President Barack Obama is mounting a big push to bolster foreign investment in the US – amid evidence that America is falling behind other countries in the race for global capital.巴拉克?奥巴马(Barack Obama)总统正在大力促进外国对美投资。目前有证据表明，美国在吸引全球资本方面落后于其他国家。
The aggressive move by Mr Obama to pitch America as open for business reflects a growing realisation in Washington that the case for investing in the world’s biggest economy is no
longer self-evident.奥巴马不遗余力地宣传美国对外资开放，表明华盛顿方面逐渐意识到，投资世界最大经济体的理由已经不再显而易见。
In 2000, the US held 37 per cent of the worldwide inward stock of foreign investment. By 2012, that had dwindled to 17 per cent. The US attracted $166bn in foreign direct investment in 2012, a 28 per cent fall on 2011, and this year’s performance could be weaker. In the first six months of 2013, the US brought in $66bn in foreign investment, well behind the $84bn of the first half of 2012.2000年，美国占据全球外国直接投资的37%。到2012年，这个数字缩水为17%。2012年，美国吸引了1660亿美元的外国直接投资，比2011年低28%，而今年的表现可能更为惨淡。2013年头6个月，美国吸引外资660亿美元，远低于2012年上半年的840亿美元。
The FDI push comes after this month’s fiscal crisis – involving a 16-day government shutdown and a brush with debt default – that has raised eyebrows about the ability of the US to manage its economy.吸引外国直接投资的举措发生在本月财政危机之后。这场危机导致政府关门16天，还差一点发生债务违约，令外界对美国管理自身经济的能力产生怀疑。
Mr Obama and senior figures in his administration will ask foreign investors to shrug off the country’s political paralysis this week when they speak at a two-day conference in Washington, the first of its kind by the commerce department, uniting foreign investors with US economic development agencies and state and local officials.奥巴马及其政府要员本周将在华盛顿一场为期两天的会议上发言（这是美国商务部首次举行此类会议），呼吁投资者摆脱对美国政治瘫痪的顾虑。这场会议将让外国投资者与美国经济发展机构和州及地方官员汇聚一堂。 “It’s time for folks to?.?.?.?focus on doing everything we can to spur growth and create new high-quality jobs,” the White House said on Friday.白宫上周五表示：“是诸位竭尽全力推动增长、创造高质量就业岗位的时候了。