[求助]大全37

raikey

As the economic role of multinational, global corporations expands, the international economic environment will be shaped increasingly not by governments or international institutions, but by the interaction between governments and global corporations, especially in the United States, Europe, and Japan. A significant factor in this shifting world economy is the trend toward regional trading blocs of nations, which has a potentially large effect on the evolution of the world trading system. Two examples of this trend are the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and Europe 1992, the move by the European Community (EC) to dismantle impediments to the free flow of goods, services, capital, and labor among member states by the end of 1992. However, although numerous political and economic factors were operative in launching the move to integrate the EC’s markets, concern about protectionism within the EC does not appear to have been a major consideration.
                This is in sharp contrast to the FTA; the overwhelming reason for that bilateral initiative was fear of increasing United States protectionism. Nonetheless, although markedly different in origin and nature, both regional developments are highly significant in that they will foster integration in the two largest and richest markets of the world, as well as provoke questions about the future direction of the world trading system.

可否解释一下红字的那句是什么意思? 总觉得无法理解其中的逻辑关系: "fear of increasing United States protectionism" 怎么就能==> "Free Trade Agreement" ? 

hru

try to translate:两边主动达成FTA协议的扣人心弦的原因是担心正在增加的美国保护主义. it seems that increasing US protectionism is harmful to the trade between US and Canada, so they signed a FTA.

raikey

嗯,有理,能说得通,谢了!

  如果将bilateral换成Canadian会更容易理解,因为American要把商品推往Canadian市场时,United States protectionism不起作用.

dldennis