奥巴马会见越南领导人

AS IT IS 2015-07-08 Obama Meets with Vietnam’s Communist Party Chief 奥巴马会见越南领导人

The head of Vietnam’s Communist Party visited with President Barack Obama at the White House Tuesday. Nguyen Phu Trong met with the president and spoke¹ to reporters after the meeting. Mr. Nguyen also invited President Obama to visit Vietnam.

Mr. Obama said the two countries had made notable progress in the last 20 years. He said there were strong difference between the political philosophies of the two countries and “there remain differences in the bilateral² relationship.”

Among those difference, he said, were human rights and freedom of religion.

Vietnamese-American activists³ protested the visit by Mr. Nguyen calling for the U.S. to press for more human rights and democracy in Vietnam.  

Recognizing the difficult history

After the meeting, both men noted⁴ the difficult history the U.S. and Vietnam share. 

The visit comes not long after the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. The two countries normalized relations 20 years ago. And the U.S. still bans weapons sales to the Southeast Asian nation.

However, the president said diplomatic discussions and steps taken by both countries and within organizations such as ASEAN could lead to better relations.

The president added that efforts by leaders of both parties in the United States and leadership in Vietnam have led to a relationship of mutual⁵ respect that helps both countries.

Earlier, Nguyen Phu Trong called his meeting at the White House “historic” and said he hoped to build trust with the U.S.

After the meeting, he said his discussion with Mr. Obama had been “frank.” But he said what was important was that the countries had gone from being enemies to friends and partners.

Former enemies are now partners

The U.S. and Vietnam have been moving closer together because of tensions in the South China Sea. Vietnam has conflicting territorial⁶ claims with China in the western Pacific Ocean area. And China’s efforts to build bases on coral islands in the sea have raised international concerns over navigation in the area.

Mr. Obama said after the meeting that he had discussed the importance of solving maritime⁷ disputes in a way that observes international law.

The two men also spoke about the Trans-Pacific Partnership⁸ free trade agreement. Mr. Obama said the agreement would raise labor⁹ and environmental standards and would create significant job growth for people in both countries.

Carl Thayer is a Southeast Asia expert. He says the U.S. is increasing its engagement with the Asia-Pacific area. He says the two countries are slowly reaching agreement on some strategic interests including trade.

Mr. Thayer says the importance of the meeting is to help clarify the 2013 Comprehensive Partnership reached when Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang visited the White House two years ago.

He notes that the common issues of interest to the two sides are connected. Two such issues are the Trans Pacific Partnership and human rights.

“If Vietnam signs on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership it has to agree to more independent labor unions, which Vietnam doesn’t have, and greater transparency.  So, Vietnam does what they always do -- release a couple of high-profile dissidents in advance of this meeting to earn some goodwill¹⁰.  Nonetheless, they will continue to arrest people, particularly in the political season as they move up to their party congress (in 2016).”

Human rights activists believe it is too soon to reward Vietnam with improved relations.

John Sifton of the group Human Rights Watch says the Vietnamese government uses repression¹¹, torture and religious persecution¹² against its people. He urged the U.S. to pay closer attention to human rights in Vietnam.

Huu Dinh Vo is a member of the Federation¹³ of Vietnamese American Communities of the USA. He says, “Any trade relations should be based on an improvement of human rights in Vietnam, otherwise the trade relationship only benefits the Communists’ top leaders and not the people in Vietnam.”

So far, Mr. Thayer says, Vietnam has preferred a multilateral approach in its relations with big powers like the U.S., China, Russia and India. It has not sided closely with a single major power.

However, Mr. Thayer says this trip appears to show that tensions with China over maritime claims remain and Vietnam is ready to move close to the U.S.

On Tuesday, Vietnam Airlines accepted its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner at Washington National Airport. The event marked the 20th anniversary of normalized relations between Vietnam and the U.S.

Words in This Story

Bilateral –adj. relating to two parties or sides

Mutual –adj. shared by two or more people or groups

Engagement –n. to be involved with; to be actively¹⁴ taking part in

Strategic –adj. related to strategy, a broad plan that governs many different activities to reach a larger goal

1 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。

2 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。

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

6 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

7 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

10 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

11 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

12 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

13 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

14 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。