15、Boeing gets back on track
Jun 2nd 2005 | LOS ANGELES AND SEATTLE From The Economist print edition
As America goes on the offensive over subsidies to Airbus, Boeing, its biggest exporter, is learning valuable lessons from its rival’s success
ANOTHER week, another twist in the eternal struggle between Airbus and Boeing. On May 30th, the American government began the latest round by announcing that it will take a case challenging European government subsidies to Airbus to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The next day, the European Union (EU) filed a counter claim against the American government’s aid to Boeing. The two sides had been trying (sort of) to settle the dispute in bilateral talks since late last year, but the Americans broke them off after Airbus applied for further aid to launch its new mid-sized A350 aircraft, designed to compete with Boeing’s great white hope—the 200-300-seat 787, aimed at the fast-growing long-haul market.
This dispute has rumbled on since the late 1980s, when Airbus first started to weaken America’s dominance of the commercial aircraft market. A truce in 1992, limiting “refundable launch aid” to Airbus to one-third of development costs and Boeing’s subsidies from government to 4% of its turnover, lasted until 1998. By then Airbus was steadily approaching 50% of the market. Last week Boeing’s chairman, Lew Platt, conceded that, with hindsight, he wishes that Boeing had gone ahead in 1998 with a case it had prepared, supported by the Clinton administration, challenging subsidies to Airbus before the launch of the European firm’s super-jumbo, the A380. But Boeing and its allies backed off. The new plane was successfully launched, with over 150 orders so far and at least 50 more to come at the Paris air show, which opens on June 13th (though the plane is six months behind schedule).
Now Boeing is gunning for the latest Airbus, the A350. An early buyer is supposed to be the new airline to be formed by the merger of America West and US Airways; indeed Airbus is pumping $250m of unsecured finance into the merger to land the deal. But the possibility that 100% import duties might be levied by America on Airbuses following a WTO ruling may deter further American purchases. The WTO is thought likely to find that both sides have breached subsidy rules. That prospect may create pressure for the two firms to—again—seek a negotiated bilateral settlement, if only to avoid a wider trade war.
15、就在美国不断攻击空客的补贴问题的同时，其最大的出口商，波音却正从其对手的成功中学得宝贵经验。
又是新的一周，空中客车和波音之间无休止的竞争又迎来了新的厮杀。5月30日，美国政府宣布开始向世贸组织提出最新回合诉讼，诉欧洲政府向空中客车提供补贴。第二天，欧盟针对美国政府对波音的资助提起反诉。双方从去年晚些时候起曾经尝试(好像是)处理双边对话中的纷争，不过由于空中客车要求针对启动新的中型飞机A350提供进一步资助，美国中断了这些尝试;空客计划用A350型飞机与被波音寄予厚望的200到300座的787进行竞争，旨在快速发展的长期市场。
20世纪80年代后期起，纷争已经开始;那时候空客率先削弱美国独霸的商业飞机市场。休战曾在1992年出现，空客的“应偿还启动资金援助”限制在其发展成本的1/3以内，而波音从政府取得的补贴则不得超过其营业额的4%，这一直持续到了1998年。到1998年，空客稳步达到市场占有率50%。上周波音主席Lew Platt也事后诸葛地认为，波音1998年应该成功进行其精心准备的、由克林顿政府支持、旨在迎战空客推出超级巨无霸A380时所得补贴的那场诉讼。不过波音和其他同盟都打退堂鼓了。新型飞机顺利下线，至今已有超过150份订单，而且至少有50份以上是在6月13日的巴黎飞行展上签成的(尽管飞机要在6个月以后才能面世)。
如今波音正将矛头指向空客最新机型A350。抢先的买家可能是America West和US Airways合并后建立的新航线;实际上空客的确向这个合并后的航空公司斥资2亿5000万美元无担保资助来促成这桩生意。然而美国依据WTO规则也许会对空客征收的100%进口关税的可能性大约也会阻止未来的美国买家购买。有人认为，WTO很可能会看到双方都违背了补贴规则。这一预期可能会对两家企业均再一次产生压力，寻求经双边谈判磋商解决问题的办法，只要能够避免一场更大范围的贸易战。
如果您需要翻译，请拨打400 688 3621或者发邮件至alice.han@translationinchina.com,或访问至尚翻译公司网址：http://www.translationinchina.com
Should you need our service, please feel free to call 400 688 3621 or send email to:alice.han@translationinchina.com or visit SIS Shanghai Translation Company Website http://www.translationinchina.com