VOA慢速英语2014 越南与中国的关系依然紧张

 

AS IT IS 2014-09-06 Relations Between Vietnam, China Still Tense 越南与中国的关系依然紧张

Last month, Vietnam sent a Communist Party official to China in an effort to reduce tensions between the two countries. Relations worsened three months ago when China deployed¹ an oil rig to the South China Sea. The equipment was set up near Vietnam’s coast, in waters claimed by Vietnam. The move led to deadly riots in Vietnam and hurt relations between the countries.

When the Vietnamese official traveled to Beijing last week, experts said it might be a sign that the two countries want to improve relations. Le Hong Anh spent two days in China, and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He reportedly told the president that “a neighbor cannot be moved away, and it is in the common interests of both sides to be friendly to each other.”

Vietnam’s Ministry² of Foreign Affairs said the two countries will continue to move toward what it called “stable development.” A Foreign Affairs Ministry official spoke³ to reporters in Hanoi.

He said the two countries will continue to improve cooperation in diplomacy⁴, defense⁵, security and other areas. They include the economy, trade, law implementation⁶ and humanitarian⁷ issues.

The deployment⁸ of the Chinese oil rig in May worsened years-long disputes over control of islands in the South China Sea. The move incited⁹ anti-China protests across Vietnam. This led to deadly riots in several industrial zones.

China withdrew the oil rig on July 15, just before a powerful storm moved through the area.

Carl Thayer is a professor at the University of New South Wales, in Australia. He says the visit by Le Hong Anh to China is the first step in negotiations¹⁰ about the South China Sea islands.

“Anh’s visit has opened up channels. And I think we’re seeing other lower-level people explore, explore what’s possible. You know, China accepted the apology. I think we’re seeing both sides trying to overcome this but without conceding too much.”

Vietnam is exploring other ways to deal with China.

Several high-level officials from the United States have recently visited Vietnam. They include General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint¹¹ Chiefs of Staff. These visits caused some experts to say Vietnam may be seeking closer ties with the United States as protection against China.

India’s External Affairs Minister has also visited Vietnam recently. India’s President Pranab Mukherjee is to visit the country later this month.

U.S. Senator John McCain was in Hanoi last month. He said he believes the United States will ease restrictions¹² on the sale of lethal¹³ weapons to Vietnam.

Jonathan London is a Vietnam expert. He teaches at City University in Hong Kong. He says that if the weapons ban is lifted, it would, in his words, “symbolize a real change in the two countries’ relations.”

“Vietnam stands to gain considerably¹⁴ from U.S. intelligence and U.S. expertise¹⁵ and know-how¹⁶ with respect to maritime¹⁷ affairs.”

Carl Thayer says Vietnam is seeking to improve its relations with the United States and other countries as a way of, in his words, “bargaining” against China.

“China keeps warning them about moving too close to the U.S., but that doesn’t stop them from working towards Japan, which they’ve already done, and India if India is willing to play the game.”

Jonathan London says he does not believe anyone in Vietnam thinks relations with China are as good as they could be. And he says he cannot be sure that relations are improving.

“After all, this was a representative not of Vietnam but of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the way that China operates -- as we’ve seen -- is to, you know, say one thing and do another, and I think, you know, Vietnamese of all brands are aware of this.”

He says the two countries negotiate in secret, so it is not possible to know how the two countries really feel about each other.

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 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。

3 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。

4 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。

5 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。

6 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

7 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

8 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

9 incited   

刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He incited people to rise up against the government. 他煽动人们起来反对政府。
• The captain's example incited the men to bravery. 船长的榜样激发了水手们的勇敢精神。

10 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

11 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。

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

14 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

15 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

16 know-how   

n.知识；技术；诀窍

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm.他没有经营农场的专业知识。
• I don't have much know-how about engines.发动机方面的技术知识我知之甚少。

17 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。