VOA常速英语2014--First Lady's Education Trip to China Employs Soft Diplomacy 美第一夫人教育之旅采取软外交（在线收听）

First Lady's Education Trip to China Employs Soft Diplomacy 美第一夫人教育之旅采取软外交

First Lady Michelle Obama is in China this week to focus on education and culture.

美国“第一夫人”米歇尔·奥巴马本周访华，关注文化教育问题。

Students at Beijing Normal School eagerly greeted First Lady Michelle Obama on Friday.  Many children here dream of attending universities abroad, and one of the school's aims is to help them achieve that dream.  Obama's focus on education for this trip is an example of soft diplomacy - attracting Chinese interest in one of the United States' greatest assets.  Elizabeth Economy is the Asia director for the Council on Foreign Relations.

周五，北师大二附中的学生们热切欢迎美国第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马。许多在校学生都梦想出国留学，而学校宗旨之一就是帮助学生实现留学梦。米歇尔此行对教育领域的重视反应软外交实力——把中国的注意力吸引到美国其中一个最强大的资产。

"They recognize the sort of innovative vitality of the U.S. educational system.  It’s a very creative system, and one that has produced legions of very successful entrepreneurs and thinkers," stated Economy.

“他们（中国）认识到美国教育系统的某些创新性活力，”亚洲外交关系委员会主任伊丽莎白·依柯诺密说。“这是一个非常具有创造力的教育系统，是它培养了大批成功的企业家和思想家。”

The first lady has drawn criticism for choosing to avoid China's abuses in human rights and international trade on this trip.  But Steve Hess of the Brookings Institution said controversy would damage the goal of the trip.

第一夫人选择对中国践踏人权和国际贸易冲突问题进行规避的做法招致批评。但布鲁金斯学会的斯蒂芬·赫斯表示，争论会破坏访华目的。

"Hard diplomacy is you go over there and argue with people, soft diplomacy is when you choose not to argue.   And I think that is probably exactly how they want it," said Hess.

“硬外交是指你走过去与别人争论，而软外交体现为你选择不去争论，”他说。“我想这大概正是他们的处理方法。”

However, Economy said Obama's goal as a leader in American society should be to stand up for American ideals. "I’m not proposing that she go off on a ledge and introduce radically new issues, like what’s going on between China and Japan in the East China Sea, but I do think as long as she’s there, she’s going to be spending a full week in China, that it really is an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed," she said.

然而，依柯诺密表示，米歇尔身为美国社会的领导人，其出访目标应代表美国的理想。“我不建议她自找麻烦，激进地制造事端，比如关注中日东海问题。但我想，只要她去了，她就会在中国呆上一整周，毕竟这是一个千载难逢的机会。”

Economy suggests the first lady highlight U.S.-China disputes tied to culture and education, such as access for American films in the Chinese market and the challenges U.S. educational institutions face when partnering with Chinese schools.

依柯诺密建议第一夫人强调中美有关文化教育的争论，比如美国电影在中国市场的上映权和美国教育机构与中国学校合作所遇到的挑战。