如何改进美中对话机制？

当前位置：首页 > 英语笔译

如何改进美中对话机制？

天之聪教育 2013-04-24 天之聪教育 165次

如何改进美中对话机制？

Steps to improve US-China relations

With apologies to nostalgic cold war views about Russia, or unmet dreams of a united Europe with a single foreign policy, the world’s most important bilateral relationship is the one between the US and China. For that relationship to succeed, it must be embedded in a larger framework of US diplomacy in Asia, stretching from Japan to India, but certainly the US-China piece will be central for the 21st century. With new leadership in Beijing under President Xi Jinping settling in and President Barack Obama starting his second term, this is a defining period for the future of US-China relations. Both countries have challenging domestic agendas, but Washington and Beijing fully recognise the importance of their international interactions.

世人带着遗憾告别了令人怀旧的有关俄罗斯的冷战观点，也告别了欧洲各国团结一致、实行单一外交政策这一未能成真的梦想。如今，美中关系是全球最重要的双边关系。这一关系如要取得成功，就必须被嵌入美国亚洲外交从日本到印度的大框架，但毫无疑问，美中关系将是21世纪的关键。随着中国迎来以习近平为首的新一届领导层，随着巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)开始第二个总统任期，当前对美中关系的未来具有决定性意义。虽然两国均面临棘手的国内议程，但华盛顿和北京方面都充分认识到双方国际互动的重要性。

Currently, there’s probably more discussion about where and how the two countries should talk rather than what they will talk about. Indeed, there is general agreement along corridors of power in Washington that several critical issues – including North Korea, Iran, macroeconomic policy, market access, cyber issues, energy security and climate change – require high-level attention from both sides. Some of the most interesting decisions, however, are about the appropriate mechanisms for conducting dialogue on these very topics. Currently, the US and China have some of the most engaged and intricate diplomatic mechanisms of modern times.

目前双方讨论更多的很可能是在何处商谈、如何商谈，而不是他们要谈什么。的确，华盛顿权力走廊的各方普遍认为，有几大关键问题需要美中双方高层的关注，包括朝鲜、伊朗、宏观经济政策、市场准入、网络问题、能源安全以及气候变化。不过，一些最有意思的决定是关于采用何种机制围绕这些话题展开对话。眼下，美中之间有着当代一些最繁忙最复杂的外交机制。

At the strategic and economic dialogues in the first Obama administration, secretaries Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner met with their Chinese counterparts yearly to discuss topics on a broad range of commercial, political, military and strategic significance. The US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade brings together key officials from the Department of Commerce and the other economic agencies, allowing for intense discussions on trade frictions and intellectual property rights cases. The Pentagon conducts its own dialogue through its various channels, including the defence consultative talks that facilitate strategic discussions about mutual perspectives in the security arena. These are simply a small sampling of the dozens of interactions that take place between the two governments at various levels. There have also been extensive meetings between the US and Chinese leaders at multilateral summits and state visits. All of these interactions should continue but some innovations in format and venue are in order.

在奥巴马第一届任期的战略与经济对话上，美国国务卿希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)和财政部长蒂姆•盖特纳(Tim Geithner)每年都与相应级别的中国官员会晤，商讨带有广泛商业、政治、军事和战略意义的话题。美中商贸联合委员会(US-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade)使美国商务部(Department of Commerce)和其他经济主管部门的重要官员得以参加讨论，围绕贸易摩擦和知识产权案例展开密集磋商。五角大楼则通过它的各种渠道进行自己的对话，包括防务磋商，这些磋商使双方能够展开战略讨论，交换各自在安全领域的看法。上述只是两国政府在不同级别数十条互动渠道的一小部分。美中领导人还利用多边峰会和国事访问的机会举行大量会晤。这些互动应当继续下去，但在形式和场合上需要有所创新。

Ever since the time of Henry Kissinger, it has been clear to China that a central element of the bilateral relationship requires a strong White House component. Last year the National Security Council director Tom Donilon held comprehensive discussions with state councillor Dai Bingguo in Beijing and had a chance to meet the entire incoming leadership to underscore President Obama’s commitment to a strong and co-operative relationship. Vice-President Joe Biden also played a central role in developing a personal rapport with then vice-president Xi Jinping on his visit to the US, and subsequently Mr Biden’s return trip to China in 2011. And of course, Mr Obama has undertaken a virtually unprecedented series of meetings with China’s previous leaders, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao, over the past four years. Still, some tinkering is required.

自从亨利•基辛格(Henry Kissinger)时代起，中国便清楚，白宫的大力参与对美中双边关系至关重要。去年，美国国家安全顾问汤姆•多尼隆(Tom Donilon)与中国国务委员戴秉国举行广泛会谈，并有机会与中方整个即将上任的新领导层见面，以强调奥巴马总统对于打造坚实、合作的美中关系的承诺。美国副总统乔•拜登(Joe Biden)也发挥了重要作用，在时任国家副主席习近平访美和之后拜登于2011年回访中国时，两人建立了密切的私人关系。当然，奥巴马在过去4年内与中国前领导人胡锦涛和温家宝也举行过数量堪称空前的会晤。不过，双方的交流仍有改进余地。

Here are a few things to consider. First, more crosscutting dialogues are in order, where officials from a number of agencies sit down to grapple with complex problems. For instance, to effectively address cyber security related concerns, military, intelligence and civilian foreign policy officials need a place together at the table. Virtually all the hardest issues, such as climate change and energy security, require a broader range of interests represented in regular high-level discussions.

以下是值得考虑的几件事。首先，需要举行更多的跨部门对话，让多个机构的官员坐在一起应对复杂问题。例如，要有效解决网络安全方面的关切，就需要军方、情报官员和文职的外交政策官员共同磋商。几乎所有棘手问题（如气候变化和能源安全）都需要更多相关部门参与常态化的高层磋商。

Second, more effort needs to be directed at concrete steps, not just talk. Both sides need to develop a joint plan for building habits of co-operation across the board – on development projects, humanitarian relief and perhaps most importantly for crisis-prevention efforts when US and Chinese military forces operate in proximity.

第二，需要付出更多努力落实具体步骤，而不是只停留在口头上。双方需要联合制定计划，构建全面合作的习惯。合作事项包括：发展项目、人道主义救援，以及（或许是最重要的）当美国和中国军队在近距离执行各自的任务时防范危机。

Third, be creative about how to get senior leaders more time together to engage on 21st-century challenges. State visits are cumbersome, involve perilously high stakes and are loaded with symbolism. Meetings in multilateral settings are often rushed and inadequate to the task. Perhaps it is time for both countries to consider what might be termed “working meetings” between leaders and a much smaller subset of aides. Keep the bells and whistles to a minimum.
第三，发挥创造力，设法让高级领导人有更多时间共同应对21世纪的挑战。国事访问程序繁琐，牵涉过高的成败负担，还有太多象征主义的东西。而利用多边会议碰头则往往时间仓促，难以完成任务。或许两国应该考虑举行领导人之间的“工作会议”，精简随从人员，剔除琐碎事项。

Obviously both sides want to avoid the cold war imagery, but the US and the Soviet Union held such meetings for decades in neutral locations such as Malta, Vienna and Reykjavik when it was deemed inconvenient to plan a home match. Surely, there are a few places on the planet where the two leaders of the two most important countries can get together to discuss, in part, the fate of the planet?

显然双方都希望避免给人以冷战的形象，但美国和苏联曾在几十年期间因为不便安排互访，而在马耳他、维也纳和雷克雅未克等中立地点多次举行此类会议。两个最重要国家的领导人总能在地球上找到一个地方，共同商讨地球命运和其他大事吧？