2016年CRI The Pacific Should Foster Cooperation, Not Competition

 

This year's China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue has opened with a speech from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who suggests the two sides should be working more closely together, rather than -quote- "creating their own circle of friends" in the region.

"The vast Pacific should be a stage for inclusive cooperation, not an arena¹ for competition. China pursues a neighbourhood diplomacy² of amity³, sincerity⁴, mutual⁵ benefit and inclusiveness, and is committed to advancing peace, stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region. The extensive common interests between China and the US in the Asia-Pacific make it possible for the two countries to keep frequent communication, have more cooperation and jointly⁷ respond to challenges. "

The Chinese president has also praised the progress the two sides have made in addressing both bilateral⁸ and global issues.

"We have witnessed record highs in trade and two-way investment, enjoy closer people-to-people and sub-national exchanges, and make new headway in cooperation in cyberspace⁹, law enforcement and military-to-military exchanges. We issued three joint⁶ statements on climate change and worked together with other countries for the conclusion of the historic Paris agreement."

The annual meetings between China and the US first started out as separate economic and strategic exchanges in 2005, but evolved into their current form 8-years ago.

From 2009, a people-to-people exchange component¹⁰ was also added to foster more cultural discussions between the two sides.

The annual talks, which switch back and forth¹¹ from country to country every year, allow cabinet-level officials and representatives of other agencies to discuss a wide-range of issues both sides face.

These range from broader-based bilateral trade and economic issues, as well as regional and global issues in areas such as energy, climate change and other areas which affect both countries.

But through the years, the sessions have also provided a format¹² where pressing issues between the two sides can be hashed-out.

Previous years have focused on issues such as the value of China's currency, the status of the US economy during the global financial crisis, as well as areas of mutual defense¹³ concerns, such as Afghanistan and North Korea.

This year, US Secretary of State John Kerry says one of the issues the US side wants to address is the South China Sea.

"We are looking for a peaceful resolution to the dispute - the disputes of the South China Sea. We are not a claimant. We have taken no position on any of the claims of any claimant. The only position we've taken is, let's not resolve this by unilateral action, let's resolve this through rule of law, through diplomacy, through negotiation¹⁴, and we urge all nations to find a diplomatic solution, rooted in international standards and rule of law."

Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang says while the two sides may have their policy differences, the annual sessions have provided a good platform to ensure that what might be said beyond direct talks doesn't turn into broader-based understandings.

"As an example: Right now, the presidential campaign in the United States is in full swing, and the candidates of both parties are often making economic and trade issues between our two countries an issue. However, we here in China are not overreacting because we are able to get the true picture through this dialogue mechanism¹⁵ so we can avoid misjudgment. Likewise, through dialogue, the United States has gained a deeper understanding of China's reform process, thus reducing its misreading of the economic situation in China."

The economic portion of the talks will wrap up on Tuesday.

Tuesday's sessions will also include the High Level Consultation¹⁶ of People-to-people Exchanges.

It's the cultural exchange aspect of the talks formed 7-years ago, which meant to increase ties among colleges, universities, think tanks and medical institutions.

For CRI, I'm Victor Ning.

1 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

2 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。

3 amity   

n.友好关系

参考例句：

• He lives in amity with his neighbours.他和他的邻居相处得很和睦。
• They parted in amity.他们很友好地分别了。

4 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

5 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

6 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。

7 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

8 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

9 cyberspace   

n.虚拟信息空间，网络空间，计算机化世界

参考例句：

• She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
• The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。

10 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

11 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

12 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

13 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。

14 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

15 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

16 consultation   

n.咨询；商量；商议；会议

参考例句：

• The company has promised wide consultation on its expansion plans.该公司允诺就其扩展计划广泛征求意见。
• The scheme was developed in close consultation with the local community.该计划是在同当地社区密切磋商中逐渐形成的。