美国国家公共电台 NPR--Blinken is in South Africa for talks on a new strategy for the region

Blinken is in South Africa for talks on a new strategy for the region

Transcript¹

Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers a major speech on U.S. policy in Africa, following his visit to Cambodia, and a trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan that drew China's ire.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding high-level talks in South Africa and laying out a new strategy for U.S. relations in the region.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

The U.S. is vying² for influence on the continent, seeking to counter China's involvement and shape the narrative³ around the war in Ukraine. Blinken's trip follows recent visits from top Russian and Chinese officials.

FADEL: NPR's Michele Kelemen is traveling with the secretary and joins us from Pretoria.

Hi, Michele.

MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE⁴: Hi there, Leila.

FADEL: So, Michele, what's the secretary of state's message there?

KELEMEN: So South Africa is kind of a key regional player. So it's fitting that he started his Africa swing here. He's also planning this week to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. And there are some common themes in all of these places. The secretary wants to talk about food security in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He wants to talk about climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, other big problems that are facing the continent. And he's telling Africans that the U.S. really wants to be a partner in tackling all of this.

FADEL: Now, in that long list, you mentioned the war in Ukraine. Russia's foreign minister was just in Africa, too. How much is the U.S. in competition with Moscow on the continent?

KELEMEN: Well, Blinken says that the U.S. has interests in Africa that go beyond this geopolitical game, that this trip isn't just about countering Russian or Chinese influence. But it is clearly an area of concern. For instance, Blinken's making the case that - in the region - that they shouldn't buy into the Russian propaganda about Ukraine. The Russians argue that U.S. sanctions are to blame for a global food crisis. Blinken points out that it's Russia that's been blocking Ukrainian ports and stealing Ukrainian food stocks. And, you know, he thinks that Russia only agreed to a U.N.-brokered deal to allow some ships to leave Ukrainian ports because Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov heard a lot of concerns about this during his recent trip to Africa. So Blinken wants countries in the region really to keep up that pressure on Russia.

FADEL: Now, let's talk about China. It's a country that has invested a lot in Africa. China's in a major diplomatic feud⁵ with Washington following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan. How is Blinken handling that?

KELEMEN: Yeah. I mean, he's been trying to reassure⁶ leaders that he met on this trip - he was in Asia earlier, actually - that the U.S. is not seeking any conflict with Beijing. He believes China is using the Pelosi visit as a pretext⁷ for a military buildup around Taiwan. He also says that China's decision to cut off diplomatic talks with the U.S. in key areas, including climate change, doesn't really punish the U.S., but punishes the developing world - places like South Africa. China's the world's largest emitter of CO2. So walking away from climate talks hurts everyone. That's the case that he's been making. And it's a theme he's likely to continue to press on this trip.

FADEL: OK. All of this sounds like concerns the U.S. has been raising for years about China's influence in Africa.

KELEMEN: Yeah. And Blinken doesn't want African nations to feel like they're - he's making them choose between China and the U.S. He wants to show that the U.S. can be a good partner on all the issues he's been talking about. The real question is whether the U.S. is really going to invest in Africa or just give speeches about it.

FADEL: NPR's Michele Kelemen.

Thanks so much.

KELEMEN: Thank you.

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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 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

3 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

4 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。

5 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

6 reassure   

v.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• This seemed to reassure him and he continued more confidently.这似乎使他放心一点，于是他更有信心地继续说了下去。
• The airline tried to reassure the customers that the planes were safe.航空公司尽力让乘客相信飞机是安全的。

7 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。