Top US and Chinese officials have resolved most of the issues standing in the way of a deal to end their long-running trade dispute but are still haggling over how to implement and enforce the agreement, people briefed on the talks have said.
听取了谈判情况介绍的人士表示，美中高级别官员已经扫清了阻挡双方达成协议以结束长期贸易争端的大多数障碍，但双方仍在就如何落实和执行协议讨价还价。
Liu He, China’s vice-premier, was preparing to meet Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, and Steven Mnuchin, the US Treasury secretary, for a potentially climactic negotiation session starting Wednesday in Washington. The talks are the latest in a series of meetings over the past four months.
中国副总理刘鹤正准备与美国贸易代表罗伯特•莱特希泽(Robert Lighthizer)和美国财政部长史蒂文•姆努钦(Steven Mnuchin)会面。从本周三开始，双方将在华盛顿举行可能是最重要的一次谈判。过去4个月，双方已经举行了一系列谈判。
Although an agreement was within reach, the two sides remain apart on two key issues — the fate of existing US levies on Chinese goods, which Beijing wants to see removed, and the terms of an enforcement mechanism demanded by Washington to ensure that China abides by the deal.
尽管协议似乎已触手可及，但双方在两个关键问题上还未谈拢——其一是现有的美国对中国商品所加征的关税的命运，中方希望撤销这些关税；其二是美方为确保中方遵守协议而要求的执行机制的具体条款。
“We’re getting into the end-game stage,” said Myron Brilliant, executive vice-president for international affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce. “Ninety per cent of the deal is done, but the last 10 per cent is the hardest part, it’s the trickiest part and it will require trade-offs on both sides,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“我们正进入终局阶段。”美国商会(Chamber of Commerce)主管国际事务的常务副会长薄迈伦(Myron Brilliant)表示。他在周二告诉记者们：“协议的90%都已经搞定了，但最后10%是最困难的部分，这是最棘手的部分，双方都需要进行权衡取舍。”