紐時賞析／川普涉足紓困政治 給阿根廷一線生機

美國財政部長貝森特（左）9月24日宣佈美國準備提供200億美元紓困阿根廷，右爲該國總統米雷伊。法新社

Trump Wades Into Bailout Politics in Offering a Lifeline to Argentina

川普涉足紓困政治 給阿根廷一線生機

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last month that if New York City needed a federal bailout under the leadership of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, it would be rebuffed by the Trump administration with two words.

美國財政部長貝森特上個月表示，如果紐約在市長候選人曼達尼領導下需要聯邦紓困，那川普政府會以兩個字回絕。

“Drop dead,” Bessent said in an interview on Fox Business.

貝森特接受福斯新聞網商業頻道採訪直言：「去死」。

But Argentina is a different story. The Treasury Department has been working to prop up its sputtering economy, and on Sep 24th Bessent declared that the United States was ready to extend a $20 billion lifeline.

但阿根廷是另一回事。財政部一直在努力支撐其停滯不前的經濟，9月24日貝森特宣佈，美國準備提供200億美元的紓困資金。

The moves are intended to buttress the fortunes of Javier Milei, Argentina’s embattled president, whom President Donald Trump sees as a kindred political spirit.

這些舉措旨在支援處境艱難的阿根廷總統米雷伊的命運，川普視他在政治上志同道合。

By offering economic support to Argentina, the Trump administration is wading into the precarious politics of bailouts, which Republicans traditionally loathe. By using America’s economic power to influence another country’s election, the president is tying the United States to the financial fate of Argentina, which has been plagued for decades with surging inflation and rampant debt.

透過向阿根廷提供經濟支持，川普政府正涉入紓困的政治險境，這是共和黨傳統上厭惡的事。透過利用美國經濟力量影響他國選舉，川普正將美國與阿根廷的財政命運綁在一起，阿根廷數十年來一直飽受通膨激增和債臺高築所困。

The moves have been rebuked by American agriculture groups whose members have been hurt by Trump’s trade war with China.

這些舉措遭到美國農業團體譴責，其成員已因川普與中國的貿易戰而受到傷害。

China stopped buying American agricultural products such as soybeans after Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Chinese imports. Instead, China has been purchasing soybeans from Brazil and Argentina, raising fears across rural America of a looming farm crisis.

川普決定對中國進口產品課徵關稅後，中國停止向美國購買大豆等農業產品。轉向巴西和阿根廷，使美國農業區更憂心農業危機。

The American Soybean Association said the “frustration is overwhelming.” The group pointed out that Argentina just lowered its export taxes so that it could sell even more soybeans to China, further undercutting the U.S. farmers who face high Chinese tariffs.

美國大豆協會表示，「挫敗感令人難以承受」。該團體指出，阿根廷剛降低出口稅，以便向中國出售更多大豆，這進一步削弱了面臨中國高關稅的美國農民。

The U.S. support is intended to restore confidence in Argentina’s economy and bolster Milei after his party lost badly in a recent local election and faces critical legislative elections this month.

美國援助旨在恢復阿根廷經濟的信心，並在米雷伊的政黨日前地方選舉慘敗後，本月又要國會選舉之際，強化米雷伊的地位。

The mechanics of the support, which Bessent is still negotiating with his Argentine counterparts, remain unclear, but analysts say it could be risky to American taxpayers.

援助阿根廷的運作方式尚不清楚，貝森特仍在和阿根廷就此進行談判，但分析家表示，這可能爲美國納稅人帶來風險。

The sheer size of the bailout “raised eyebrows,” said Monica de Bolle, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The arrangement is also unusual in that, at least so far, it is not being conditioned on spending cuts, foreign exchange policy changes or other requirements that are typical of the loans provided by institutions like the International Monetary Fund.

皮特森國際經濟研究所資深研究員莫妮卡．德博勒表示，紓困規模龐大「令人側目」。這樣的安排也不尋常，至少到目前爲止，它並沒有附加削減開支、調整外匯政策，或其他在國際貨幣基金組織等機構提供貸款時常見的要求。

“The U.S. is getting itself into something that they have no exit strategy for,” she said.

她說：「美國正在將自己捲入一個沒有退出策略的局面。」

文／Alan Rappeport and Colby Smith，譯／羅方妤

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