WeChat-owner shrugs off Trump's proposed US ban

13 August 2020

BBC NEWS

Tencent has played down Donald Trump's ban on its WeChat app, believing it will only affect its US operations.

shrug off ：If you shrug something off, you ignore it or treat it as if it is not really important or serious. 对…不予理睬 •  He shrugged off the criticism.  他对批评不予理睬。

shrug v. /ʃrʌɡ/  

1. [ no passive ] to raise your shoulders and then drop them to show that you do not know or care about sth 耸肩（表示不知道或不在乎） • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。

2. ˌSHRUG STH ˈOFF/AˈSIDE：to treat sth as if it is not important 不把…当回事；对…满不在乎；对…不予理睬 •He shrugged aside suggestions that he resign. 对于要求他辞职的建议，他根本不予理会。

3. ˌSHRUG SB/STH ˈOFF/AˈWAY：to push sb/sth back or away with your shoulders 甩开；摆脱；抖落

play down ：PHRASAL VERB If you play down something, you try to make people believe that it is not particularly important. 贬低  •Western diplomats have played down the significance of the reports. 西方的外交官们已贬低了这些报告的重要性。

The tech giant runs an equivalent messaging platform in China called Weixin which it hopes will be unaffected.

equivalent  /ɪˈkwɪvələnt/  

动词 ~ (to sth) equal in value, amount, meaning, importance, etc. （价值、数量、意义、重要性等）相等的，相同的 •Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles. 八公里约等于五英里

名词 ~ (of/to sth) a thing, amount, word, etc. that is equivalent to sth else 相等的东西；等量；对应词 •Send €20 or the equivalent in your own currency. 寄20欧元或等值的贵国货币。

The bigger fallout may be Apple's sales in China if its iPhones aren't allowed to download Chinese messaging apps.

fallout n. /ˈfɔːlaʊt/  

1.dangerous radioactive dust that is in the air after a nuclear explosion （核爆炸后的）放射性坠尘

2.the bad results of a situation or an action 后果；余波

WeChat has more than one billion users worldwide but says the US only accounts for 2% of its revenue.

Last Friday, US President Donald Trump ordered US firms to stop doing business with both WeChat and TikTok within 45 days citing national security concerns.

The TikTok ban was expected but still "shocked" the company's owners ByteDance. WeChat, and its parent company Tencent, also found itself caught in the crossfire of the escalating tensions between the US and China.

crossfire /ˈkrɒsˌfaɪə/

1. N-UNCOUNT Crossfire is gunfire, for example, in a battle, that comes from two or more different directions and passes through the same area. 交叉火力

2. PHRASE If you are caught in the crossfire, you become involved in an unpleasant situation in which people are arguing with each other, although you do not want to be involved or say which person you agree with. 被卷入争端

the escalating tensions:升级的紧张形势

However, Tencent, the world's largest gaming firm, downplayed Mr Trump's executive order when it reported its second quarter results on Wednesday. It saw a 37% rise in profits.

downplay /ˈdaʊnˌpleɪ/

V-T If you downplay a fact or feature, you try to make people think that it is less important or serious than it really is. 轻描淡写 • Police sources yesterday downplayed the significance of the security breach. 警方昨天的消息对这次安全缺口的重要性轻描淡写。

"If you look at the executive orders from May 2019 and then obviously the executive order a couple of days ago, they specify very clearly they cover US jurisdiction, and consequently we don't see any impact on companies advertising on our platform in China," said James Mitchell, Tencent's chief strategy officer.

Bigger bite

Business analysts are unclear about the full implications of the US bans on Tencent and ByteDance, and are waiting for more details.

There are fears that Apple could suffer if the ban stretches to its operations in China. Experts say sales of its iPhone will be hit hard if Chinese consumers are not allowed to download messaging apps like Weixin onto them.

The executive order said it would ban "any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, with Tencent Holdings Ltd. (a.k.a. Téngxùn Kònggǔ Yǒuxiàn Gōngsī), Shenzhen, China, or any subsidiary of that entity."

jurisdiction n. /ˌdʒʊərɪsˈdɪkʃn/  

1.[ UC ] ~ (over sb/sth)~ (of sb/sth) (to do sth) the authority that an official organization has to make legal decisions about sb/sth 司法权；审判权；管辖权

2.[ C ] an area or a country in which a particular system of laws has authority 管辖区域；管辖范围

jurisdiction of the United States：美国的管辖权/管辖区

Mr Trump said that the spread in the US of mobile apps developed and owned by Chinese firms "threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States".

According to calculations made by Bloomberg the Chinese market is worth around $44bn (£33.7bn) a year to Apple.

 

原文链接：https://www.bbc.com/news/business-53760725