穿越激流险滩，探寻相处之道
Navigating Through Treacherous Shoals, Seeking Pathway for Peaceful Coexistence
秦刚大使在亚洲协会得州分会的讲话
Remarks by Ambassador Qin Gang at the Asia Society Texas Center
2022年6月3日
3 June 2022
尊敬的孙云萍主席、福斯特主席：
Madame Yun Ping Sun,
Mr. Charles Foster,
感谢亚洲协会得州分会的朋友们热情接待。亚协长期致力于促进美国同亚洲之间的沟通交流和相互理解，我对此表示赞赏。亚协得州中心是亚协在全美的两大中心之一，我很高兴来这里做客，同大家座谈交流。
Thank you so much for your hospitality. The Asia Society has been committed to promoting communication and mutual understanding between the United States and Asia. I highly appreciate your work. The Asia Society Texas Center is one of Asia Society’s two centers in the United States. It is my great pleasure to come here and have this talk with you.
这是我出使美国后第一次访问休斯敦，心情很不平静，因为这座城市在中美关系中有特殊意义：一方面，这是中美建交后第一个设立中国总领馆的地方，见证了两国友好交流合作蓬勃发展的重要历史；另一方面，这里也经历了2020年7月中国驻休斯敦总领馆关闭的至暗时刻。中美两国以及得州和休斯敦市很多朋友对此都非常痛心。
This is my first visit to Houston since I became Chinese Ambassador to the U.S., and I’m filled with mixed feelings. Houston has a special place in China-U.S. relations. The first Chinese consulate general in the U.S. was established here, and the city witnessed the growing friendship and booming cooperation between the two countries since then. On the other hand, it also went through the darkest moment when the consulate general was shut down in July 2020. Many friends in both countries, including Houston and Texas, were very distressed about it.
中美关系是当今世界最重要的双边关系之一，正面临空前复杂严峻的挑战。两国正处在新一轮相互发现、认知和调适的过程中，这不仅事关两国17亿人民的福祉，也事关世界和平与繁荣。
The China-U.S. relationship, one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world, is facing complex and severe challenges like never before. Our two countries are in a new round of mutual exploration, understanding and adaptation, which concerns both the wellbeings of the 1.7 billion Chinese and American people and world peace and prosperity.
美国国务卿布林肯上周发表了对华政策演讲，核心要义就是美国要集中全部力量同中国开展全面、激烈的战略竞争。这篇讲话暴露了美国对时代、对中国的严重误解误判，凸显了中美双方在一些重大问题上的分歧。
Secretary Antony Blinken delivered a China policy speech last week. The core message of his speech is that the United States will harness its national strengths to conduct comprehensive and intense strategic competition with China. The speech shows America’s serious misunderstanding and misjudgment of the time and of China, and highlights our two countries’ differences on some major issues.
今年是尼克松总统访华50周年。当年中美隔绝敌对，两国间的深刻分歧远远超过今天。而两国老一辈领导人以非凡的智慧和远见，就一些根本性问题进行“哲学探讨”，为两国关系打破坚冰找到了正确方向。今天，我们同样需要回归初心和原点，厘清几个根本性问题。
This year marks the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's visit to China. 50 years ago when our two countries were still in estrangement, we had far greater differences than today. But the elder generation of Chinese and American leaders displayed extraordinary wisdom and vision, and had philosophical discussions on the fundamental issues, breaking the ice and finding the right direction for our relations. Today, we need to look back, follow their example, and provide answers to some fundamental questions.
首先，我们今天所处的是什么样的世界？
First, what kind of world are we living in?
全球化和科学技术的发展，已经使我们的星球成为一个利益交融、休戚与共的命运共同体。面对各种全球性挑战，任何国家都不能独善其身或独霸天下。美方一直说要遵守“以规则为基础的国际秩序”。我们必须要问，这个规则是美国一家的“私规”，还是以联合国为核心的国际体系、以国际法为基础的国际秩序、以联合国宪章宗旨和原则为基础的国际关系基本准则？如果是后者，中国以及世界上绝大多数国家当然欣然接受，美国也应该切实遵守和践行。那种与少数一些国家联盟、遏制打压另一些国家的做法，那种以意识形态划线、渲染“民主与威权对决”的做法，那种把自己的价值观和意志强加于人的做法，只会严重撕裂这个世界，制造无穷无尽的祸端。今天的世界不应再发生热战，也不应回到冷战，不应有霸权主义、集团政治和冷战思维的容身之地。
Globalization and the development of science and technology have turned our planet into a close-knit community, where countries have intertwined interests and a shared future. Facing various global challenges, no country can stay immune or handle them alone. The U.S. side has been talking about the “rules-based international order”. So we have to ask, do the “rules” refer to the house rules of the United States, or do they mean the international system with the United Nations as the core, the international order based on international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter? If they refer to the latter, China and most countries in the world absolutely embrace them, and we look to the U.S. for earnest implementation. However, aligning with a minority of countries to contain others, drawing ideological lines, playing up “democracy versus authoritarianism”, and imposing one’s own values and will on others – these practices will only make the world deeply polarized and chaotic. There should be no hot wars, nor should there be a return to the Cold War. Hegemonism, bloc politics or Cold War mentality should have no place in today’s world.
第二，中美作为两个大国应该如何建设好自己的国家，并且为世界的和平与繁荣作出贡献？
Second, how can China and the United States, as two major countries, make themselves better and contribute to world peace and prosperity?
中美首先都应聚精会神办好自己的事，做更好的自己。在中国共产党领导下，14亿中国人民团结、勤劳、奋斗，我们的目标就是要让中国人民过上更好的生活。我们不断加强国家治理体系和治理能力现代化，深化改革、扩大开放，与世界各国友好相处、建设性合作。习近平主席提出的共建“一带一路”、全球发展倡议、全球安全倡议都受到国际社会普遍欢迎和支持。归根结底，我们发展的目的就是既立己、又达人，而不是以超越谁、取代谁、竞赢谁为目标。中美在某些领域的确会有竞争，但应是公平、健康的竞争，竞争目的是相互促进，使彼此发展得更好、更快、更强，而不是零和博弈、赢者通吃。我们应该公平地比一比，怎么把国家治理得更好、让本国人民安居乐业，怎么为世界经济增长提供更大动能，怎么为应对气变和抗击疫情提供更多公共产品，怎么为解决地区热点问题提供更好方案，而不是比怎么迟滞对方发展、怎么干涉别国内政、怎么脱钩断供、怎么修筑小院高墙。这就好比一个高尔夫球手，要努力超越自己，而不是要打倒身边的球手。
The first and foremost task for both countries is to run their own affairs well and become better selves. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the 1.4 billion Chinese people are working hard as one for a better life. A better life for the people is our goal, and to achieve it, we are modernizing our national governance system and capabilities, deepening reform, further opening up, and developing friendship and constructive cooperation with other countries. The Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping have been welcomed and supported worldwide. In the final analysis, our development is to establish both ourselves and others, not to outperform, outplace or outcompete anyone else. China and the U.S. do compete in some areas. But such competition should be fair and healthy, and it should make both sides better and stronger. It should not be a zero-sum game and the winner takes all. China stands ready for fair competition on how to run their country better and deliver a safe and happy life to their people, how to further empower global growth, how to provide more public goods for global efforts to tackle climate change and the pandemic, and how to produce better solutions to regional hotspots. It should not be about how to obstruct the other side’s development or interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, how to decouple and cut off supplies and how to build small and exclusionary blocs. This is just like a golf player who only wants to improve his own game, not to beat other players.
美国要加大对本国发展的投资，提高自身竞争力，我们表示欢迎，并祝愿美国成功。同时，希望美国也做一个好的高尔夫球手，而不要当拳击手，不要把遏制打压别国作为自己发展的目标，那只会使自身发展误入歧途。
We welcome that America invests in its strength and sharpens its competitive edge, and we wish it success. We also hope that America will compete like a golf player such as Tiger woods, not like a boxer such as Mike Tyson. We hope that it will not take containing and suppressing other countries as its goal, because that will only lead itself astray.
第三，什么才是中美正确的相处之道？
Third, what is the right way for China and the United States to get along?
总结一句话就是相互尊重、和平共处、合作共赢。中美关系的主流是利益交融、互利共赢，合作是双方唯一正确的选择。以全面、激烈竞争定义和主导中美关系，既违背两国关系的现实，也违背两国人民的意愿，只会导致对抗甚至冲突。我访问了不少美国州市，看到的是中美合作给两国人民带来的实实在在的好处，听到的是美各界希望中美关系健康发展的呼声，感受到的是中美关系蓬勃发展的巨大潜力。希望华盛顿“环形路”里的决策者们也能倾听和顺应两国的民意和民心。
Simply put, it is mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. Integrated interests and mutual benefit represent the mainstream of China-U.S. relations, and cooperation is the only right choice for both sides. Defining China-U.S. relations as comprehensive and intense competition does not accord with facts, and is not what the people want. It will only create confrontation and even conflict. I have been to many American cities and states, and wherever I go, I can see the benefits of China-U.S. cooperation for the people, I can hear the call for healthy development of China-U.S. relations, and I can feel the huge potential of our ties. I hope that American decision-makers within the Beltway can also heed and follow the two peoples’ call.
中美关系应该基于理性和事实，而不是基于谎言、误判和虚假信息。中美间的差异不应成为妖魔化、污名化的借口，两国间的分歧也不应成为敌意和对抗的理由。我们不仅要正视分歧、管控分歧，更要化解分歧、超越分歧，扩大两国之间的最大公约数。我们不仅要应对危机，更要预防危机，防患未然。
China-U.S. relations should be based on rationality and facts, not lies, misjudgment and disinformation. Differences do not warrant demonization or stigmatization, nor should they justify hostility or confrontation. We should face up to our differences and put them under control, and more importantly, we should resolve and rise above them to expand our common ground. We should not only deal with the crises when they happen, and more importantly, we should prevent them from happening in the first place.
去年以来，习近平主席同拜登总统数次通话和视频会晤，就中美关系达成重要原则共识。拜登总统明确表示，美方不寻求同中国打“新冷战”、不寻求改变中国体制、不寻求通过强化同盟关系反对中国、不支持“台独”、无意同中国发生冲突。拜登总统的上述承诺应该切实得到遵守，这是中美关系走出当前困境的关键所在。
Since last year, President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden have had several phone calls and video calls, and they have reached important principled agreement on China-U.S. relations. President Biden clearly stated that the U.S. does not seek to have a new Cold War with China, to change China’s system, or to revitalize alliances against China, and that the U.S. does not support “Taiwan independence” or intend to seek a conflict with China. President Biden’s commitments must be earnestly followed, and this is the key to taking China-U.S. relations out of the current difficulties.
台湾问题是中美关系中最重要、最敏感、最根本的问题。一个中国原则是中美关系的基石。台湾早在近1800年前就是中国的一部分，比美国建国早1500多年。美方应该恪守它在中美三个联合公报中就台湾问题所作郑重承诺，而不是不断虚化掏空一个中国原则，支持纵容“台独”，搞“台湾地位未定论”，制造台海局势紧张，危及地区和平稳定。
The Taiwan question is the most important, sensitive and fundamental issue in China-U.S. relations, and the one-China principle is the bedrock of our ties. Taiwan was part of China as early as almost 1,800 years ago. That was more than 1,500 years earlier than the independence of the United States. The U.S. should abide by its commitments made on the Taiwan question in the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques. It should not keep hollowing out the one-China principle, support and connive at “Taiwan independence” separatist forces, or claim that Taiwan’s status is undetermined, because these moves will only create tension across the Taiwan Strait and endanger regional peace and stability.
我们注意到，布林肯国务卿表示，美不寻求并决心避免冲突或“新冷战”、不寻求阻止中国发挥大国作用、不阻止中国发展经济和促进人民利益，美方希望同中方加强直接沟通和建设性接触，欢迎中国留学生，不会歧视中国公民。中方重视上述表态，同时行胜于言，贵在知行合一。希望美方采取实际行动，与中方相向而行，为稳定和改善中美关系作出积极努力。
We have noted that Secretary Blinken said, the United States is not looking for conflict or a new Cold War, and is determined to avoid both. It does not seek to block China from its role as a major power, nor to stop China from growing its economy or advancing the interests of its people. The U.S. will increase direct communication and engage constructively with China. It welcomes Chinese students and will not mistreat Chinese nationals. The Chinese side takes these remarks very seriously, and we believe that actions speak louder than words, and words must be matched by actions. We hope that the U.S. side will take real actions together with China and make real efforts to ensure the stability and growth of China-U.S. relations.
朋友们，
Friends,
中美关系正处于关键关口，何去何从需要双方共同作出正确选择。亚协以“探索共同未来”为宗旨。我希望同各位朋友共同努力，推动中美关系的航船穿过当前的风暴迷雾和激流险滩，早日回到健康稳定发展的正确轨道。
The China-U.S. relationship is at a critical crossroads. Its future depends on the two sides making the right choice. The Asia Society’s purpose is to navigate shared futures. I look forward to working with all of you to lead the ship of China-U.S. relations through the ongoing storm and dangerous shoals, and back to the right track of healthy and stable development as soon as possible.
谢谢大家。
Thank you.