美国国家公共电台 NPR--Australian envoy suggests 'smelling salts' for worries over Biden's Quad cancellation

Australian envoy¹ suggests 'smelling salts' for worries over Biden's Quad² cancellation³

Transcript⁴

Australia's ambassador to the U.S. says "pull out our smelling salts."

Kevin Rudd, who is also a former prime minister, tells Morning Edition he believes President Biden's decision to put off a security meeting in Sydney with leaders of Australia, India and Japan will have little impact on regional security or efforts to counter China's regional influence.

Biden, who is attending the G7 summit in Japan, said he was postponing⁵ his attendance at the Quad-conference to focus on the political fight over the debt ceiling in the U.S. In an interview with NPR's Leila Fadel, Rudd says, "The relationship between the two of us is as robust⁶ and as intense as I've ever seen it."

Rudd points to the Biden administration's engagement at the military level and in collaboration⁷ on energy and infrastructure⁸.

"I think we need to take a step back to pull out our smelling salts and say, look, the postponement⁹ of a presidential visit in the scheme of all this is quite small," Rudd said.

What message does Biden's postponement send to Australia and the leaders of Japan and India?

This alliance of ours has been through some 15 Australian prime ministers and 14 American presidents... This is just one of those things that happens and we get the intensity¹⁰ of the debate on the future of the debt ceiling in the Congress.

Will the U.S. absence hurt efforts to court India as a counterweight to China's regional influence?

The Quad agenda will proceed. The meeting will happen, though not in Sydney, but in Japan... And the content of the agenda will roll out. And this is very important in continuing to provide further strategic balance in the wider Indo-Pacific region, quite apart from the details of the agenda on climate, on energy, on infrastructure, on critical minerals and the things that matter to the peoples of the wider region.

How is Beijing likely to view Biden's postponement?

It's not just, you know, a single visit that sums up the totality of the engagement of U.S. and allied¹¹ diplomacy¹² over the last two and a half years. You see, look, most recently at the great success in Korean-American relations as a result of President Yoon's visit to Washington.

Is there a feeling that the region's issues seem to move to the U.S. backburner when other crises surface?

President Biden's already been in the region a number of times. He's been in Korea, he's been in Japan, he's been in Cambodia, he's been in Indonesia. The bottom line is the fabric¹³ of these overall relationships at the military level, at the level of collaboration in critical areas of energy, of infrastructure, and renewable energy in particular – this is probably stronger than I've ever seen it.

1 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

2 quad   

n.四方院；四胞胎之一；v.在…填补空铅

参考例句：

• His rooms were on the left-hand side of the quad.他的房间位于四方院的左侧。
• She is a 34-year-old mother of quads.她是个生了四胞胎的34岁的母亲。

3 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

4 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

5 postponing   

v.延期，推迟( postpone的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He tried to gain time by postponing his decision. 他想以迟迟不作决定的手段来争取时间。 来自辞典例句
• I don't hold with the idea of postponing further discussion of the matter. 我不赞成推迟进一步讨论这件事的想法。 来自辞典例句

6 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

7 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

8 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

9 postponement   

n.推迟

参考例句：

• He compounded with his creditors for a postponement of payment. 他与债权人达成协议延期付款。
• Rain caused the postponement of several race-meetings. 几次赛马大会因雨延期。

10 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

11 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

12 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。

13 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。