英语国际贸易概念英语国际贸易概念.doc

CHAPTER 1 绝对优势 Absolute advantage: each country could produce one or more commodities at lower real cost than its trading partners. And each country will benefit from specialization in those commodities in which it has an “absolute advantage”, exporting them and importing other commodities which it produces at a higher real cost than another country. 相对优势 Comparative advantage: trade that will benefit both nations provided only that their relative cost, that is, their ratios of their real costs measured by labor-hour or another commodity, are deferent from two or more commodities. In short, trade depends on comparative cost or opportunity cost, and one nation can profitably trade with another even though its real cost are higher(or lower) in every commodity. Reasons for trade restrictions Many countries want a diversified economy to be less dependent on foreign countries both economically and politically. In addition, it is crucial for countries to protect their vital industries, which are strategically related to stability and economic development. There is an infant industry argument which maintains that a new industry needs to be protected until the labor force is trained, the production techniques are mastered and the operation becomes large enough to enjoy the economies of scale and be able to compete in the market. The unfair competition argument claims that protection is needed when foreign firms receive subsidies or other government benefits and sell good abroad at below-cost price to capture a market. Domestic jobs need to be protected from cheap foreign labor, especially for labor-intensive industries such as textile industries, since employment is crucial to a country’s stability. Some countries impose restrictions on import in order to maintain a balance of trade and balance of payments. There pure political reasons. E.g. Arab nations did not trade with Israel for many years in history. 关税 A tariff is a duty or fee levied on goods being importe