Afghanistan, US companies explore trade opportunities

Business representatives from Afghanistan met with their American counterparts in Washington D.C. recently to discuss trade opportunities, develop new contacts and share ideas.

The matchmaking conference is the opening event of the second annual Afghan business promotion “road show” across the U.S. and Canada. Attendees will travel to Iowa, in the farm belt, to talk about cooperative agricultural agreement. They will then go to Los Angeles to discuss telecommunication and information technology partnerships. And they will travel to New York to look at financial services and insurance sectors.

The conference and road show are indicators of a growing interest in Afghanistan as a place to do business. The Ford Motor Company has been looking for partners to help distribute its automobiles there, and Boeing has also entered into a partnership with Afghanistan’s national airline.

Earlier this year, President Karzai himself was on hand for the opening of a new $25 million Coca-Cola bottling plant outside Kabul. It is the first large factory to open in Afghanistan since the Taliban were driven from power in 2001. The deal -- supported by the Afghan government -- will provide 350 well-paying jobs.

专有名词

Iowa  爱荷华州，美国中西部

Los Angeles  洛杉矶

Ford Motor  福特汽车

Boeing  波音

Kabul  喀布尔

生词

matchmaking  n. 牵线搭桥，做媒

road show  n. 街头表演，路演

attendee  n. 出席者

belt  n. 地带，地区

telecommunication  n. 电信，电讯

information technology  n. 信息技术

sector  n. 部门，领域，行业

distribute  v. 分发，分配；分销

plant  n. 工厂

翻译

阿富汗与美国两国的商业代表于近期在华盛顿举行了会谈，以探讨商机、发展新的贸易往来并分享见解。

第二届阿富汗招商路演的第一项就是在美国与加拿大各地举办洽谈会。与会者将到访爱荷华州的农业区，商讨农业合作协议，然后前往洛杉矶，商谈电讯和信息技术方面的合作，之后还将到纽约参观金融服务以及保险行业。

洽谈会和路演都意味着企业对在阿富汗发展商业活动的兴趣在不断增加。福特汽车公司一直在那里寻找可以帮助他们分销汽车的合作伙伴，而波音公司也挤进了阿富汗国内航空公司的合作伙伴之列。

今年早些时候，总统卡尔扎伊亲自前往喀布尔市外，出席了一个耗资2500万美元的新的可口可乐瓶装工厂的落成典礼。这是自2001年塔利班失势以来在阿富汗所开设的第一家大型工厂。这份得到了阿富汗政府支持的协议将提供350个高薪职位。

posted on 2006-11-28 00:29 annika 阅读(695) 评论(1)  编辑  收藏 所属分类: 标准VOA 网摘收藏