北约盟国敦促美国不要打压钢铁进口

European members of Nato have mounted an unusual lobbying campaign against an expected US crackdown on steel imports, arguing it will hit American allies rather than China, the intended target.

北约(Nato)欧洲成员国针对美国预计将采取的打击钢铁进口的举动，发起了不同寻常的游说，辩称此举将损伤美国盟友，而不是中国这个打击目标。

Military officials from Germany and the Netherlands have in the past two weeks taken their case to the Pentagon and James Mattis, the US defence secretary, who, Washington officials say, has been passing on their concerns.

过去两周，德国和荷兰的军方官员把他们的担忧反映给了美国国防部及其部长詹姆斯•马蒂斯(James Mattis)。华盛顿官员称，马蒂斯已经传达了他们的顾虑。

The US is set to base its clampdown on national security grounds. Domestic manufacturers argue that dumping by China and other countries has hurt their ability to supply the American military.

美国预计将以国家安全为由采取压制措施。美国国内钢铁生产商认为，中国及其他国家的倾销行为损害了它们对美国军方的供应能力。

Washington’s steel-producing Nato partners that would be hit by the move are keen to rebut the national security arguments, and warn of further strains to the transatlantic alliance. The US could try to impose punitive tariffs or a quota system on imports.

生产钢铁、可能受到此举冲击的北约伙伴国急于反驳国家安全的说法，并警告称此举可能会加剧跨大西洋联盟的紧张关系。美国可能征收惩罚性关税或对钢铁进口采取配额制度。

Such lobbying tactics are highly unusual, since US defence officials do not normally get involved in trade disputes.

这种游说策略极不寻常，因为美国国防官员通常不会涉入贸易纠纷。

Germany in particular is worried by the impact of a White House move on steel at next month’s G20 summit in Hamburg. European officials warn that a US crackdown would feed anti-American sentiment in Europe and add to existing friction over proposed new US sanctions on Russia, Washington’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and President Donald Trump’s scepticism towards Nato.

下月20国集团(G20)峰会将在汉堡举行，德国格外担心美国对钢铁进口采取措施所带来的影响。欧洲官员警告称，美国打击钢铁进口的举动将助长欧洲的反美情绪，使得因美国提出针对俄罗斯的新制裁、美国退出巴黎气候协定以及唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)对北约的怀疑态度而起的现有摩擦进一步加大。

Mr Trump has repeatedly said he will follow through on campaign promises to protect the steel industry from what he sees as unfair global competition.

特朗普再三表示，他将兑现竞选承诺，保护钢铁行业免受他所认为的不公平的国际竞争。

Wilbur Ross, the US commerce secretary, is expected to announce within days the findings of a hurried special investigation into the impact of steel imports on US national security.

美国商务部长威尔伯•罗斯(Wilbur Ross)预计将在未来几天宣布针对钢铁进口对美国国家安全影响从快进行的特别调查的结果。

The steel investigation has also set off another heated trade debate within the Trump administration.

钢铁调查还引发了特朗普政府内部另一场激烈的贸易辩论。

Trade hawks are pushing for the president to impose a broad tariff on imports while business-friendly voices such Gary Cohn, the head of Mr Trump’s National Economic Council, have argued for restraint. Following the push by allies, Mr Mattis has joined those arguing for restraint.

贸易鹰派正在推动特朗普对进口实施全面关税，而白宫国家经济委员会主席加里•科恩(Gary Cohn)等亲商派则主张克制。在盟国表态后，马蒂斯也加入了主张克制的阵营。

“The notion that imports from Eur­ope are [considered] a national security threat [by the US] is really worrying to us,” said a European official. “The mood is to retaliate.”

“从欧洲进口(被美国认为)对国家安全构成威胁，这种说法真的令我们担心，”欧洲一名官员表示，“目前的情绪是报复。”