Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the 7th Annual US-China Civil Strategic Dialogue
崔天凯大使在第七次中美民间战略对话上的致辞
July 10, 2017
2017年7月10日
Dear Mr. Douglas Paal,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
尊敬的包道格先生，女士们，先生们，
Good morning. I want to thank The Carnegie Endowment, Tsinghua University and Peking University for inviting me.
上午好！感谢卡内基国际和平基金会、清华大学、北京大学邀请我出席此次研讨会。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂
As today’s discussion is about “a result-oriented US-China relationship”, let me start by raising a couple of questions about it and making a few points for us to further explore.
这次研讨会的主题是“实现‘结果导向’的中美关系”。对此我想提以下几个问题，与大家探讨。
In general, we do not oppose the result-oriented notion. But do we have a clear and shared understanding of what it is really about? What should we do together to achieve positive results in the interests of our long-term relations? Are we fully aware of the risk of losing sight of the overall direction if we overemphasize specific results on specific issues?
我们总体上不反对“结果导向”这一概念。但是，我们对这个概念是否有清晰的共识？我们应如何共同努力以达成有利于中美长远利益的积极结果？我们是否意识到过度强调一时一事可能导致两国总体关系跑偏的风险？
1. A good overall China-U.S. relationship should be the overarching “result”. In its absence, no desirable result can be achieved. In other words, do we have a long-term goal for the relationship as we ride the ups and downs forward?
There is an ongoing debate about whether China and the United States will be able to escape the so-called “Thucydides’s trap” or are we destined for war. According to historians, there have been 16 cases so far in history when a “rising power” encountered an “established power”. Out of the 16, 12 ended in war and conflict and only 4 had a relatively peaceful transition. Into which category will China-US relations eventually fall?
——总体良好的中美关系是我们追求的最大结果。没有这样的共识，其他的结果也无法达成。换言之，中美关系需要设定一个长期目标，以克服各种眼前的波折起伏。人们一直在讨论中美能否避免所谓“修昔底德陷阱”，或中美是否“注定一战”。历史学家告诉我们，历史上曾出现16次新兴大国和既有大国相遇的案例。在这16个案例中，12次以战争或冲突收场，其余4次实现了相对和平的过渡。中国和美国的相遇，将是哪种结果？
My answer is neither. War and conflict should certainly not be our option. Even a peaceful transition should not be what we really aim at. Our historical mission is not the transfer of global dominance from one power to another. Rather it should be the making of a new model of international relations where countries especially the major ones coexist peacefully on the basis of mutual respect and engage in win-win cooperation for global stability and prosperity. This should be the overarching result that the two countries have to work together to achieve, if a “result-oriented” approach is to be followed.
我认为两者都不是。战争和冲突当然不应是我们的选项，甚至和平过渡也不应是我们的目标。我们肩负的历史使命不是把全球主导权从一个国家转向另一个国家，而是建立一种新型国际关系，使世界各国尤其是主要大国在相互尊重、合作共赢的基础上和平共处，共同维护全球稳定与繁荣。如果说要“结果导向”，这就是中美两国必须共同努力达成的大结果。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂
2. Specific issues must be addressed within the context of our long-term relations and interests.
Between China and the U.S., there are so many and growing areas for cooperation, and naturally there are differences. Even in cooperation, our perspective or methodology could diverge. These differences and divergences are there and some of them are difficult to be removed overnight. It is clear that we should not allow lack of results on such partial differences negate the progress we have made in our cooperation. Neither should we let our bilateral relationship be hijacked by certain events every now and then.
——一时一事的结果应放到中美长期关系与整体利益中把握。中美之间既有合作，也有分歧；即使在合作中，也会有视角和方式方法的差异。这些分歧和差异客观存在，其中一些很难在短期内消除。我们不能因为局部分歧而否定中美合作，也不能任由一时一事绑架两国总体关系。
3. The results that we try to achieve should be mutually beneficial.
A relationship of “one side takes all” can never last long. If one side seeks certain result at the expense of the other, the result itself is not a good one. The interactions between China and the U.S. should not be a one-way traffic in which one side lists requirements and demands for the other side to fulfill, but a two-way traffic where both sides respect and accommodate the interest and concerns of each other and make efforts to expand common interest and cooperation.
——我们要追求的应当是互利共赢的结果。赢者通吃的关系注定是无法长久的。如果一方追求的结果是以损害对方为代价，那就不是一个好结果。中美之间相处，不应是一方对另一方开单子、提条件的“单行道”，而应是尊重和照顾彼此利益关切、不断扩大共同利益和合作交集的“双行道”。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂
Since President Trump took office, with the joint efforts of both sides, the China-US relationship has made important positive progress. The successful presidential meetings in Mar-a-lago and on the sidelines of the Hamburg G20 summit just two days ago have set the tone and charted the course for our relationship. The two sides have established four high-level dialogue mechanisms, namely, the Diplomatic and Security Dialogue, the Comprehensive Economic Dialogue, the Law-enforcement and Cyber Security Dialogue, and the Social and People-to-People Dialogue. The two sides also made and kick-started a “100 Day Plan” to promote the economic and trade relations between China and the U.S., which has produced mutually beneficial early harvest.
特朗普总统就任以来，在中美双方共同努力下，两国关系取得重要积极进展。两国元首在海湖庄园成功会晤，前天再次在二十国集团领导人汉堡峰会期间成功会晤，为新时期中美关系指明方向，确立建设性基调。双方已经建立外交安全对话、全面经济对话、执法及网络安全对话、社会和人文对话等四个高级别对话机制，制定实施了推动中美经贸关系发展的“百日计划”，并取得惠及双方的“早期收获”。
Yet what seem to have dominated our attention recently are US actions on the Taiwan issue and its political and military provocations in the South China Sea. Such actions run counter to the positive momentum of China-US relations that the two sides have painstakingly built so far. If this is allowed to go further, mutual trust will be seriously undermined. A spiral of provocations and retaliations would serve no one’s interest. Such a result should be firmly rejected.
但值得注意的是，美方近期在台湾等问题上采取严重损害中方利益做法，在南海连续采取政治和军事挑衅行动，中方对此坚决反对。这些做法与中美关系来之不易的积极发展势头背道而驰。如果任其进一步发展，将严重损害双方互信。如果形成挑衅和反制的循环，不符合任何一方利益。这样的结果应当坚决避免。
President Xi Jinping said: “There are a thousand reasons for us to make China-US relationship work, but not a single reason to break it”. I hope that the U.S. side will work with us towards the same direction, and in good faith, for further development of China-US relations on the right track of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
习近平主席指出：我们有一千条理由把中美关系搞好，没有一条理由把中美关系搞坏。我们希望美方以同样的智慧和诚意，与中方相向而行，推动两国关系沿着互利共赢的正确轨道向前发展。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂
As recent development on the Korean Peninsula has caught so much attention, let me briefly touch upon this difficult and complex issue.
借此机会，我想就最近双方都很关注的朝鲜半岛核问题谈以下几点：
First, China is committed to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and no one should deny China’s persistent efforts toward that goal. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has consistently, fully and effectively implemented Security Council resolutions about the DPRK.
Recently, some media has been talking about trade growth between China and the DPRK in the first quarter of this year. This is a distorted picture. In fact, trade between China and the DPRK has been declining in 2015 and 2016. In February this year, China suspended coal import from the DPRK. As a result, import from DPRK has dropped 41% in April and 32% in May year-on-year. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that Security Council sanctions against the DPRK do not constitute an embargo. Normal trade between China and the DPRK is not banned by these sanctions. But China is firmly opposed to DPRK actions that violate Security Council resolutions, such as nuclear tests and ICBM launching. We support the Security Council in taking further actions against such violations.
第一，中方坚持推动半岛无核化目标坚定不移，做出的巨大努力不容抹杀。作为联合国安理会常任理事国，中国一贯全面、认真、严格执行安理会有关涉朝决议，履行应尽的国际义务。最近有些媒体报道称今年第一季度中朝贸易增长，这是以偏概全的做法。事实上，2015年、2016年中朝贸易额持续下跌。今年2月起中国暂停进口朝鲜原产煤炭后，4、5月自朝鲜进口分别同比下降41%和32%。要强调的是，安理会对朝制裁不是全面禁运，中朝正常贸易不违反安理会决议。中方坚决反对朝鲜进行核试或试射弹道导弹等违反安理会决议的做法，支持安理会进一步做出必要反应。
Second, we should have a clear understanding of the crux of the Korean nuclear issue. It is in essence an issue of security, and the key to escape the “security dilemma” is to start with addressing legitimate security concerns of all sides. Sanctions are necessary, but sanctions only cannot solve the problem. The impact of sanctions would be maximized only when it is combined with more robust efforts for the resumption of negotiations.
第二，必须认清朝核问题的症结所在。朝核问题本质上是安全问题，解决的关键在于从各方安全关切入手，化解“安全困境”。制裁虽是必要手段，但不可能从根本上解决问题。只有把制裁同更有力地推进谈判努力结合起来，才能取得最大效果。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂
Third, diplomatic negotiation is the only way out for the Korean nuclear issue. The U.S. side said its strategic patience has run out. We hope it will lead to proactive actions on the diplomatic front, not strategic impatience instead. There are now calls for military actions. China’s position on this is firm and clear. We would never allow war or chaos breaking out on the Korean peninsula. The cost would be too high for anyone, including the U.S. If we are talking about a result-oriented approach, neither the so-called “strategic patience” nor “strategic impatience” will lead to a good result.
第三，外交谈判是解决朝核问题的唯一出路。美方表示“战略忍耐”已经结束，我们希望这是推进外交努力的有为姿态，而不要滑向“战略躁动””。近期一些人发出不惜对朝动武的声音。在这个问题上，中方的立场坚定而明确，那就是绝不允许半岛生战生乱。没有谁能够承受半岛生战生乱的重大风险和代价，美方也一样。如果要“结果导向”，所谓“战略忍耐”和“战略躁动”都不会取得好的结果。
China and the U.S. share the overall goal on the Korean nuclear issue, which is to realize denuclearization on the peninsula and maintaining peace and stability of the region. We are ready to develop even closer coordination with the U.S. side and make it a high priority. However, the THAAD deployment by the U.S. poses a serious threat to China’s strategic security. And attempts to create leverages against China on the Korean nuclear issue by challenging China on Taiwan and the South China Sea are equally destructive. Plus, the so-called “secondary sanctions” imposed by the U.S. on Chinese entities and individuals according to US domestic laws are not acceptable, either. Such actions are obstructing cooperation between China and the U.S. and lead to questions about the real intentions of the U.S. side.
中美在朝核问题上总体目标一致，就是要推动实现半岛无核化，维护地区和平稳定。中方对此高度重视，并愿与美方保持密切沟通协调。但是，美方不断推进部署“萨德”反导系统，严重威胁中方战略安全。如果试图借在台湾、南海等问题上挑战中国以迫使中方在朝核问题上让步，这种做法同样是破坏性的。美方依据自身国内法对中国实体和个人搞所谓“次级制裁”，中方对此绝不接受。美方这些行为严重干扰中美在朝核问题上的合作，也使中方对美方的真实意图产生疑问。
The Korean nuclear issue is a historic problem of complex origins. To break the current impasse, China has proposed the “dual-track” approach and “suspension-for-suspension” proposal. This idea has gained more and more understanding and support in the international community. We hope the U.S. side can give it serious consideration. The “Four NOs and One Should” position of the U.S. is also of positive and constructive spirit. The U.S. side can make specific and pragmatic proposals based on this position and work for a positive response from the DPRK. China and the U.S. can perform different dances, but should aim at the same goal.
朝核问题是盘根错节的历史性难题，中方为破解当前僵局，提出了“双轨并行”思路和“双暂停”倡议，得到国际社会越来越多理解和支持，希望美方重视并认真研究。美方提出的“四不一要”是积极、具有建设性的，同时需要将其具体化、可操作化，并推动朝方做出积极回应。中美双方可以“异曲”，但必须“同工”，形成合力。微博@高斋翻硕 公众号:高斋翻译学堂
Thank you.
谢谢！
