英釋中，２條問題

Q1. The question now is whether Democrats will stop threatening trade sanctions against China and just pull the trigger.

Pull trigger is a phrase, meaning putting some in action for real
Pull the trigger here means "start the trade sanctions against China"


Q2. Do you really want to mess with folks to whom you owe US$340 billion? That's the value of US Treasuries that China owns. Were it to dump them suddenly, prompting other Asian nations to follow suit, the world's biggest economy would be in for a rough time.
Mess with someone is a phrase meaning to make someone angry/not happy 惹(某人)不高興
Mess with folks here means (US) to make China unhappy (by launching trade sanctions against China's export)
Folks means friends, which implies China in this passage.

2006-11-14 17:57:49 補充：
(TYPO) Pull trigger is a phrase, meaning putting SOMETHING in action for real

2006-11-14 18:03:24 補充：
Pull the trigger = 開始行動 / 開始實施 (對中國出口貿易的制裁)Mess with folks = 惹你的朋友不高興 / (美方)令中國不滿