美国国家公共电台 NPR--China announces it carried out precision missile strikes in the Taiwan Strait

China announces it carried out precision missile strikes in the Taiwan Strait

Transcript¹

China on Thursday fired multiple missiles toward waters near Taiwan as part of large-scale military exercises following a visit to the island by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan is increasing tension in the region. Today, China launched several missiles toward waters around the island during unprecedented² military drills. This comes after Beijing had warned of serious consequences if Pelosi's visit went ahead. Joining us now from Beijing with more is NPR's John Ruwitch. Hi, John.

JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE³: Hey there.

FADEL: So, John, tell us more about what's happening there today. How extensive are these military exercises?

RUWITCH: Sure. First, it's worth noting these are not a surprise. After Pelosi's plane landed in Taiwan on Tuesday night, China said it would be doing this, right?

FADEL: OK.

RUWITCH: But these drills, some of which are live fire, are quite extensive. China identified six zones in the seas surrounding Taiwan where the drills are happening, and it warned planes and ships to stay out of them while the drills are underway. China's state news agency describes the exercises as joint⁴ operations focused on blockading, sea target assault, strikes on ground targets and airspace control. We do not know at this point exactly how many planes and ships or crew are involved. China hasn't said so, but we get the sense from Taiwan's government that there's quite a few and that the Chinese have been taking some steps that are quite provocative⁵. For instance, Taiwan says Chinese ships and planes have been approaching, even crossing, the midway line down the Taiwan Strait. The drills also involve missiles, as you said. China says that, you know, it conducted precision missile strikes in the Taiwan Straits. And the Taiwan government says that China fired 11 ballistic missiles into the waters near the island.

FADEL: So these drills are being called unprecedented. But how unusual are they actually? Is this something China's done before, maybe in a more limited way?

RUWITCH: Yeah, drills are definitely not unusual. The People's Liberation Army also routinely has reports - publicizes the information about these drills, often, too, you know, they're seen by analysts⁶ as practice or rehearsals⁷ for Taiwan-related contingencies⁸, like we're seeing now. Beijing does consider Taiwan a part of China, wants to get it back and hasn't ever renounced⁹ the use of force as a possible way to get that. But drills of this size are unusual, and it's unprecedented that they're happening simultaneously¹⁰ around the entire island and, in some cases, extremely close to Taiwan. Some of these areas where the drills are happening are within 12 miles of the coast. The last time that tensions were this high probably dates back to 1995, '96. Back then, Beijing launched missiles into waters north and south of the island after Taiwan's then-president Lee Teng-hui visited the U.S.

FADEL: So how long do we expect this show of force to last?

RUWITCH: China has said that these exercises are going to last until Sunday midday. So that's about 72 hours. Beijing, of course, was very unhappy with Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, and analysts and observers think that we might well see more of this kind of thing beyond that point - right? - maybe on a smaller scale, maybe elsewhere. Taiwan has been girding for - you know, they put their military on alert. The island's government says that these drills are dangerous and effectively amount to a blockade. And it's worth noting that the situation is being watched far and wide, beyond just Taiwan or China. The foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, who are meeting in Cambodia today, put out a statement expressing concern about international and regional volatility¹¹. You know, they didn't mention the U.S., China or Taiwan by name, but they were clearly alluding¹² to what's happening in the Taiwan Strait. They said they worry about miscalculations, even open conflict, and they called for maximum restraint. Secretary Blinken was actually at the meeting, and he reiterated¹³ that, you know, nothing has changed in U.S. policy toward China, but, you know, escalation¹⁴ serves no one, he said. And maintaining cross-strait stability is in the interests of everyone.

FADEL: NPR's John Ruwitch in Beijing, thank you so much.

RUWITCH: Thank you.

1 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。

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

5 provocative   

adj.挑衅的，煽动的，刺激的，挑逗的

参考例句：

• She wore a very provocative dress.她穿了一件非常性感的裙子。
• His provocative words only fueled the argument further.他的挑衅性讲话只能使争论进一步激化。

6 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

7 rehearsals   

n.练习( rehearsal的名词复数 )；排练；复述；重复

参考例句：

• The earlier protests had just been dress rehearsals for full-scale revolution. 早期的抗议仅仅是大革命开始前的预演。
• She worked like a demon all through rehearsals. 她每次排演时始终精力过人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 contingencies   

n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一

参考例句：

• We must consider all possible contingencies. 我们必须考虑一切可能发生的事。
• We must be prepared for all contingencies. 我们要作好各种准备，以防意外。 来自辞典例句

9 renounced   

v.声明放弃( renounce的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布放弃；宣布与…决裂；宣布摒弃

参考例句：

• We have renounced the use of force to settle our disputes. 我们已再次宣布放弃使用武力来解决争端。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Andrew renounced his claim to the property. 安德鲁放弃了财产的所有权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

11 volatility   

n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常

参考例句：

• That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
• Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。

12 alluding   

提及，暗指( allude的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He didn't mention your name but I was sure he was alluding to you. 他没提你的名字，但是我确信他是暗指你的。
• But in fact I was alluding to my physical deficiencies. 可我实在是为自己的容貌寒心。

13 reiterated   

反复地说，重申( reiterate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• "Well, I want to know about it,'she reiterated. “嗯，我一定要知道你的休假日期，"她重复说。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Some twenty-two years later President Polk reiterated and elaborated upon these principles. 大约二十二年之后，波尔克总统重申这些原则并且刻意阐释一番。

14 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句