Keynote Speech by Ambassador Qin Gang at the Commemoration for the 50th Anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s Visit to China文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
秦刚大使在尼克松访华50周年纪念活动上的主旨演讲文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
Nixon Library in Yorba Linda, California文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
加利福尼亚州约巴林达市尼克松图书馆文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
February 24, 2022文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
2022年2月24日文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
The Honorable Secretary Elaine Chao,文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/13036.html
Ambassador James Stapleton Roy,
Mr. Christopher Nixon Cox,
Mr. Jim Byron,
Mr. Ming Xie,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Friends,
尊敬的赵小兰部长，
芮效俭大使，
考克斯先生，
拜伦总裁，
谢明先生，
女士们、先生们、朋友们：
It is my great pleasure to join you here, at the library named after President Richard Nixon, in his hometown, to commemorate his historic visit to China and the issuance of Shanghai Communiqué 50 years ago. I wish to thank the Nixon Foundation for the invitation, and my thanks also go to the sponsors contributing to the wonderful evening. I wish to pay high tribute to President Nixon and the elder generation of Chinese and American leaders who made extraordinary contribution to the establishment and development of China-US relations. Among them were Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai, whose statues are in display right in this museum. I also extend sincere appreciation to Dr. Kissinger, the family of President Nixon and all those who have been supporting and promoting the growth of China-US relations.
很高兴今晚来到尼克松总统的家乡、在以他命名的图书馆与大家共同纪念50年前尼克松总统对中国进行的历史性访问和中美《上海公报》的发表。感谢尼克松基金会的邀请，也感谢所有参与筹办此次活动的组织和个人。我要向为中美关系建立和发展做出过卓越贡献的尼克松总统和两国老一辈领导人表示崇高敬意，这包括毛泽东主席和周恩来总理，他们的塑像就陈列在这个图书馆里。我也要向基辛格博士、尼克松总统的家人及长期致力于支持、促进中美关系发展的中美各界人士表示衷心感谢。
The week of February 21 to 28, 1972 would always be etched in the annals of history. With the idea that “we came in peace for all mankind”, President Nixon visited China, a trip he considered as sacred and lofty as the moon landing of mankind. The week would be remembered in history, as the handshake between Premier Zhou Enlai and President Nixon at Beijing Capital Airport came over the vastest ocean in the world, breaking the ice of more than 20 years of no communication. The week would be remembered for the issuance of Shanghai Communiqué, which started the normalization of China-US relations. The week would be remembered also because that visit stood for the easing of relations between the East and the West. The forces for peace were strengthened and the international strategic landscape was shifted. It was a week “that changed the whole world”.
1972年2月21日至28日，历史镌刻这一周，是因为尼克松总统胸怀着“我们为和平而来”的宗旨，将中国之行视作人类登月一样神圣和崇高；历史镌刻这一周，是因为在北京首都国际机场，周恩来总理同尼克松总统跨越“世界最辽阔海洋的握手”，打破了20多年隔绝对抗的坚冰；历史镌刻这一周，是因为中美发表了《上海公报》，开启了两国关系正常化进程；历史镌刻这一周，是因为访问缓和了东西方关系，增强了维护世界和平的力量，改变了国际战略格局。“那一周改变了世界”。
History is our best guide. It faithfully records the past journey, and gives us inspiration for the future. President Nixon’s pragmatic diplomacy culminated in this monumental visit 50 years ago, and his legacy still serves as an important reference today.
历史是最好的老师，它忠实地记录下中美关系走过的足迹，也为未来的发展提供了启迪。尼克松总统50年前划时代外交行动是其务实主义外交的巅峰之作，两国领导人留下的宝贵遗产对当今仍具有重要的现实意义。
First, extraordinary strategic vision. Chairman Mao said in his meeting with President Nixon, we should talk about “philosophical issues”. What he meant was that China and the US should take a strategic and long-term view of relations. President Nixon also envisaged building “a new and better world”. Therefore, the two leaders, with a masterly grasp of the shifting international landscape, put the interests of their nations and peoples before the differences in ideology and political system to end over two decades of antagonism and hostility, and opened the gate of China-US relations.
一是非凡的战略远见。毛泽东主席同尼克松总统会见时说，我们要讨论“哲学问题”，言下之意就是中美要从战略高度和长远角度正确把握两国关系。尼克松总统也有一个憧憬，那就是“建设一个新的更好的世界”。正是如此，两国领导人洞悉国际风云变幻，超越意识形态分歧和社会制度差异，以国家利益为重，以人民福祉为先，结束了20多年的对立和敌意，打开了两国关系的大门。
Second, huge political courage. All things are difficult before they are easy. Estrangement persisted between China and the US from 1949 when the People’s Republic of China was founded to the early 1970s, and took some hard efforts to break. Chairman Mao met with Edgar Snow and his wife on the Tian’anmen Rostrum on October 1, 1970, sending a positive and friendly message to the US side. In 1971, he decided to invite the US table tennis team to visit China to “move the big ball with the small ball”. President Nixon picked up on this gesture. Despite all the pressure and obstacles, he first staged some diplomatic minuets, asked Dr. Kissinger to make a secret visit to China, and then paid a decisive visit to the People’s Republic of China himself, becoming a well-deserved “icebreaker” in China-US relations.
二是巨大的政治勇气。万事开头难，从新中国建立到上世纪70年代初，中美关系冰冻三尺，非一日之寒。毛泽东主席1970年10月1日在天安门城楼上会见美国友人斯诺夫妇，向美方传递了积极友好的信号。次年，毛泽东主席决定邀请美国乒乓球队访华，用“小球推动大球”。尼克松总统心领神会，顶住各方压力，克服重重阻力，先是采取一系列“外交小步舞”，后又安排基辛格博士秘密访华，最后他果敢地踏上中华人民共和国的土地，当之无愧地成为中美关系的“破冰者”。
Third, exceptional diplomatic wisdom. Premier Zhou Enlai said, “The social systems of China and the United States are fundamentally different, and there exist great differences between the Chinese Government and the United States Government. However, these differences should not hinder China and the United States from establishing normal state relations on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.” President Nixon said, “We must recognize that the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Government of the United States have had great differences.” “What brings us together is that we have common interests which transcend those differences.” His visit is just a classical example of diplomacy featuring respecting each other, seeking common ground and reserving differences between our two countries.
三是高超的外交智慧。周恩来总理说,“中美两国政府之间存在巨大的分歧，但是这种分歧不应当妨碍中美两国在和平共处五项原则的基础上建立正常的国家关系。”尼克松总统说，“我们必须承认美中现在和今后存在巨大分歧，但让美中走到一起的是超越分歧的共同利益。”他的访问正是中美相互尊重、求同存异的外交经典。
On Taiwan, China and the US properly handled the key question after lengthy and difficult consultations, and at the center is the one-China principle. It was the biggest consensus that the two sides could reach at that time. Without the one-China principle, there would have been no joint communiques that form the political foundation of China-US relations, and there would have been no normalization of the relations.
在台湾这一关键问题上，中美经过长时间艰苦磋商，以妥善方式予以处理，其核心是一个中国原则。应当说，这是当时条件下双方能够达成的最大公约数。没有一个中国原则，就没有随后构成中美关系政治基础的三个联合公报，就没有中美关系正常化进程。
Ladies and Gentlemen,
女士们、先生们，
Fifty years is only a flash in the long history of the world. But so much has changed. The Cold War has been past us for over 30 years. Globalization has transformed the world economic landscape. The Internet and other new technologies have made our planet a global village. At the same time, COVID-19 has made us clearly aware that people in this world share weal and woe together.
50年弹指一挥间，今天，世界已今非昔比。冷战已经结束30多年了，全球化改变了世界经济版图，互联网等新科技使我们的星球成为了互联互通的“地球村”，新冠肺炎疫情又让我们认识到国际社会命运攸关、休戚与共。
The China-US relationship has also undergone tremendous changes. Over the past 43 years of diplomatic relations, China and the US have grown into a close-knit community with inseparable economic interests, our people have developed unbreakable ties, and we are both important stakeholders in international system. China-US relations have become just “too big to fail”. At the same time, the Cold-War mentality is still doing harm. Ice is forming again, and sending chills.
今天，中美关系也已沧海桑田。中美建交已有43年，两国事实上成为密不可分的经济利益共同体，双方人员之间的交往水乳相融，中美也是国际体系中重要的利益攸关方，中美关系早已“大到不能倒”。同时，冷战思维仍在作祟，冰层又在中美间凝结，带来丝丝寒意。
With all this, the China-US relationship has come to another historical juncture. We are entering a new round of mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation, trying to find a way to get along with each other in the new era. President Xi Jinping pointed out that whether China and the US can handle their relations well bears on the future of the world. It is a question of the century to which the two countries must provide a good answer.
中美关系又来到新的历史关口，处在新一轮相互发现、认知和调适中，寻求新时代相处之道。习近平主席指出，中美能否处理好彼此关系，攸关世界前途命运，是两国必须答好的世纪之问。
I came to the US at this challenging time. It is said that President Nixon practiced using chopsticks as preparations for his visit to China. Compared with him, I had to prepare more. I took a rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Beijing. I also visited Jinjiang Hotel in Shanghai, the birthplace of Shanghai Communiqué, and then set off to the US.
我就是在这样一个充满了挑战的时刻来到美国。据说，尼克松总统访华前做足了“功课”，那就是在家中练习使用筷子，相比之下，我的准备工作挑战可能更大些，行前我到北京环球影城亲身体验了一把“过山车”。我还去了《上海公报》的诞生地——上海锦江宾馆，从那里，开启了我的美国之旅。
Before I came to California, I visited Dr. Kissinger in New York to listen to his ideas about what people can learn from President Nixon’s visit. He said, President Nixon had a strong understanding and keen judgment on the situation. He also told me President Nixon was good at taking a historical perspective into foreign policy making. His dialogue with Chinese leaders focused on the world order, instead of specific issues, so that those differences would not stand in the way of our relations. Looking at him, a young man who is younger than 100 years old, I asked myself, how can our generation carry on the diplomatic legacy of Chairman Mao, Premier Zhou, President Nixon and Dr. Kissinger? If the rapprochement 50 years ago was because we shared the strategic need to counter our common threat, and our common interests outweighed our differences, then 50 years later, do we still have that basis to develop our relations? What are our common interests? And who is our “common enemy”?
来这里前，我专程去纽约拜访了基辛格博士，聆听这位尼克松访华亲历者谈那段历史给今天人们的启示。他说，尼克松总统拥有一种特质，总是对局势有着很强的理解和判断力，擅长从历史的纵深制定对外政策。尼克松同中国领导人的对话主要聚焦宏观世界秩序，而非具体问题，从而避免了让眼前的分歧阻碍两国关系总体改善。我凝视着这位还不到百岁的“年轻人”，默默地问自己，我们这一代人该如何继承毛泽东、周恩来和尼克松、基辛格的外交遗产？如果说，50年前，中美走近是因为双方都有应对共同威胁的战略需要，共同利益让中美超越了分歧，那么，50年后，中美关系的基础还存在吗？中美共同利益在哪里？共同面临的“敌人”又是谁？
My answer is, our common interests have never been as extensive as today. They are the over 750 billion dollars of annual trade and millions of jobs in both countries supported by such trade. They are the over 70,000 American companies investing in China, an array of container ships moored in Los Angeles ports that go between China and the US, the 300,000 Chinese students studying in America, and our citizens who made five million mutual visits every year before COVID-19. They are the more than 280 pairs of sister provinces, states and cities between us. The list can go on and on, and they are the bonds that keep us together.
Our common “enemy” should be the major challenges concerning the survival and development of both countries and mankind, such as climate change, energy security, food security, global development gap, pandemics, nuclear proliferation, cyberattacks, emerging technologies getting out of control, regional hotspots. The new “Cold War” should not be used to define the time we live in. Competition and confrontation should not be the keynote of China-US relations.
我的回答是，中美间的共同利益从未有像今天这样广泛，它们是超过7500亿美元的年贸易额及支撑的各自数百万人口的就业，是7万多家在华投资的美国企业，是停靠在洛杉矶港口一艘艘往来于中美间的货船，是30多万在美留学的中国学生，是疫情前每年500多万往来两国之间的民众，是两国之间建立起的280多对友好省州和城市。这个单子可以很长。他们是把我们联在一起无法割舍的纽带。今天我们共同的“敌人”是事关两国及人类生存与发展的重大挑战，他们是气候变化、能源安全、粮食安全、全球发展鸿沟、大流行病、核扩散、网络攻击、新兴技术失控、地区热点等等。中美作为两个大国，对此责无旁贷，要携手抗敌。“新冷战”不应成为这个时代的背景色,竞争、对抗不应成为中美关系的主基调。
There is no denying that China and the US do compete. But how should the competition play out? I congratulate Los Angeles Rams for winning the Super Bowl this year. But China-US relations should not be like the intensely confrontational American football match. There should be no offensive team or defensive team, no touchdown, no quarterback sack. At the just concluded Beijing Winter Olympics, when Chinese and American athletes competed, they just both gave out their best performances, and at the same time supported each other, cheered for each other. A pair of Chinese curling players who lost to their American competitors presented them with gifts, and an American skier congratulated her Chinese counterpart who won gold with a warm hug and told her “I’m so proud of you”. Watching their interactions, I think you will agree that there is no loser here, all are winners. Just as the US side stated in the Communiqué, “Countries should treat each other with mutual respect and be willing to compete peacefully, letting performance be the ultimate judge.” President Nixon also said when referring to Ping-Pong diplomacy, despite there being winners and losers in the table tennis tournament, the real winner “will be the friendship between the people of the United States and the people of the People’s Republic of China.”
中美之间有竞争不可避免，问题是怎么竞争？我祝贺洛杉矶公羊队获得今年“超级碗”冠军，但中美关系显然不同于激烈对抗的美式橄榄球比赛，这里不应有攻方、守方，不应有“达阵”得分、“四分卫擒杀”。另一幅场景是刚刚落幕的北京冬奥会上，中美两国运动员同场竞技，他们相互勉励、奋勇争先、超越自我。惜败的中国运动员向美国选手赠送纪念品，失利的美国运动员拥抱夺金的中国选手并呼喊“我为你骄傲”。此情此景，大家一定和我一样说，这里没有输家，只有双赢。正如美方在《上海公报》中所说的：“各国应该相互尊重并愿进行和平竞赛，让行动作出最后判断。”尼克松总统评价“乒乓外交”说，“乒乓比赛会有输赢，但最大赢家是两国人民的友谊。”
When visiting the Great Wall, President Nixon said, “we hope maybe that the walls that are erected, whether they are physical walls like this, or whether they are other walls of ideology or philosophy, will not divide peoples in the world, that regardless of people’s differences in backgrounds and their philosophy, we’ll have an opportunity to communicate with each other, to know each other and to share with each other.” As the world’s two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, it’s simply impossible for China and the US to stay in confrontation, hostility or estrangement, and any of these will cause unbearable damage to both countries and the world.
尼克松总统当年在游览长城时有感而发：“希望那些竖起的墙，不管是像这样的实体墙，还是其他意识形态的墙，都不会将世界上的人们分开，不管他们的背景和观点有什么不同，我们将有机会互相交流，互相了解，互相分享”。中美作为世界前两大经济体和联合国安理会两个常任理事国，如果彼此对立、敌视、隔阂，不仅做不到，而且两国及世界都难以承受其害。
There must be rules for competition. Shanghai Communiqué and the other two Sino-US Joint Communiqués are the rules that both sides must follow. The one-China principle is the unshakable political foundation for China-US relations, and a red line that must not be crossed. To realize China’s complete reunification is a common aspiration and strong will of the entire Chinese people. This is determined by the trajectory of the Chinese nation, and no one can go against it. We are ready to realize peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and efforts. “Taiwan independence” separatist forces are the biggest obstacle to China’s reunification. If they are allowed to go down the dangerous path, risks for tension will be heightened. To maintain peace and stability, the US side should honor its commitments on the Taiwan question, and work with China to oppose and contain “Taiwan independence” separatist forces.
竞争需要规则。《上海公报》等中美三个联合公报是双方必须共同遵守的规则。一个中国原则是中美关系不可撼动的政治基础，也是不可逾越的红线。实现祖国的完全统一是全体中华儿女的共同心愿和坚强意志，这是中华民族历史演进大势所决定的，谁都不能违背。我们愿以最大诚意、尽最大努力争取实现和平统一。“台独”分裂势力是祖国统一的最大障碍，如任其继续沿着危险的道路走下去，必将不断推高紧张风险。为维护和平稳定，美方应信守在台湾问题上的郑重承诺，与中方一道反对和遏制“台独”。
As two countries with different history, culture, social system and development stage, it is normal for China and the US to differ. But just as President Nixon said, “What we must do is to find a way to see that we can have differences without being enemies in war”. Communication and dialogue is a wise choice to resolve differences, a correct way to establish mutual trust and an effective means to reduce misjudgment. At the same time, our two sides should manage differences in a rational and constructive way, and not create problems or enlarge differences, still less should we let China-US relations get out of control or off track.
中美作为历史文化、社会制度和发展阶段不同的两个国家，有分歧是正常的。但正如尼克松总统所说，“我们必须保留既有的差异，又不成为敌对国。”沟通对话是解决分歧的明智选择，是建立互信的正确途径，是减少误判的有效方式。同时，双方也要以理性和建设性的方式管控分歧，不能人为制造矛盾、扩大分歧，更不能让矛盾和分歧导致中美关系失控、脱轨。
Ladies and Gentlemen,
女士们、先生们，
President Xi Jinping pointed out that China and the US must respect each other, coexist peacefully and pursue win-win cooperation. This is a guideline developed with historical wisdom and directing the future path. Let’s work together to take the China-US relationship back to the right track as soon as possible, so as to deliver greater benefits to the people of our two countries and meet the expectations of the world.
习近平主席指出，中美要相互尊重、和平共处、合作共赢，这就是洞穿历史、观照现实的行动指南。让我们共同努力，推动中美关系早日回到正轨，继续造福两国人民，顺应国际社会的普遍期待。
Ladies and Gentlemen,
女士们、先生们，
Fifty years ago, when President Nixon departed for his visit to China, he said to people who saw him off on the White House South Lawn, “If we can make progress toward that goal on this trip, the world will be a much safer world and the chance particularly for all of those 100 children over there to grow up in a world of peace will be infinitely greater.” The American boys and girls present on the South Lawn were only five or six years old, just as I was back then. There was a song popular in my childhood years called Sequoia. It extols the growth of Californian redwood, which was gifts of President Nixon to China and symbol of China-US friendship, from saplings to towering trees. I’m lucky to live through China’s reform and opening-up and the development of China-US ties in the following five decades, and to serve as the 11th Chinese Ambassador to the US now. I’m wondering about those boys and girls from 50 years ago, how are they today? I do hope to have a chance to meet them and their children, share with each other our perspectives of the 50 years of China-US relationship and its impact on each of us and look to its significance for the younger generation.
50年前，尼克松总统启程访华时，在白宫南草坪上面对欢送的人群说道，希望通过这次访问让世界更加安全，特别是让在场的孩子们在和平的世界里长大。镜头里那些美国孩子们只有5、6岁，那时我和他们一样大。在我年少时，经常听一首歌叫《红杉树》，它歌颂尼克松总统访华时带去的象征中美人民友谊的红杉树树苗在中华大地上生根发芽、枝茂叶盛。我也幸运地在过去半个世纪中国改革开放、中美交往合作中成长，并且有幸出任第11任中国驻美大使。我很想知道历史镜头里的那些男孩、女孩今天是否安好？我真希望有机会见到他们和他们的孩子，共话中美关系这50年及对每个人的影响，共同憧憬中美关系对我们子孙的意义。
Last but not least, let me propose a toast,
最后，我提议，
To the 50th anniversary of President Nixon’s visit to China and the issuance of Shanghai Communiqué,
为尼克松访华和《上海公报》发表50周年，
To the health of Dr. Kissinger and all of you present,
为基辛格博士及在座各位的健康，
And to the lasting peace and prosperity of our future generations,
为中美两国子孙后代共享和平与繁荣，
Cheers!
干杯！
