There is a Chinese proverb: "Consider the past, and you shall know the future." Surely, we have known setbacks and challenges over the last 30 years. Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulty. But the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined -- not when we consider the past. Indeed, because of our cooperation, both the United States and China are more& C0 v# d9 W+ q( k: v( D
prosperous and more secure. We have seen what is possible when we build upon/ b3 k9 W# n' _+ F# z/ g
our mutual interests, and engage on the basis of mutual respect." F( H( O: P; \6 Y" V8 H' A$ l9 H
中国有句名言:“温故而知新。”当然,过去30年中我们也曾遇到挫折和挑战,我们的关系不是没有分歧和困难。但是,“我们必然是对手”的概念并非是注定不变的——回顾过去不会是这样。由于我们的合作,美中两国都更加繁荣、更加安全。我们已经看到我们本着共同的利益和相互的尊重去努力所能取得的成果。
, c* U2 u% F6 q7 d And yet the success of that engagement depends upon understanding -- on sustaining an open dialogue, and learning about one another and from one another. For just as that American table tennis player pointed out -- we share much in common as human beings, but our countries are different in certain ways., e- \5 l( f9 N% J
可是,这种接触的成功取决于理解,取决于继续进行开诚布公的对话,相互了解,相互学习。正如前面提到的那位美国乒乓球队员所说——作为人,我们有着许多共同之处,但是我们两国在某些方面存在着差别。
. H0 m$ G6 z3 Z6 h6 ]1 n, m# X I believe that each country must chart its own course. China is an ancient nation, with a deeply rooted culture. The United States, by comparison, is a young nation, whose culture is determined by the many different immigrants who have come to our shores, and by the founding documents that guide our democracy.) @% d) U0 D. l& ]2 S; R! k; k
Those documents put forward a simple vision of human affairs, and they enshrine several core principles -- that all men and women are created equal, and possess certain fundamental rights; that government should reflect the will of the people and respond to their wishes; that commerce should be open, information" `1 s$ z0 T8 e, b
freely accessible; and that laws, and not simply men, should guarantee the administration of justice.$ P8 y! J1 b+ A7 G4 R' B
我认为每个国家都必须规划自己的前进方向。中国是一个文明古国,文化深远。而美国相对而言是一个年轻的国家,它的文化由来自许多不同国家的移民以及指导我国民主制度的建国纲领所形成。这些纲领中提出了对人类事务的简单明了的瞩望,并包含了一些核心原则——不论男女人人生而平等,都享有某些基本权利;政府应当反映民意,并对人民的愿望作出回应;商贸应该是开放的,信息应该自由流通;司法保障应该来自法治而不是人治。
/ ]5 J" g- _ z' v; ]2 c Of course, the story of our nation is not without its difficult chapters. In many ways -- over many years -- we have struggled to advance the promise of these principles to all of our people, and to forge a more perfect union. We fought a very painful civil war, and freed a portion of our population from slavery. It took time for women to be extended the right to vote, workers to win the right to organize, and for immigrants from different corners of the globe to be fully embraced. Even after they were freed, African Americans persevered through conditions that were separate and not equal, before winning full and equal rights.
" n4 u6 u" w: i* _ 当然,我国的历史也并非没有困难的篇章。在很多方面,在很长的时间里,我们要通过斗争去实现这些原则对全体人民的承诺,缔造一个更趋完善的联邦。我们曾打过一场很痛苦的南北战争,将我国的一部分人口从奴役下解放出来。妇女获得投票权、劳工赢得组织权、来自世界各地的移民得到完全的接纳——这些都是经过了一段时间才实现的。非洲裔美国人即使在获得自由后依然生活在被隔离和不平等的条件下,他们经过不懈努力才最终赢得全面、平等的权利。
* M j9 U* o1 A5 R2 R' E4 y None of this was easy. But we made progress because of our belief in those core principles, which have served as our compass through the darkest of storms. That is why Lincoln could stand up in the midst of civil war and declare it a struggle to see whether any nation, conceived in liberty, and "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" could long endure. That is why Dr. Martin Luther King could stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and ask that our nation live out the true meaning of its creed. That's why immigrants from China to Kenya could find a home on our shores; why opportunity is available to
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