美国国家公共电台 NPR--With French President Macron's state visit, expect a mix of diplomacy and glamour

With French President Macron's state visit, expect a mix of diplomacy¹ and glamour²

Transcript³

President Biden is hosting his first state dinner at the White House Thursday for French President Emmanuel Macron, a return to some of the more ceremonial diplomatic activities that were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House says the visit by Macron and his wife, Brigitte, will underscore the deep relationship with the United States' oldest ally.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said France is not only the United State's oldest ally, but a "vital global partner" on a number of critical issues.

"If you look at what's going on in Ukraine, look at what's going on in the Indo-Pacific and the tensions with China, France is really at the center of all those things," Kirby said. "And so the president felt that this was exactly the right and the most appropriate country to start with for state visits."

A state visit is one of the most glamourous events held at the White House. It includes an elaborate arrival ceremony, press conference between the two leaders and a black-tie dinner, which this year will feature a performance by Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste.

The Macrons arrived Tuesday night for the three-day visit that also includes a stop at NASA headquarters with Vice⁴ President Harris and lunch at the State Department.

During their stay, Macron and his wife will sleep at the historic Blair House, across the street from the White House.

As a signal of France's importance, Macron is actually returning for his second state visit. He was also the first guest of former President Donald Trump's at a state dinner.

Macron has become a critical ear for Biden on the other side of the Atlantic

German Chancellor⁵ Angela Merkel has retired⁶ and the Britain's Boris Johnson resigned, which has left the 44-year-old Macron, even though he's young, as one of the most experienced European leaders.

"France has jumped to the head of the queue," said Charles Kupchan, who was a senior adviser⁷ on European issues in the Obama White House. "America's go-to partner used to be the United Kingdom, but the U.K. has left the European Union and has been tied up in political knots."

It also symbolizes⁸ the recovery of a key relationship that deteriorated⁹ over a submarine deal with Australia last year that infuriated France.

The two teams say they're looking forward and focused on the most urgent global issues, including Russia's war in Ukraine and the challenges posed by China and Iran.

The leaders are also expected to discuss the climate, energy issues and economic cooperation.

But the visit is not without its fair share of challenges.

While there are lingering issues of trust in the defense¹⁰ sector¹¹ following the submarine fiasco, the war in Ukraine has put those issues in perspective, said Célia Belin, a former policy adviser in the French foreign ministry¹².

"The war has reminded everybody of what is really at stake," said Belin, who is now a Paris-based fellow for the Brookings Institution. "And what's most important is transatlantic solidarity¹³."

But she said the war hasn't erased¹⁴ all the other challenges the two country's face.

One of the big ones is France's concerns about Biden's climate and infrastructure¹⁵ bill.

French officials have raised concerns about Biden's "Made in America" electric car provisions, which French leaders say could put European car makers¹⁶ at a disadvantage. And Macron has warned Europe may have to take action in response, including granting subsidies¹⁷ for European companies.

Martin Quencez, the deputy director of the German Marshall Fund's Paris office, says if the Biden administration is as committed as it says it is to the alliance around the world, then it needs to take into consideration the effects of its domestic politics policies on the same allies.

"The economic measures that are taken by the Biden administration makes perfect sense from a domestic American perspective," Quencez said. "But if it has damaging effects for like this has to be discussed and this is something to be reconciled by the Biden administration, you want stronger allies. You can't actually harm them by imposing¹⁸ this in a unilateral way."

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

3 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 symbolizes   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The use of light and dark symbolizes good and evil. 用光明与黑暗来象征善与恶。
• She likes olive because It'symbolizes peace. 她喜欢橄榄色因为它象征着和平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

10 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

11 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

12 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

13 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

14 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

16 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。