VOA慢速英语--特朗普致信中国国家主席习近平

 

U.S. President Donald Trump¹ sent a letter Wednesday to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

He wrote that he is looking forward to working with Xi to “develop a constructive² relationship” that benefits both countries, the White House said in a statement.

The letter also thanked Xi for his note of congratulations on Trump’s inauguration³. It also wished the Chinese people a happy Lantern Festival and a successful Year of the Rooster.

China’s Lantern Festival takes place this Saturday, February 11. The Lunar New Year was January 28.

China praised Trump’s letter on Thursday. Foreign Ministry⁴ spokesman Lu Kang said China “highly commended” Trump for the letter to Xi. Lu also dismissed suggestions that China had expected contact from Trump sooner.

“It is known to all that since President Trump took office, China and the U.S. have been in close contact,” Lu said.

Trump and Xi have not spoken directly since Trump took office last month. They did, however, talk on the phone soon after Trump won the presidential election in November.

The Foreign Ministry in Beijing said last week that the two countries were remaining "in close touch.” China’s top diplomat⁵, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, has led that contact.

Last week, Yang told Michael Flynn, Trump's national security adviser⁶, that China hopes it can work with the United States to manage and control disputes and sensitive problems.

As a presidential candidate, Trump accused China of unfair trade practices and of undervaluing its currency.

When he was president-elect, Trump took a telephone call from Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen. Some Chinese officials said the call violated America’s 1979 pledge of support for a one-China policy. China claims Taiwan as its own territory.

Since taking office, Trump and members of his administration have been critical of China’s actions in the South China Sea.

Diao Daming is with the Institute of American studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He told the state-run Global Times that Trump’s letter to Xi is a good sign, but “we still need to observe his [Trump’s] real actions.”

Chu Yun is a professor at the University of International Relations in Beijing. He told the Global Times that Trump’s choice to send a letter instead of making a phone call shows he “may still want to keep his distance from China.” However, he said, a “friendly signal is better than a provocation⁷."

Last month, Chinese internet users found another “friendly signal” on social media. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, posted a video of her 5-year-old daughter singing a song in Mandarin⁸ in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

The short video spread quickly in China.

Words in this Story

constructive - adj. helping⁹ to develop or improve something

benefit - v. to be useful or helpful to (someone or something)

commend - v. to praise (someone or something) in a serious and often public way

sensitive - adj. likely to cause people to become upset

provocation - n. an action or occurrence that causes someone to become angry or to begin to do something?

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

3 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

4 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。

5 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 provocation   

n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因

参考例句：

• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation.他是火爆性子，一点就着。
• They did not react to this provocation.他们对这一挑衅未作反应。

8 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。