中国央视频道对美开播

Hot button issues such as US-China tensions, the valuation of the renminbi and China's veto of a UN resolution on Syria are likely to dominate US television networks as China's vice-president begins his visit to Washington.

随着中国国家副主席习近平展开访美之旅，中美间的紧张情绪、人民币汇率以及中国否决联合国有关叙利亚问题的决议草案等热门话题，很可能成为美国电视网络的关注焦点。

But at the weekend, Beijing started serving US citizens its own side of the story, as China Central Television, the national broadcaster, launched US-produced programming.

而在上周末，中国中央电视台(CCTV)开始在美国播出其在当地制作的节目，从而开始向美国民众传达中国的声音。

The Heat, a political talk show that aired for the first time on Saturday night, focused on Xi Jinping's stopover in Iowa tomorrow, highlighting the low unemployment rate in the Midwestern state, as its agricultural exports to China soar, and praising Mr Xi's "sense of kinship with the people of Iowa", where he spent a week in 1985.

上周六晚间首次播出的政治访谈类节目“热点”(The Heat)，重点关注习近平明日将在爱荷华州作的短暂停留。节目重点谈及这个美国中西部州对华农业产品的出口飙升，让它保持了较低的失业率。节目还称许了习近平对爱荷华州民众的亲近感——他曾在1985年对爱荷华州进行了为期一周的访问。

CCTV America, which operates out of a Washington studio and has hired more than 60 international staff, is the latest step in Beijing's efforts to make its voice heard abroad. Four months ago, the ruling Communist party reiterated its determination to increase its global "soft power" as it feels China is not presented objectively in a world dominated by western media.

成立CCTV北美分台(CCTV America)，是中国政府努力在海外传播自己声音的最新举措。这家分台在华盛顿拥有一座新闻中心，聘请了逾60位国际员工。四个月前，中共重申提升全球“软实力”的决心，它认为在一个由西方媒体主宰的世界里，中国没有得到客观的报道。

It is a problem Beijing has been trying to tackle for years. But much like its economic reforms, the effort has been led by experimentation. CCTV has been expanding its broadcasts in English and a handful of other foreign languages since 2009, but realised that only moving production overseas could give its programmes the necessary standards and credibility.

这是中国政府多年来一直试图解决的问题。但就像它的经济改革一样，对外宣传方面的努力一直以试验为主。自2009年以来，CCTV一直在增加英语和其它一些外语类节目的播出，但它意识到，只有将制作转移到海外，才能让节目具备所需的制作标准和可信度。

CCTV is now modelling its expansion on the pan-Arab news channel Al Jazeera, insiders say, because it also comes from a non-western background, has excellent technical standards and found a niche because its reporting on some international issues is seen as more in-depth and balanced than that of western networks.

内部人士称，CCTV扩张模仿的是阿拉伯半岛电视台(Al Jazeera)。半岛电视台也来自非西方国家，技术标准出色，在市场中占据了一个独特位置——人们认为，它对某些国际事务的报道比西方新闻网络更有深度、更加不偏不倚。 

"The Chinese are a bit late to the game," says Jim Laurie, a veteran broadcaster formerly with ABC News who has been advising CCTV since 2009, and now acts as a consultant for the new venture. "But they feel they can offer alternative perspective, and report underreported stories."

“中国人来得有些晚，”吉姆•劳里(Jim Laurie)说。他曾是美国广播公司(ABC News)的一名资深播音员，自2009年以来为CCTV提供咨询服务，目前是CCTV北美分台的顾问。“但他们觉得自己可以提供另一种视角，报道别人没有报道过的故事。”