克林頓政府和一些國會領袖，雖然面對Big Tobacco煙草公司時，自詡為硬漢，另一方面卻藉著自由貿易的名義，忙著幫煙草公司將疾病和死亡輸出國外。最近談判過的中美貿易協定，還有正等待國會通過的中國永久正常貿易待遇，將替美國煙草公司如Phillip Morris等，打開中方大門。以中國這麼大的市場來看，即使是些微的吸煙人口成長，就意味著未來10年、將額外增加數百萬人的死亡。
中國市場既龐大且具潛力，一旦大開，巨大的經濟利益，將誘使各國煙商爭相投入創造新的吸煙人口，在中國、這指的是傳統不抽煙的婦女和兒童。1980年代，在美國政府的壓力之下，美國煙得以大量地湧入日本、南韓、泰國、台灣等國家，因此抽煙人口大增。以南韓為例，短短一年內，抽煙的青少年，就從原來的18％陡升到28％，其中女性部分，增加尚且不只五倍。
在美國本土的煙草管制運動，造成抽煙人口降低，煙草工業的形象，也被塑造成鼓勵嗑藥的行業的同時，Philip Morris和Big Tobacco已經在向海外開發新的市場和利潤。全球每年約有三、四百萬的人抽煙致死，預計2030年時，更達千萬之多，其中，開發中國家的人數將超過七成。
中國這麼大的市場，當然是這些跨國公司的主要目標，而且中國她老早就是世界上香煙消耗的最多的國家，抽煙人數比美國人口總數還要多。歷史上，中國的香煙市場，一直是高度保護著，外國進口的煙，不但關稅高、還限制重重。進入中國是Philip Morris和Big Tobacco的第一優先，因此，美國煙要在中國大量銷售出現，高關稅是她的主要障礙。
Chinese Progressive Association中華促進協會660 Sacramento Street, Suite 202San Francisco, CA 94111Tel: 415-391-6986Fax: 415-391-6987email:
cpa@mail.ewind.com
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版權規屬Environment News Service(ENS)，環境信託基金會(蘇崧棱 譯，梁明煌審校)
中英對照全文：http://news.ngo.org.tw/issue/ecoeco/
issue-ecoeco00072001.htm |
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While the Clinton-Gore administration and many Congressional leaders portraythemselves as being tough on Big Tobacco, they have been very eager toassist U.S. tobacco corporations to export disease and death to other countries inthe name of "free trade." The recently negotiated U.S. China trade agreementand the pending vote in Congress to grant China permanent normal traderelations (PNTR) will open the Chinese cigarette and agricultural tobaccomarkets to U.S. tobacco corporations like Phillip Morris. Given the immensesize of the Chinese market, even a small increase in smoking prevalence willmean millions of additional deaths over the next decade.
Opening China's vast existing and potential market will create a hugeeconomic incentive for domestic and foreign companies to competeaggressively for new smokers which in China means targeting traditionally nonsmoking women and children. Smoking rates in Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan rose sharply following the massive inflow of American cigarettes after the U.S. government forced these countries to open their markets to U.S. tobacco imports in the 1980's. In the case of South Korea, after the entry of U.S. corporations, smoking rates among teenage boys went up from 18% to 28% in a single year, and the rate among girls more than quintupled
As the U.S. tobacco control movement has reduced smoking rates and exposedthe tobacco industry as corporate drug pushers here at home, Philip Morrisand Big Tobacco have shifted their focus to overseas markets in search of new "customers" and profits. Globally, 3.5 million to 4 million people die every year from smoking related diseases. By 2030, this figure will increase to 10 million smoking related deaths per year, with more than 70% of the deaths occurring in the developing world.
China s huge market has made it the prime target of transnational tobaccocorporations. Already, China s cigarette consumption is the highest in the world, and there are more smokers in China than there are people in the U.S. Historically, China s cigarette market has been highly protected, with foreign tobacco corporations facing high tariffs and other restrictions. Breaking into the Chinese market is a top priority for Philip Morris and Big Tobacco, and high tariffs on imported cigarettes are a major obstacle to the U.S. companies gaining a substantial presence in China.
Chinese Progressive Association660 Sacramento Street, Suite 202San Francisco, CA 94111Tel: 415-391-6986Fax: 415-391-6987email:
cpa@mail.ewind.com
http://www.hk-sanxia.org
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