否将中国列为汇率操纵国，而北京方面发出信号暗示，中国将放弃盯住美元的汇率政策。

　　It is a reminder of the number of thorny bilateral trade issues between the two countries, following the Obama administration's decision to levy tariffs on Chinese tyres in September.

　　此举提醒人们，自奥巴马政府去年9月决定对中国轮胎开征关税后，中美两国间棘手的双边贸易问题之多。

　　The decision all but closes off what had become a lucrative side-business for the US poultry industry after China became its biggest export market, with sales of $722m in 2008. Chinese consumers favour chicken wings and feet, parts of the bird that are usually shunned in the US, which means they can fetch prices 20 times higher in the Chinese market.

　　中方的这一决定几乎是对美国肉鸡业关上了最大出口市场的大门；此前对华出口已成为美国肉鸡业盈利颇丰的“副业”，2008年销售额达到7.22亿美元。中国消费者喜爱鸡翅和鸡爪，而鸡的这些部位在美国通常是无人敢碰的，这意味着它们在中国市场可以卖到20倍于本土市场的价格。

　　Although there have been complaints from Chinese companies for several years about surging US chicken imports, Beijing announced it would investigate US poultry imports two days after the US decision to impose tariffs on Chinese imports of tyres. It was angered by the tyre duties because they used the safeguard provisions under China's World Trade Organisation accession agreement which can be invoked if there is a surge in imports from China.

　　虽然多年来中国企业一直在抱怨美国肉鸡产品进口激增，但北京方面在美方决定对中国输美轮胎征收关税两天后才宣布将调查美国肉鸡产品进口。中国被轮胎关税激怒，因为美方动用了中国加入世界贸易组织(WTO)协议中的特保条款；若从中国进口的产品出现激增，便可动用该条款。

　　This is the first time China has imposed duties on imports of agricultural goods on the grounds of alleged subsidies. Similar duties were placed on some US specialist steel products last year. The commerce ministry did not say how it had calculated the level of subsidies received by US farmers, although it said they were the result of the subsidised corn and soyabeans used in chicken feed.

　　这是中国首次以据称的补贴为由，对进口农产品征收关税。去年中国还对美国的某些特种钢材产品开征了类似关税。中国商务部并未说明它是如何计算美国农民得到的补贴水平的，尽管它表示，这些补贴是鸡饲料中的玉米和大豆受到补贴的结果。

　　Under the new ruling, US companies that submitted information to the Chinese government investigation, such as Pilgrim's Pride and Tyson Foods, would face duties of 3.8 per cent to 11.2 per cent, while companies which did not co-operate would face duties of 31.4 per cent.

　　根据这项新裁定，已向中国政府的调查提交信息的美国企业，如Pilgrim's Pride和泰森食品(Tyson Foods)，将面临3.8% 至11.2%的关税，而未给予合作的美国企业将面临31.4%的关税。