VOA慢速英语2013 拜登:与中国的冲突并非不可避免

 

AS IT IS 2013-12-09 U.S. VP Says Conflict With China Can Be Avoided 拜登:与中国的冲突并非不可避免

 Hello again, and welcome back to As It Is. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Vice¹ President Joe Biden has been in Asia this week.  The U.S. government hoped the vice president’s visit would help expand trade in the area.  But another issue got  in the way -- China’s claim to an expanded air defense² identification zone.  In a surprise announcement last month, China said it was extending the zone to include  the skies over Chinese territories in the East China Sea.  The zone also now includes international waters, as well as territories that Japan and South Korea say  belong to them.  And China’s zone shares areas with air defense zones that Japan and South Korea have already created.    China says foreign countries must now  present a flight plan before their planes enter its newly-claimed air defense zone.  China says it has the right to deny entry into the airspace.

Several countries have ignored China’s demand already.  The United States and Japan have flown planes into the zone without warning China.  Taiwan says its military  will continue to make usual oversight³ flights.  And, in answer to China, South Korea is threatening to expand its own air defense zone. China has dismissed other  nations’ calls for it to drop its claim to the new zone.  China says its actions do not violate international laws.  It has also threatened to take action against any  aircraft that breaks the rule, but it did not say what that action might be. China does say it would not shoot down civilian⁴ airplanes. Vice President Joe Biden spoke⁵  with Chinese leaders about the zone earlier this week.

“I was absolutely clear on behalf of my president: We do not recognize the zone. It will have no effect on American operations.  None. Zero.” Mr. Biden said China’s  actions show the need for systems to help officials deal with crises and improve communication.   Joseph Cheng is a political science professor at the City University  of Hong Kong.

He says the vice president is trying to assure longtime allies Japan and South Korea that no harm will come from China’s actions. At the same time, Mr. Biden is  trying to show the importance of American Chinese relations.

During his visit, Mr. Biden also met with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  The two leaders agreed that China’s expanded zone is a problem, and that Japan and the  U.S. will work closely on the issue.  Mr. Abe says they also agreed they would not excuse any action that threatens the safety of civilian aircraft.

Hong Lei is China’s foreign ministry⁶ spokesman. He says China is willing to talk with Japan about the flight safety issue, but Japanese officials refuse to discuss  it.

And that’s As It Is. I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

1 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。

2 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。

3 oversight   

n.勘漏，失察，疏忽

参考例句：

• I consider this a gross oversight on your part.我把这件事看作是你的一大疏忽。
• Your essay was not marked through an oversight on my part.由于我的疏忽你的文章没有打分。

4 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 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。