VOA标准英语2009年-State Department Official Says US, China S

By Stephanie Ho
Beijing
14 October 2009
A senior American official says the United States and China share what he describes as "tight and close" coordination¹ about North Korea.

An international flurry of activity has surrounded North Korea, which Monday launched five short-range missiles. Earlier in the year, North Korea tested a long-range missile and a nuclear explosive.

 
Assistant US Secretary of State Kurt Campbell chairs round table discussion with journalists at US embassy in Beijing, 14 Oct 2009
Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell spoke² to reporters in Beijing, Wednesday. He said North Korea was one of the top items on the agenda in his meetings with Chinese officials.

"I have rarely seen better coordination between China and the United States, in particular," Campbell said. "We work very closely before, during and after senior visits. So, when [Chinese envoy] Wu Dawei or Premier³ Wen goes to North Korea, our coordination is tight and close."

One week after Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao went to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leaders, including Kim Jong Il, Campbell said he came to Beijing to find out what the Chinese learned on that trip.

"I will underscore several things that Chinese friends told us," Campbell said. "First of all, that Kim Jong Il was very actively⁴ involved in every aspect of diplomacy⁵. And, he sent a personal picture of vigorous engagement in all aspects of interactions with Chinese interlocutors."

Campbell says Chinese officials told him North Korea wants to have a bilateral⁶ engagement with the United States. But he stresses that these talks will only take place within the six-party framework of North Korean denuclearization talks - grouping the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

"The United States will not entertain direct negotiations⁷ between the United States and North Korea, absent a six-party commitment," he said.

North Korea pulled out of the six-party talks, earlier this year. Campbell says Washington wants to see Pyongyang live up to commitments it already made in formal six-party agreements, before anything can, "move forward over the course of the next several months."

1 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

2 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。

3 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

4 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

5 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。

6 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。

7 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。