9-1-2005

布希週五將前往颶風災區慰問 (President Bush will visit the hurricane-devastated areas)

白宮說，布希總統星期五將視察美國墨西哥灣沿岸一帶颶風受災區。白宮發言人麥克萊倫說，布希將乘座空中和陸地交通，巡視包括新奧爾良市在內的受災區。麥克萊倫說，布希總統還請求前總統克林頓和喬治. H.W.布希領導為颶風受害者籌款的活動。早些時候，布希總統說，美國政府開始了美國有史以來規模最大的救災工作，向卡特裏娜颶風的災民伸出援手。

布希總統表示，當務之急是找到和搶救數千名仍然被困在新奧爾良市和其他重災區的人。救援人員正在將新奧爾良市圓頂大體育館內的幾千名災民轉移到大約500公里外的休斯頓市，但是，有人向參與行動的直升機開槍，致使轉移行動暫停。地面疏散仍在繼續。

新奧爾良市還重新佈置了警力，以阻止那些越來越囂張的哄搶者，他們不僅盜取食品、飲水，還搶走電視機甚至槍支等物品。救援努力延伸到密西西比州的沿海地區。星期一的風暴摧毀了當地數以千計的住宅，造成至少110人死亡。

The White House says President Bush will visit the hurricane-devastated areas along the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coast Friday. Spokesman Scott McClellan says Mr. Bush will tour the region by both air and ground. The visit is to include the city of New Orleans. The spokesman also says the president has asked former Presidents Bill Clinton and George Herbert Walker Bush to lead a fundraising effort for hurricane victims. Earlier, President Bush said the U.S. government has launched the most massive relief effort in the nation's history to help the hurricane victims.

He said the top priority continues to be finding and rescuing thousands of people still stranded in New Orleans and other hard-hit areas. Rescue workers are transporting thousands of storm refugees from a New Orleans sports stadium to the city of Houston (500 kilometers away). Helicopter flights at the site were suspended after someone fired a shot at an incoming aircraft, but the ground evacuation continued.

Police have re-deployed in New Orleans to stop increasingly aggressive looters, who have been stealing not only food and water but also items like television sets and guns. Rescue efforts extend to coastal areas of Mississippi, where Monday's storm destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 110 people.

美中紡織品談判未能達成協定 (U.S. and Chinese officials have concluded a third day of talks in Beijing without an agreement on textile trade)

美國和中國官員在北京結束了第3天的會談，沒有就紡織品貿易問題達成協定。美方首席談判代表戴維.斯普納星期四對記者說，雖然他們盡了最大努力，但是雙方無法解決阻礙達成協定的分歧。

爭議的焦點是恢復中國出口到美國的19種紡織品的限額。參加談判的美方代表希望說服中國為這些種類的紡織品出口設定年增長率不超過7.5%的上限，並且一直執行到2008年。

美國的紡織品生產廠商指稱， 自從今年春天紡織品配額取消之後，中國的廉價產品使美國損失了2萬6千個就業機會。但是中國表示，美國產業界已經有充份的時間來應對因配額到期而產生的市場變化。

Washington's lead negotiator at the talks (David Spooner) told reporters today (Thursday) that despite their best efforts, the two sides were unable to resolve differences holding up an agreement.

At issue is the resumption of limits on 19 categories of Chinese textiles exported to the United States. U.S. delegates to the talks want to persuade China to limit exports in those categories to a seven-point-five percent growth rate per year through 2008.

U.S. textile manufacturers allege that cheap Chinese imports have cost 26-thousand jobs since the original quotas expired this spring. However, China says the United States had ample time to prepare the industry for market changes before those quotas expired.