2023考研英語閱讀廉價商品的終結
中國勞動力成本提高是否預示著中國制造業的終結?還是在這背后，中國大地上正在醞釀著另一個產業的崛起。
Some are predicting the end of the cheap Chinaprice others are moresanguine
IT IS the end of cheap goods, says BruceRockowitz. He is the chief executive of Li Fung, a company that sources more clothes andcommon household products from Asia than perhapsany other. In the low-tech areas in which Li Fung specialises, the firm handles an estimated 4%of Chinas exports to America and a sizeable chunkof its exports to Europe, too. It has operations in several East Asian countries, where itdiligently searches for cheap, reliable suppliers of everything from handbags to bar stools. Sowhen Mr Rockowitz says the era of low-cost Asian production is drawing to a close, peoplelisten.
廉價商品的日子已經過去了, 利豐公司總裁布魯斯說。利豐公司是亞洲地區服裝面料和日用品最大的采購商。利豐公司專注于低技術商品領域，中國每年向美國出口業務量約4%以及向歐洲地區大多數出口業務均通過該公司進行操作。利豐公司在東亞幾個國家開展業務，力求尋找到可靠的廉價商品供應商，從手提包到酒吧的凳子，幾乎所有廉價商品都是他們的目標。因此，當布魯斯先生說亞洲生產低成本商品的時代即將終結，人們都會相信。
He argues that Asian manufacturing has gone through a number of phases, each lasting about30 years. When China was isolated under Mao Zedong, companies in Hong Kong, Taiwan andSouth Korea grew expert at making things. When China reopened in the late 1970s, after Maosdeath, these experienced Asian operators converged on southern China. With almost freeaccess to land and labour, plus an efficient port and logistics hub in nearby Hong Kong, theystarted to make things ever more cheaply and sell them to the whole world.
布魯斯認為，亞洲的制造業經歷了幾個階段，每個階段持續了約30年之久。毛澤東領導下的中國處于孤立時，香港、臺灣和南韓的公司是制造業的主力軍;在1970年代末期，也就是在毛澤東去世之后，中國實行改革開放，這些經驗豐富的亞洲制造業經營商紛紛在中國南部各省開設工廠。幾乎免費的土地和勞動力成本，外加上高效的港口和鄰近香港的物流樞紐，讓他們生產的產品價格更加低廉并銷往全世界。
For the next 30 years manufacturers in China helped to keep global inflation in check. Butthat era is now over, says Mr Rockowitz. Chinese wages are rising fast. A wave of new demand,especially from China itself, is feeding a surge in commodity prices. Manufacturers can findsome relief by moving production to new areas, such as western China, Vietnam, Bangladesh,Malaysia, India and Indonesia. But none of these new places will curb inflation the waysouthern China once did, he predicts. All rely on the same increasingly expensive pool ofcommodities. Many have rising wages or poor logistics. None can provide the scale andefficiency that was created when manufacturers converged on southern China.
在隨后的30年中，中國的制造業讓全球抑制住了通貨膨脹。但是，布魯斯說，這樣美好時代即將過去。中國的工資水平上漲很快。來自中國的一個新的需求浪潮正在推高商品的價格。制造業企業家也許可以通過將制造業向中國西部、越南、孟加拉、馬來西亞、印度及印度尼西亞進行轉移，緩解一些成本壓力，但是，布魯斯預測，這些新的區域無法像當初中國南方的制造業那樣有效抑制通貨膨脹。一切都受制于日益上漲的生產要素價格，這些地方不是工資上漲就是物流運輸落后。沒有一個地方可以像當初中國南方制造業那樣，規模和效率并舉。
中國勞動力成本提高是否預示著中國制造業的終結?還是在這背后，中國大地上正在醞釀著另一個產業的崛起。
Some are predicting the end of the cheap Chinaprice others are moresanguine
IT IS the end of cheap goods, says BruceRockowitz. He is the chief executive of Li Fung, a company that sources more clothes andcommon household products from Asia than perhapsany other. In the low-tech areas in which Li Fung specialises, the firm handles an estimated 4%of Chinas exports to America and a sizeable chunkof its exports to Europe, too. It has operations in several East Asian countries, where itdiligently searches for cheap, reliable suppliers of everything from handbags to bar stools. Sowhen Mr Rockowitz says the era of low-cost Asian production is drawing to a close, peoplelisten.
廉價商品的日子已經過去了, 利豐公司總裁布魯斯說。利豐公司是亞洲地區服裝面料和日用品最大的采購商。利豐公司專注于低技術商品領域，中國每年向美國出口業務量約4%以及向歐洲地區大多數出口業務均通過該公司進行操作。利豐公司在東亞幾個國家開展業務，力求尋找到可靠的廉價商品供應商，從手提包到酒吧的凳子，幾乎所有廉價商品都是他們的目標。因此，當布魯斯先生說亞洲生產低成本商品的時代即將終結，人們都會相信。
He argues that Asian manufacturing has gone through a number of phases, each lasting about30 years. When China was isolated under Mao Zedong, companies in Hong Kong, Taiwan andSouth Korea grew expert at making things. When China reopened in the late 1970s, after Maosdeath, these experienced Asian operators converged on southern China. With almost freeaccess to land and labour, plus an efficient port and logistics hub in nearby Hong Kong, theystarted to make things ever more cheaply and sell them to the whole world.
布魯斯認為，亞洲的制造業經歷了幾個階段，每個階段持續了約30年之久。毛澤東領導下的中國處于孤立時，香港、臺灣和南韓的公司是制造業的主力軍;在1970年代末期，也就是在毛澤東去世之后，中國實行改革開放，這些經驗豐富的亞洲制造業經營商紛紛在中國南部各省開設工廠。幾乎免費的土地和勞動力成本，外加上高效的港口和鄰近香港的物流樞紐，讓他們生產的產品價格更加低廉并銷往全世界。
For the next 30 years manufacturers in China helped to keep global inflation in check. Butthat era is now over, says Mr Rockowitz. Chinese wages are rising fast. A wave of new demand,especially from China itself, is feeding a surge in commodity prices. Manufacturers can findsome relief by moving production to new areas, such as western China, Vietnam, Bangladesh,Malaysia, India and Indonesia. But none of these new places will curb inflation the waysouthern China once did, he predicts. All rely on the same increasingly expensive pool ofcommodities. Many have rising wages or poor logistics. None can provide the scale andefficiency that was created when manufacturers converged on southern China.
在隨后的30年中，中國的制造業讓全球抑制住了通貨膨脹。但是，布魯斯說，這樣美好時代即將過去。中國的工資水平上漲很快。來自中國的一個新的需求浪潮正在推高商品的價格。制造業企業家也許可以通過將制造業向中國西部、越南、孟加拉、馬來西亞、印度及印度尼西亞進行轉移，緩解一些成本壓力，但是，布魯斯預測，這些新的區域無法像當初中國南方的制造業那樣有效抑制通貨膨脹。一切都受制于日益上漲的生產要素價格，這些地方不是工資上漲就是物流運輸落后。沒有一個地方可以像當初中國南方制造業那樣，規模和效率并舉。
