在中國首度亮相的Tillerson似已奉送北京一場外交勝利○華郵/Taimocracy翻譯

In China debut, Tillerson appears to hand Beijing a diplomatic victory  WP20170320

BEIJING — While his boss was goading China over Twitter, new Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been trying to build a constructive and “results-oriented” relationship with the leadership in Beijing.

北京 - 雖然他的老闆通過推特臭罵中國，新國務卿Tillerson卻一直努力與北京的領導培養建設性的、「以結果為導向」的關係。

And though his warnings about the possibility of eventual military action over North Korea have raised hackles here, Tillerson received a warm welcome from China’s president on Sunday.

雖然他提出最終可能對朝鮮進行軍事行動的警告，在此間引起不悅， Tillerson仍在週日受到中國總統的熱烈歡迎。

“You have made a lot of active efforts to achieve a smooth transition in our relationship under the new era,” President Xi Jinping told Tillerson as the men sat down for talks in the Great Hall of the People.  “And I also appreciate your comment that the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.”

習近平在人民大會堂會談時告訴Tillerson：「你們為了讓我們關係順利過渡到新時代，作出了很多積極的努力。」「我也感謝你所說的，中美關係只能通過合作和友誼來界定。」

【網路上這麼翻譯，不知道是不是習近平的中文原稿：你說中美關係只會是友善的，我對此表達感謝。】

But some critics say Tillerson has bent too far, handing Beijing what Chinese news media reports are calling a “diplomatic victory.”

但一些人批評，Tillerson過度屈從，向北京奉送了中國新聞媒體所稱之「外交勝利」。

After meeting China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Saturday, Tillerson voiced Chinese catchphrases about the relationship, including the avoidance of conflict and confrontation and the need to build “mutual respect” and strive for “win-win” cooperation.

Tillerson於週六會見中國外交部長王毅後，使用了中國在美中關係上慣用的辭令，包括避免衝突與對立、建立「相互尊重」及「雙贏」的必要性。

The phrase “mutual respect” is key: In Beijing, that is taken to mean each side should respect the other’s “core interests.”

「相互尊重」是關鍵：在北京，這意味著雙方都應該尊重對方的「核心利益」。

In other words: The United States should stay away from issues such as Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong — and in principle almost anything China’s Communist Party deems a vital national security concern.  Increasingly, that also appears to include China’s territorial claims in the contested waters of the South China Sea.

換句話說：美國應該避開台灣，西藏和香港等問題，原則上幾乎等於是中國共產黨所認定的任何重要國安議題。接著似乎也將包括中國在南中國海爭議海域的領土要求。

Several Chinese foreign policy experts called the comments “very positive” and in line with a concept Beijing has long advocated — what it calls “a new model of great power relationships,” which would put the two nations on a roughly equal footing.

一些中國的外交政策專家則稱這些評論「非常具有建設性」，並符合北京長期以來提出的概念──所謂的「新型大國關係模式」，亦即兩個國家大致處於同等地位。

Jin Canrong, a Sino-U.S. relations expert at Renmin University of China in Beijing, said Tillerson’s comments came as a surprise.

中國人民大學在北京的中美關係專家金燦榮說，Tillerson的意見是一個驚喜。

“China has long been advocating this, but the United States has been reluctant to accept the point of ‘mutual respect,’ ” Jin said.  “Tillerson’s comment will be very warmly welcomed by China.”

金說：「中國長期以來一直主張這一點，但美國一直不願意接受『相互尊重』的觀點。」他表示：「Tillerson的說法將受到中國的熱烈歡迎。」

But Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the United States should use its own language to describe bilateral relations, not embrace China’s.

但是，戰略與國際研究中心亞洲高級顧問Bonnie Glaser說，美國應該用自己的語言來描述雙邊關係，而不是採用中國的辭令。

More important, “mutual respect” signals acceptance of “a litany of issues that China views as nonnegotiable,” she said. “By agreeing to this, the U.S. is in effect saying that it accepts that China has no room to compromise on these issues.”

更重要的是，「相互尊重」表示接受「中國視為毫無商榷餘地的陳年複誦的議題」。她說「同意這一點，美國就實際上也承認了中國在這些問題上沒有妥協餘地。」

That would be a mistake, said Glaser, adding that China has shown no inclination to accept what might be seen as U.S. “core interests,” such as its alliances in Asia.

Glaser認為這是個錯誤。她說中國並無意願接受可能被視為美國「核心利益」的議題，譬如它在亞洲的盟友。

On the campaign trail last year, candidate Donald Trump pilloried China as a security threat and, particularly, a stealer of American jobs. On Friday, as Tillerson prepared to make his way to Beijing on the third leg of his Asian tour, Trump took to Twitter to criticize China for not helping rein in North Korea’s nuclear program.

在去年的競選活動中，候選人川普抨擊中國是安全威脅，特別是偷竊美國工作。上週五，當Tillerson準備前往亞洲之旅的第三站北京時，川普在Twitter上批評中國在朝鮮核計劃事件上沒有幫上忙。

Tillerson has almost certainly been pushing China hard on the North Korean issue behind closed doors.  But in public, his tone has been much more measured, judging this to be a better way to save China’s face and gain its cooperation.

Tillerson應該是在關門會議上極力催促中國解決朝鮮問題。但在公開場合，他的語調謹慎多了，或許意在給足中國面子，以獲得合作。

He could have received assurances from China — for example, over North Korea or trade — that he felt merited giving ground in return.  Or perhaps the former ExxonMobil boss is simply not that worried about parsing diplomatic language and is more focused on results.

他可能已經收到中國的保證──例如朝鮮或貿易──他所認為值得給予回報之事。也或許，這位前埃克森美孚公司的老闆，根本不擔憂外交辭令的解析，而是聚焦在結果。

“Tillerson’s remarks were probably an effort to provide Xi face in public, while behind doors, the conversation was probably more direct,” said Walter Lohman, director of the Asian Studies Center at the Heritage Foundation. “At least I hope so. Because, assuming Xi paraphrased Tillerson accurately, it is certainly not true that ‘the China-U.S. relationship can only be defined by cooperation and friendship.’ ”

傳統基金會亞洲研究中心主任Lohman說：Tillerson那麼說，可能只是為了顧習近平的面子。或許他們關起門來的對話是很直白的。至少我是這樣希望。因為，假使Tillerson所言與習近平的轉述完全吻合的話，「美中關係只有合作與友誼」這句話根本就偏離事實。

Ironically, the Obama administration also ran into criticism for using the phrase “new model of relations” in 2013 and 2014, before backing away from wording that was seen as uncomfortably close to the Chinese formulation.

諷刺的是，奧巴馬政府在2013年和2014年使用「新型關係」這一辭彙時，也遭到了批評，之後便放棄了這一貼近中方的辭令。

Ely Ratner, who worked as Vice President Joseph R. Biden’s deputy national security adviser and is now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, took to Twitter to call it a “big mistake and missed opportunity” for parroting Chinese government “platitudes and propaganda.”

曾擔任副總統約瑟夫·拜登副國家安全顧問，現在是外交關係委員會的資深研究員Ely Ratner，在Twitter上表示，模仿中國政府的「陳腔濫調與宣傳辭令」，是個「嚴重的錯誤、錯失的機會」。

“China’s characterization of the U.S.-China relationship, as exemplified by those phrases, portends U.S. decline and accommodation,” he wrote in an email.  “Tillerson using these phrases buys into this dangerous narrative, which will only encourage Chinese assertiveness and raise doubts in the region about the future of U.S. commitment and leadership in Asia.”

Ratner在一封電子郵件中寫道，「如這些辭令所顯示，中國對美中關係的描繪，預告了美國的衰落與通融。」「Tillerson使用這些辭令，等於接受了這危險的論述，這只會鼓勵中國更自大，並讓該地區盟友懷疑美國在亞洲未來的承諾和領導力。」

As for Trump, he had shown so little regard for Beijing’s sensitivities that he even questioned whether the United States should continue to uphold the one-China policy, which rules out independence and diplomatic recognition for Taiwan.

至於川普，他之前對北京的感受毫不在乎，甚至懷疑美國是否應該繼續堅持倡言一個中國政策，該政策排除了台灣獨立和外交承認的可能性。

That had spooked and angered Beijing until Trump backed down during what has been described as a warm and cordial telephone conversation with Xi last month.

這可嚇壞並激怒了北京。直到上個月，川普才在被聲稱是熱情和親切的電話交談中態度軟化。

On Sunday, China’s president said that, after talking, both leaders “believe that we can make sure the relationship will move ahead in a constructive fashion in the new era.”

星期天，中國的總統說，兩國領導人在交談後「確信雙方關係將以建設性的方式在新時代前進。」

Both sides are talking about a face-to-face meeting between the leaders.  China realizes that a personal rapport with Trump is important and watched in consternation as Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made an early visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

雙方都在談論領導人之間的面對面會談。中國意識到與川普的個人關係是重要的，並驚愕地看著日本首相安倍晉三捷足先登，在佛羅里達州的Mar-a-Lago度假村拜訪川普。

Tillerson seemed to acknowledge that getting his president better acquainted with China would make his job easier.

Tillerson似乎明白到，讓總統更熟悉中國，會使他的工作更容易些。

The “very lengthy” phone call between the leaders not only improved China’s understanding of the United States but also Trump’s understanding of China, Tillerson said. “And he looks forward to enhancing that understanding in the opportunity for a visit in the future.”

Tillerson說，領導人間的電話長談，不僅增進了中國對美國的了解，也增進了川普對中國的了解。他說：「他期待著在未有機會訪問中國，增進這方面的了解。」

“We know that through further dialogue we will achieve a greater understanding that will lead to a strengthening of the ties between China and the United States and set the tone for our future relationship of cooperation,” he said.

「我們知道，通過進一步對話，我們將獲得深入的了解，這將加強中美之間的關係，作為我們今後合作的基調。」

Tillerson and Xi nodded as the other spoke, both flanked by officials and aides in the lavishly decorated Fujian Room in the Great Hall of the People, on the west side of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, before the news media was ushered out for Tillerson’s last meeting of his three-nation Asian tour.

在北京天安門廣場西側的人民大會堂，裝飾精美的福建廳內，媒體聚集，Tillerson和習的兩側皆有眾多官員和助手陪伴，兩人也都在對方說話時點頭。接著，媒體被請出去，Tillerson進行了亞洲三國之旅的最後一次會議。

Even more than trade ties, North Korea has emerged as the biggest thorn in the relationship between Washington and Beijing. The United States wants firmer action to isolate Pyongyang and persuade the regime to abandon its nuclear program.

比雙方貿易關係還棘手的朝鮮問題，已成為華盛頓和北京之間關係中最大的阻礙。美國希望採取更堅決的行動，孤立平壤，說服該政權放棄核計劃。

Tillerson says diplomatic efforts have failed and has not ruled outeventual military action.  China, though, opposes anything that could bring down the regime in Pyongyang and bring instability to its borders.

Tillerson說外交努力已經失敗，尚未排除軍事行動。但是，中國反對任何可能使平壤政權垮台並帶來邊界騷動的任何因素。