時事新聞:奧巴馬:美中將"塑造21世紀"
【英文原文】
US seeks closer China ties
摘要：巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)昨日尋求重塑美中關係，他敦促中國這個亞洲日漸崛起的超級大國，加深與美國在經濟、氣候變化及核擴散方面的合作。
Barack Obama yesterday sought to recast the US's relationship with China, urging Asia's rising superpower to forge deeper ties with Washington on the economy, climate change and nuclear proliferation.
Speaking at the start of two days of top-level talks between the countries on the diplomatic and economic challenges confronting them, the US president predicted that Washington's relationship with Beijing would “shape the 21st century”.
Mr Obama depicted China as a force for progress that needed to co-operate with Washington, address global issues and respect human rights within its own borders.
But, acknowledging China's growing influence and in a sign of shifting US priorities, the president and senior US officials did not reiterate the public calls Washington has made in the past for Beijing to allow its currency to strengthen.
“Some in China think that America will try to contain China's ambitions; some in America think that there is something to fear in a rising China,” said Mr Obama. “I take a different view.”
The president set out a vision of the future in which the two countries would be “partners out of necessity, but also out of opportunity”.
The nature of the strategic and economic talks in Washington is the result of a push to give political focus to what had been a Treasury-dominated dialogue under Mr Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush.
Hillary Clinton, secretary of state, and Tim Geithner, Treasury secretary, together with China's vice-premier Wang Qishan and state councillor Dai Bingguo are participating in the talks.
Mr Dai said that the two countries were “in the same big boat that has been hit by fierce wind and huge waves, with our interests interconnected, sharing weal and woe”.
He concluded his speech by quoting Mr Obama's campaign cry of “Yes we can”.
In spite of the rhetoric, the relationship between the US and China remains in large part defined by China's status as the world's biggest holder of US Treasury bonds. This status heightens Beijing's influence over Washington and increases its exposure to the battered US economy.
Mr Obama said the countries' top priorities should be co-operation on the economy and climate change, and combating the threat of nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea.
He praised China for “lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty” and emphasised US calls for “the religion and culture of all peoples [to] be respected and protected”.
Washington responded cautiously to recent clashes involving China's Uighur minority in Xinjiang province. US diplomats are trying to balance a likely visit by Mr Obama to China later this year with a possible meeting between Mr Obama and the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan leader.
Mr Geithner urged China to shift its economy towards domestic consumption, which he said would be a “huge contribution to more rapid, balanced and sustained global growth.”
He also said that the US would help China win greater representation at international organisations such as the International Monetary Fund.
【中文譯文】
巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)昨日尋求重塑美中關係，他敦促中國這個亞洲日漸崛起的超級大國，加深與美國在經濟、氣候變化及核擴散方面的合作。
美中兩國在爲期兩天的高層對話中，將探討雙方所面臨的外交和經濟挑戰。奧巴馬在對話開幕式上致辭時表示，美中關係將“塑造21世紀”。
奧巴馬把中國描述成一支進步的力量——一支需要與華盛頓合作的力量、解決全球性問題並尊重本國人權的力量。
美國總統和高級官員並未重申美國政府以往的公開呼籲，要求北京允許人民幣升值。這不僅是因爲他們認識到了中國不斷增長的影響力，也表明了美國要務的轉變。
奧巴馬錶示：“中國一些人認爲，美國將設法遏制中國的雄心；而美國一些人認爲，日漸崛起的中國存在令人擔憂之處。我的看法不同。”
在奧巴馬所構想的未來願景中，兩國的“夥伴關係不僅是需要使然，也是機遇使然”。
在小布什(George W. Bush)政府時期，美中對話一直由美國財政部主導。而本次在華盛頓召開的美中戰略與經濟對話，實際上受到了政治關注的推動。
參加對話的兩國代表包括美國國務卿希拉里•克林頓(Hillary Clinton)和財長蒂姆•蓋特納(Tim Geithner)，以及中國國務院副總理王岐山和國務委員戴秉國。
戴秉國表示，兩國是在同一艘遭狂風巨浪侵襲的大船上，雙方利益相互依存，榮辱與共。
他在講話結尾引用了奧巴馬的競選口號，“Yes we can”（是的，我們能夠做到）。
儘管雙方辭令動聽，但在很大程度上，美中關係仍是由中國作爲全球最大美國國債持有國的地位決定的。這一地位增強了中國對美國的影響力，也增加了其受遍體鱗傷的美國經濟衝擊的風險。
奧巴馬錶示，兩國的當務之急應該是在經濟和氣候變化領域進行合作，同時防止伊朗和朝鮮核擴散的威脅。
奧巴馬讚揚中國“使數億民衆脫離了貧困”，同時強調了美國的呼聲，要求中國“尊重和保護各民族的宗教及文化”。
華盛頓謹慎地迴應了近期發生在新疆的涉及維吾爾族的衝突。美國外交官正試圖在奧巴馬今年晚些時候可能訪華，與奧巴馬與西藏流亡領袖達賴喇嘛(Dalai Lama)可能會面之間取得平衡。
蓋特納敦促中國使其經濟朝國內消費的方向轉型，他表示，國內消費將是對“更快速、更平衡和更持續的全球增長的巨大貢獻。”
他還表示，美國將幫助中國在國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)等國際組織中贏得更大的話語權。
