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美国副总统拜登在四川大学的演讲

2011-09-08来源:和谐英语
In this time of uncertainty in global -- in the global economy, it is all the more important that we take the difficult but necessary steps together and along with our G20 partners continue to sustain the global recovery and create jobs and prosperity.  We’re the two biggest engines in the world to be able to do that.  As I said in May, when I opened the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington, I said, “For many of the world’s most pressing challenges, it is a simple fact that when the United States and China are not at the table, the solution to the problem is less possible.”

在目前全球经济动荡的时期,我们更应该共同采取艰难但必要的措施,并与我们的20国集团伙伴一道,继续维持全球复苏,创造就业机会和繁荣。我们作为全世界两个最大的发动机,能够做到这一点。今年5月,我在华盛顿每年一度的战略与经济对话开幕式上表示,“就全世界大部分的紧迫挑战而言,如果没有美中两国参与,解决问题的可能性就比较低,这已是不言而喻的事实。”


But even as we cooperate, the United States and China also will compete, and competition is healthy.  We will compete in global politics and global economics.  And also -- also it is a feature of global politics and economics.  It’s also a feature of human nature to observe others, to consider how they measure up, to strive to be the best, that's good for both of us.  Genuine competition pushes companies, our companies and our people to perform better, and we should reject the misplaced notion of the zero-sum game in which everything one nation achieves somehow comes at the expense of the other.  It is the opposite.

然而,即便是在我们合作之际,美中两国仍还将相互竞争,竞争是有益的。我们将在全球政治和全球经济领域进行竞争。这也是全球政治与经济的一大特点。这也是人类的本性,通过互相观察了解如何适应形势,争取最好的成绩,这对我们双方都很有益。真正的竞争促使公司,我们的公司和我们的人民更趋完善。我们应该放弃零和游戏的错误理念,不能认为一国取得的一切成就意味着另一国的损失。事实并非如此。


So make no mistake, America not only welcomes this healthy competition; competition is stitched into the very fabric of our society and our economic system.  And while I may be a little biased, I have overwhelming confidence in the capability of the American people to compete on a level playing field with any nation and any peoples in the world.

因此,毫无疑问,美国不但欢迎这种良性竞争,而且竞争是我们的社会和我们的经济体制根本结构的组成部分。尽管我可能有点偏向,但我对美国人民在一个公平竞争环境中与世界上任何国家和任何民族竞争的能力抱有绝对的信心。


But for this competition to benefit us both, it must take place on a level playing field with rules that are clear and treat all countries fairly and equally.  Although the United States and China are working hard to get this right, we still face obstacles of doing business in each other’s countries.  That's why I acknowledged on this trip the United States should undertake to make it easier for Chinese business people to obtain visas to travel to the United States.  It takes much too long for that to happen.  That’s not in our interest.

但要使这种竞争给我们双方都带来利益,竞争就必须是在一个公平竞争的环境中进行,要有明确的、对所有国家都公平与一视同仁的规则。虽然美国和中国正在努力争取达到这点,但我们仍然面临着在对方国家里从事商务的障碍。正因为如此,我在这次行程中承认美国应采取措施,使中国商务人员能够更方便地获得赴美国旅行签证。签证花费时间太长。这不符合我们的利益。


And while we are in the midst -- also it’s the reason why the President once he took office ordered for the first time in decades, ordered -- we’re in the midst of a total reform of our export control system.  Already, we have made thousands of new items available for export to China for exclusive civilian use that were not available before, some of which require a license, while others don't.  And tens of thousands of more items will become available very soon.

虽然我们还在进行——这也是为什么奥巴马总统刚一就职便下令,几十年来第一次下令——我们正在进行我国出口管制制度的总体改革。我们已经向中国开放了旨在完全用于民用目的的数千种过去不允许出口的新产品,其中有些需获得许可证,有些则不需要。还有成千上万种更多的产品很快将获得出口许可。


That's a significant change in our export policy and a rejection of those voices in America that say we should not export that kind of technology to -- for civilian use in China.  We disagree, and we’re changing.

这是我们出口政策的一项重大变化,是对美国某些人的意见的否定。他们认为,我们不应该出口那一类技术——供中国民用。我们不同意这种看法,我们正在改革。


But it’s also why we are troubled when American investors are prohibited from having wholly owned, fully owned subsidiaries of their own company in many sectors in China and excluded from sectors, entirely excluded from competing in other sectors; restrictions that no other major economy in the world imposes on us or anyone else so broadly.  That's why we have pushed Chinese officials to protect intellectual property rights.  We have welcomed the Chinese State Council’s recent campaign to enforce intellectual property rights, a commitment that President Hu made when he visited and he’s keeping.  But the effort must be strengthened and extended.

但也正因为如此,一些情况令我们不安:美国的投资者在中国的许多行业中被禁止拥有自己的独资公司和独资分公司;在另一些行业,在其他行业完全被排斥在竞争之外;还有一些世界其他主要经济体不曾强加于我们或其他任何人的、范围如此之广的种种限制。正因为如此,我们积极要求中国官员保护知识产权。我们欢迎中国国务院最近的保护知识产权运动,这是胡锦涛主席访问美国时作出的一项承诺,他在履行这一承诺。但这项努力必须得到加强和延伸。


According to the International Trade Commission, American companies lose $48 billion a year and tens of thousands of jobs because of pirated goods and services.  These protections -- intellectual property protections not only benefit the United States and United States workers, United States companies, but I would argue Chinese companies, as well, as they increasingly seek to safeguard their own creations.

根据国际贸易委员会的统计,美国企业因盗版商品和服务每年损失480亿美元和数万个工作岗位。这些保护——知识产权的保护不仅有利于美国和美国工人、美国公司,而且我认为也有利于中国的公司企业,因为他们会越来越力争保护自己的创新成果。


You’re here at this great university.  It’s very much in your interest that intellectual property be protected because some of you are the future artists, the future entertainers, the future innovators who will want to be able to have a market for what you do.  But if it can be acquired cheaply and pirated, why would anybody pay you for the same service?

你们在这所优异的大学求学。保护知识产权十分符合你们的利益,因为你们中的一些人将成为未来的艺术家、未来的娱乐界人员、未来的发明家,将希望自己的劳动成果有市场。但如果那一切可以廉价地获取和剽窃,凭什么还会有人向你们购买同样的服务呢?


America’s focus on global security, free trade and economic fairness is longstanding.  Since the end of World War II, we’ve helped build an international system that promotes peace and stability, gives all states the opportunity to share in global prosperity and provides rules to protect the basic human rights of all citizens.

美国对全球安全,自由贸易和经济上公平的关注是长期的。自第二次世界大战结束以来,我们帮助建立了一个国际体系,它促进和平与稳定,使所有国家有机会分享全球繁荣,并制定保护所有公民基本人权的规则。


China’s tremendous progress in my view can be attributed to the industriousness and talent of the Chinese people, as well as its leadership.  But it was made possible, I respectfully suggest, by an international architecture that promoted stability and prosperity and enables upward mobility for all countries.  I know that many Chinese and probably many of you students believe that your nation will continue on a path of greater prosperity.  I agree that it will.  That is my view, my prediction.  But I also know that some of you are skeptical about America’s future prospects.

在我看来,中国的巨大进步可归功于中国人民的勤劳与智慧及其领导人的能力。但我谨要指出,一个促进稳定与繁荣、使所有国家能够发展提高的国际架构使这个成就成为可能。我知道,许多中国人、你们学生中可能有许多人相信,你们的国家将继续走向更加繁荣。我同样认为是这样。这是我的看法、我的预测。但我同时知道,你们当中有些人对美国未来的前景持怀疑态度。


With that in view, I would like to suggest that I respectfully disagree with that view and will allay your concerns.  Let me put this in perspective so you can understand why the American people are also confident about their future.  America today is by far the world’s largest economy with a GDP of almost $15 trillion, about two and a half times as large as China’s, the second largest; with a per-capita GDP which is more than $47,000 -- 11 times that of China’s.  I’ve read that some Chinese are concerned about the safety of your investments in American assets.  Please understand, no one cares more about this than we do since Americans own 87 percent of all our financial assets and 69 percent of all our treasury bonds, while China owns 1 percent of our financial assets and 8 percent of our treasury bills respectively.

因此,我希望指出,我尊重但不同意这种见解,让我解释一下为什么你们不必忧虑。我将提供一些背景信息,以便你们了解为什么美国人民也对自己的未来抱有信心。今天,美国是世界上最大的经济体,远远超过任何其他国家,国内生产总值(GDP)近15万亿美元,大约相当于排在第二位的中国的两倍半;人均国内生产总值4.7万多美元,是中国的11倍。我了解到有些中国人担心投资美国资产的安全。请理解,没有谁比我们更关心这种状况,因为美国人持有我们全部金融资产的87%以及我们全部国债的69%,而中国持有我们的金融资产和国债比例分别为1%和8%。


So our interest is not just to protect Chinese investment.  We have an overarching interest in protecting the investment, while the United States has never defaulted -- and never will default.

所以我们的利益不仅在于保护中国的投资,保护投资还关系到我们的总体利益。另外,美国从来没有违约——将来也永远不会违约。


I also have confidence in the fundamentals of our economy.  Vice President Xi said it best I think when he told a group of Chinese and American business leaders with whom we met the day  before yesterday, and I quote him, he said, “the U.S. economy is highly resilient and has a strong capacity to repair itself.”  He is right.  I believe America is even better equipped to compete in the economy of the future than it was of the economy of the past.  In the 20th century, the wealth of nation was primarily measured by the abundance of its natural resources, the expanse of its landmass, the size of its population and the potency of its army.  But I believe in the 21st century, the true wealth of a nation will be found in the creative minds of its people and their ability to innovate -- to develop the technologies that will not only spawn new products, but create and awaken entire new industries.  The United States is hardwired for innovation.  It’s part of our DNA from our earliest days.  It has enabled generation after generation of Americans to give life to world-changing ideas -- from the cotton gin, to the airplane, to the microchip, to the Internet, to the world-leading companies like General Electric, Ford, Microsoft and Google.  And I could go on and on.

我对我国经济的基本面也有信心。在这一点上,我认为习副主席讲得非常好。前天我们会见中美商界领袖时,他说:“美国经济极富韧性,且有很强的自我修复能力。”他说得对。我相信,在未来的经济竞争中,我们的准备甚至胜过以往。在20世纪,衡量国家财富的主要尺度是自然资源的丰裕程度、国土幅员、人口规模和军事力量。但我认为在21世纪,一个国家的真正财富在于国民的创造性思维和创新能力——开发的技术不仅催生新产品,而且能够创造和唤起全新的产业。美国的创新能力与生俱来。从一开始,它就是我们遗传基因的一部分。它使一代又一代美国人构想出改变世界的创意——从轧棉机到飞机,从微芯片到互联网,再如通用电气、福特、微软和谷歌等世界领先的公司。这样的例子不胜枚举。


These accomplishments were made possible not because there’s anything unique about an American.  It’s hard to define what an American is.  Shortly, 50 percent of the American population -- less than 50 percent will be of European stock.  So we are the most -- we are an incredibly heterogeneous nation.  That's part of our strength.  That's part of the boundless capacity of the American people.  But it’s also because of the enduring strength of our political and economic system and the way we educate our children, a system that welcomes immigrants from across the globe who enrich our national fabric and revitalize our diverse multi-ethnic society.  And I would point out, we are still the destination where most people in the world seek to come.  People usually don't seek to come to a nation in decline.

我们之所以能够取得这些成就,不是因为美国人具有种独一无二的特质。很难界定美国人是什么样的人。简言之,50%的美国人口——不足50%的人口是欧洲人后裔。所以我们的国民具有难以置信的多样性。这是我们实力的一部分,也是美国人民无穷创造力的一部分。不过也有其他原因——我们的政治经济体制和我们教育孩子的方式具有经久不衰的力量。这种体制欢迎来自全球各地的移民,让我们的国家更加丰富多彩,为我们多元的跨种族社会增添活力。我还想指出,我们现在仍是世界第一的移民目的地。人们通常不会寻求迁移到衰落中的国家。


A system that trains students not merely to learn and accept established orthodoxy, but to challenge orthodoxy, challenge their professors, challenge the ideas put forward to them, encourage individual thought and innovation; a system that not only tolerates free expression and vigorous debate, including between citizens and their government, but celebrates and promotes those exchanges; a system in which the rule of law protects private property, provides a predictable investment climate, and ensures accountability for the poor and wealthy alike; and a system with universities that remain -- notwithstanding, and this is a great university -- the ultimate destination for scholars from around the world.  More than 130 thousand students from China attended our universities last year.  We’re hoping that number will be even larger.

这种体制训练学生不仅学习和接受传统知识,而且挑战传统知识,挑战他们的教授,挑战他们听到的观点,鼓励个人思考和创新;这种体制不仅容许自由表达和积极辩论,包括公民和政府之间的辩论,而且赞赏和促进这种交流;这种体制的法律保护私有财产,提供可预期的投资环境,确保穷人和富人都承担责任;这种体制的大学依然是世界各地学者的最终目的地——当然,你们的学校也是一所了不起的大学。去年有13万多名中国学生就读我们的大学。我们希望这个数字进一步增加。


China has followed a very different economic and political path to prosperity, enhancing some aspects of a free-market system, while resisting political openness and maintaining the state’s deep involvement in economic affairs.  That's a decision for you to make.

中国选择了非常不同的经济和政治道路迈向繁荣,增强了自由市场体系的某些方面,同时抵制政治上的开放,保持国家对经济事务的深度干预。这是你们做出的决定。


Maybe the biggest difference in our respective approaches are our approaches to what we refer to as human rights.  I recognize that many of you in this auditorium see our advocacy of human rights as at best an intrusion, and at worst an assault on your sovereignty.  I want to tell you directly that this is not our intention.  Yes, for Americans there is a significant moral component to our advocacy.  And we observed where we have failed, as well.  But it is who our people are.

我们双方选择的路径的最大差异大概是我们对于什么是人权的认识。我认识到,在今天在坐的许多人看来,我们倡导人权的行动往好处说是多管闲事,往坏处说是侵犯你们的主权。我想直率地对大家说,这不是我们的意图。是的,对于美国人来说,我们的民主有明显的道义成分。我们也关注我们自己没有做好的地方。这种关注反映了美国人民的本质。


But President Obama and I see protecting human rights and freedoms, we see it in a larger context, as well.  Protecting freedoms such as those enshrined in China’s international commitments and in China’s own constitution -- we see them as a key aspect of China’s successful emergence and the key continued growth and prosperity.  I know that some in China believe that greater freedom could threaten economic progress by undermining social stability.  I do not pretend to have the answer, but I believe history has shown the opposite to be true, that in the long run, greater openness is a source of stability and a sign of strength, that prosperity peaks when governments foster both free enterprise and free exchange of ideas, that liberty unlocks a people’s full potential.  And in its absence, unrest festers.

然而,奥巴马总统和我也从更广阔的视角来看待保护人权和自由。保护中国在国际承诺和自己的宪法中阐明的那些自由——我们将之视为中国成功崛起的一个关键方面,也是中国持续增长和繁荣的一个关键方面。我知道,在中国有人认为扩大自由会破坏社会稳定,从而威胁经济发展。我不想假装知道答案,但我相信历史证明情况是相反的——从长远来看,更加开放是稳定的来源和实力的象征,最有利繁荣的情况是政府既鼓励自由创业又鼓励自由交流观点,自由使人民能够充分发挥潜能。缺乏自由则会产生社会动荡。


Openness, free exchange of ideas, free enterprise and liberty are among the reasons why the United States, in my view, is at this moment the wealthiest nation in the history of the world.  It’s why our workers are among the most productive, why our inventors and entrepreneurs hold more patents than any other country in the world, why we are reinvesting in the fundamental sources of our strength -- education, infrastructure, innovation, and why President Obama and I are so confident that America will weather the current economic storm and emerge even stronger, just as we always have in past economic crises, and why there’s no reason why China cannot tap into the same source of strength.

开放、思想的自由交流、自由企业以及各方面的自由等等,在我看来都是美国现在成为世界历史上最富有国家的原因。正因为如此,我国工人位于生产率最高的行列;正因为如此,我国发明家和创业者拥有的专利比世界上任何其他国家都多;正因为如此,我们正在对我们国力的根本源泉--教育、基础设施和创新进行再投资;正因为如此,奥巴马总统和我如此坚定地相信,美国将与以往经济危机时期一样,一如既往经受当前经济风暴的考验而变得更为强大;正因为如此,没有任何理由中国不能挖掘同样的力量源泉。


Going forward together is going to have a lot of growing pains.  As I said at the outset, in just over 30 years since I first came to China, your progress has been nothing short of incredible.  I can see that here in Chengdu, the city that is leading the effort to become a major player in the innovation economy, you can feel it.  You can see it in the eyes of some of you students.

在共同向前进的道路上定会经历很多成长的烦恼。我在一开始就说过,仅在我首次访华以来的30多年时间里,你们就已取得了令人难以置信的进步。我在成都就可以看到这一点,这个城市为成为创新经济的主要角色走在最前列。人们可以感觉到这一点。从你们一些学生的眼神中可以看到这一点。


Looking at this audience, there are some among you who will be the new pioneers in China’s economic development, leaving your mark on history.  Just like Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and others have had in the United States, you have the capacity and the potential and I’m sure some of you will do it.

看一看在场的听众,你们中有一些人将成为中国经济发展过程中新的开拓者,在历史上留下你们的印记。就像美国苹果公司创始人史蒂夫∙乔布斯等人那样,你们也有这样的能力和潜力,我相信你们中间的一些人会有这样的成就。


I’m also proud that more than 160 Fortune 500 companies are operating in Chengdu High-tech Zone, including pioneer American businesses like Intel, Dell and Oracle.  The U.S.-China relationship has also improved dramatically in the past 30 years.  In order to cement this robust partnership, we have to go beyond close ties between Washington and Beijing, which we’re working on every day, go beyond it to include all levels of government, go beyond it to include classrooms and laboratories, athletic fields and boardrooms.

我还感到骄傲的是,有160多家《财富》世界500强公司在成都的高新技术产业开发区开展经营活动,包括因特尔、戴尔和甲骨文等开拓性的美国企业。美中关系在过去30年中取得了极大的改善。为了巩固这一坚实的伙伴关系,我们必须超越我们每天都在为之努力的华盛顿和北京之间的紧密关系,将各级政府以及教室和实验室、体育场和会议室都包括进来。


That's why we launched our 100,000 Strong Initiative to boost the number of American students studying in China each year and have maintained a robust Peace Corps presence.  How many Peace Corps volunteers are here today?  Raise your hands.  We love you guys.  Welcome.  Welcome.  (Applause.)

正是因为如此,我们发起了“十万人留学中国计划”,增加每年留学中国的美国学生人数,并保持了相当多的和平队人数。今天在这里有多少和平队志愿者?请你们举手。我们爱你们。欢迎。欢迎。(掌声)


Last year, over 800,000 Chinese and 2 million Americans traveled between our countries to live, work, study and explore new places.  On a personal note, I've seen the value of these exchanges through the experiences of my niece, a young woman who learned Mandarin at Harvard and spent a year in Beijing refining her language skills and ultimately worked at our Treasury Department on U.S.-China relations.  There are tens of thousands of you like her, who are going to be the key to cement this relationship and deal with misconception and form the relevant societies about the motivations and operations of each of our countries.

去年,80多万中国人和200万美国人去对方国家生活、工作、学习和探索新的地方。就我个人来说,我通过我年轻的外甥女的经历看到了这种交流的价值。她在哈佛大学学习普通话,后又在北京学习了一年,提高她的中文语言技能,最后到我国财政部从事美中关系方面的工作。你们中有成千上万的人会像她那样,为巩固两国关系,消除误解,建立关于我们两国的意图和运行的学社发挥重要作用。


These ties among our people are the life blood of our emerging partnership.  The bottom line is this:  As great nations and as global actors, the United States and China face many of the same challenges and share many of the same responsibilities.  And the more we can work together, the more our people will benefit and -- as I said before it sounds chauvinistic, but the more the world will benefit as a consequence of our cooperation.

我们人民之间的纽带是我们新兴伙伴关系的生命力。归根结底,作为大国和全球要角,美国和中国面临了许多相同的挑战,也分担了许多同样的责任。我们越是互相合作,我们的人民就越能从中受益──我之前说过,这似乎有些沙文主义,但是全世界也能因我们的合作获得更多的利益。


President Obama and I will continue the important work of making this partnership even more positive, cooperative and comprehensive in the coming years.  And I hope -- I hope that my visit can serve as a step toward these goals and toward strengthening that bond.

奥巴马总统和我将继续从事这项重要事业,今后使这个伙伴关系更积极、更合作和更全面。我希望我的访问能朝着这些目标并为加强相互联系迈进一步。


So I thank you all for the honor of being here.  More importantly, I thank you for taking the time to listen.

我今天很荣幸来到此地,感谢你们大家。更重要的,我谢谢你们花时间聆听。