On July 30, 2020, Ambassador Cui Tiankai published an op-ed on POLITICO, calling for choosing the right side of history and returning to the right track of China-US relations. Here is the full text of the article:
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2020年7月30日，驻美国大使崔天凯在美国网站（POLITICO）发表题为《站到历史正确一边，推动中美关系重返正轨》的署名文章。全文如下：文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
China and the U.S. Should Reset Their Relationship文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
站到历史正确一边，推动中美关系重返正轨文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
In early 1979, Deng Xiaoping, then Vice Premier of China, paid a groundbreaking visit to the United States soon after the two countries established diplomatic relations. At a Texas rodeo, Mr. Deng was pictured donning a cowboy hat, which became a lasting symbol of China-US friendship. That memorable scene took place at Simonton, a town near Houston.文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
1979年初，中国副总理邓小平先生在中美建交后不久即访美，正是在休斯敦附近的西蒙顿小镇，他观看牛仔竞技表演时戴上宽边牛仔帽，这一幕定格在历史中，成为两国友好的永久象征。文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
文章源自英文巴士-https://www.en84.com/9553.html
It was also during that visit that China and the US signed the agreement to open consulates in each other’s country. Houston was where China’s first consulate was set up.
Throughout the past four decades, the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston was dedicated to serving the people in its consular district – eight states in the south and Puerto Rico – and contributed to the two peoples’ mutual understanding and friendship, as well as the two countries’ practical cooperation in a wide range of areas such as commerce, culture, tourism, education, and sports, to name but a few.
也是在那次访问期间，双方签署互设总领馆的协议。中国将第一个驻美总领馆设在了休斯敦。此后40多年来，总领馆贴近当地，推动人民间相互了解和友谊，服务于中美地方间经贸、文化、旅游、教育、体育等领域务实合作。
Chinese basketball fans regard Houston Rockets almost as their home team because of Yao Ming; beef steaks from Texas have become a favorite on the table in many Chinese households. A Houston Chronicle editorial noted that China is the region’s second-largest trading partner. The statistics speak to the importance of the relationship: In 2018, China’s trade with this part of America reached $125.1 billion. By 2019, almost 300 China-invested companies established their presence there, with a total investment of over $23.2 billion. These benefits wouldn’t have been possible without the atmosphere of amity and cooperation the Consulate-General helped to foster.
I myself have visited Houston and other southern cities many times, through which I have gained a deeper understanding of the country’s history and culture and got to know many sincere, friendly and hardworking people.
中国人因为姚明将火箭队视为半个主队，得州牛排摆上了中国老百姓的餐桌。《休斯敦纪事报》社论称，中国是该地区第二大贸易伙伴。相关统计数据也充分显示了彼此关系的重要性：2018年中国与领区的贸易总额达1251亿美元，到2019年有近300家中资企业在美南地区落地，投资总额超过232亿美元。这些成绩的取得与总领馆多年来努力推动双方友好合作氛围是分不开的。我本人也多次到访休斯敦和美南其他地方，对于了解美国的历史和文化，了解美国老百姓的淳朴、友好和勤奋，有很多收获。
But on July 21, the US Department of State abruptly demanded the shutdown of China’s Consulate-General in Houston. Many people in and outside China were shocked by this unusual break in international diplomacy.
Washington’s decision will dampen people-to-people exchanges, causing inconvenience for the visa and passport application in the region to say the least, and diminish the desire for cooperation between the two countries. From a broader perspective, it is only one in a series of moves to demonize China and ramp up ideological confrontation.
However, no sensible foreign policy is based on ignorance, arrogance or shortsightedness, let alone hatred.
但就在7月21日，美国务院悍然要求中方限时关闭驻休斯敦总领馆，这一国际外交实践中罕见的举动令世人震惊。美方此举将给领区人民申办领事证件造成不便，阻碍双方人文交流，损害两国合作。从大背景看，这只是一段时间以来美方一些人妖魔化中国、制造中美意识形态对抗的一步而已。然而，无知、傲慢、短视甚至仇恨不能成为对外政策的基础。
As some try to overthrow the China policy built by successive US administrations, it is important to remember the history between the two countries. In the 1970s, following a secret visit to China by the US National Security Advisor, Dr. Henry Kissinger, President Richard Nixon, Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai opened the door to renewed communication and exchanges between China and the US. President Nixon said, during his own visit to China: “It is not our common beliefs that have brought us together here, but our common interests and our common hopes…the hope that each of us has to build a new world order in which nations of people with different systems and different values can live together in peace, respecting one another while disagreeing with one another.”
有人企图全盘否定美历届政府对华政策，但两国交往的历史应予铭记。上世纪70年代，基辛格博士秘密访华，尼克松总统和毛泽东主席、周恩来总理打开中美重新交往的大门。当时尼克松总统曾说，今天我们走到一起“不是由于我们有共同的信仰，而是由于我们有共同的利益和共同的希望……我们每一方都有这样的希望，就是建立一种新的世界秩序，互有分歧但互相尊重”。
The idea at the heart of President Nixon’s statement-respect for each other’s political systems and core interests-has been the basis for the establishment and continued growth of China-US relations, to the benefit of the two peoples and the whole world. The ups and downs of the past 41 years have proved that both countries stand to benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation.
两国建交就是基于尊重彼此不同制度，尊重彼此核心利益。此后40多年双边关系发展历程有顺境也有曲折，一再证明中美合则两利、斗则俱伤。而遵循上述原则是中美关系不断发展并造福两国人民和世界的基础。
Nothing is happening in isolation. There are current attempts by some US policymakers to drive a wedge between the Chinese people and the Communist Party of China (CPC). Such policies violate the principles that have helped build the relationship between the countries, and are doomed to fail. The CPC, whose philosophy is to place the people’s interests and trust above all else, has drawn strength from the 5,000-year Chinese civilization, and has found a path of development best suited to China. Surveys by Harvard University and Edelman have both concluded that the Chinese government is widely supported by its people.
还有一些人包括美方一些政客企图在中国人民和中国共产党之间搞对立，这注定不会得逞。中国共产党得到5千年中华文明的滋养，始终以代表人民利益、赢得人民信赖为工作标准，找到的是一条最适合中国的发展道路。中国政府享有中国人民广泛支持，最近哈佛大学和爱德曼公关公司的调查报告都证实了这一点。
The three crises in the first two decades of the 21st century – the 9/11 attacks, the global financial crisis and now the outbreak of COVID-19 – amply demonstrate that we live in a community with a shared future, in which addressing non-traditional security threats and other global challenges is our shared responsibility. In this regard, diplomatic missions can play a unique role.
In the fight against COVID-19, the Chinese Consulate-General in Houston served as a bridge in the two countries’ shared response to the pandemic, a fine example of solidarity and mutual support.
本世纪以来，“9·11”恐怖袭击、国际金融危机、新冠肺炎疫情三场危机足以让我们明白，人类是个命运共同体，应对非传统安全威胁等全球性挑战是我们共同的责任担当。在此方面，使领馆能发挥独特作用。在抗击新冠肺炎疫情的斗争中，驻休斯敦总领馆为双方共同应对疫情发挥了桥梁作用，这就是我们守望相助的写照。
If there is a side to choose, then all countries, China and the US included, should choose the right side of history, working within their countries to improve their own domestic governance, while working outside their borders to build together a world with lasting peace, common security and shared prosperity. The world needs strong solidarity, not growing division. Countries should be each other’s partners, not imaginary enemies.
如果非要选边站队，中美乃至所有国家都应选择站到历史正确一边，做好自己的国家治理，并推动建设持久和平、普遍安全、共同繁荣、开放包容、清洁美丽的世界。世界需要的是团结一致，而不是加剧分裂。各国应互为伙伴而非假想敌。
The China-US relationship can have a future only when it is built on dialogue and cooperation – a future of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation. China’s US policy remains unchanged. The closure of America’s Chengdu Consulate this week is merely a legitimate response based on the principle of reciprocity, which is consistent with diplomatic practices and a due right of all sovereign nations. We are still willing to grow China-US relations with goodwill and sincerity and hope the US will return to the right track.
中美关系的前途命运还是在对话合作，实现不冲突不对抗，相互尊重，合作共赢。中国的对美政策没有变化。本周中方根据对等原则要求美方关闭驻成都总领馆，仅是对美方关闭中国驻休斯敦总领馆的正当和必要反应，符合外交惯例，也是主权国家的应有权利。我们仍愿本着善意和诚意发展中美关系，希望美方能重回中美关系发展的正轨。
During his visit to China, President Nixon quoted President George Washington at a banquet: “Observe good faith and justice towards all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all.” Today, his words are still resoundingly true.
尼克松总统访华时曾引用美国之父华盛顿的话，“对所有国家恪守信念与公正。与所有国家发展和平与和谐。”今天听来依旧震耳发聩。
