VOA标准英语2013--Obama, China's Xi to Hold Informal Meetings In California

 

Obama, China's Xi to Hold Informal Meetings In California

The formal welcome that awaited China’s previous leader, Hu Jintao, in 2011 will be absent for Chinese president, Xi Jinping.  

Xi, when he was China's vice¹ president, met with President Obama at the White House.

The more relaxed format² of the summit near Palm Springs is intended to allow the leaders more time to talk and get to know each other, says Michael Auslin, at Washington’s American Enterprise Institute.

“And what they want to do is have the two leaders get out of the stuffy³, formal, State Department-run type of banquets and, you know, large meetings and instead, sit down around a fire together, roll up their shirtsleeves and talk from the heart, you know, talk heart-to-heart,” Auslin said.

U.S. officials say Obama will confront Xi about charges that China is stealing information from American businesses, government agencies and the armed forces.  China denies that its military is engaged in cyber hacking⁴.

Cheng Li is a senior fellow at Washington’s Brookings Institution. “In terms of cybersecurity, there are a number of issues, including espionage⁵, intellectual property rights, in terms of sabotage⁶.  But I think particularly that, in intellectual property rights, I think you have a lot of things to say, because that is the exact area that the U.S. is far ahead of China,” Li said.

Michael Auslin says discussing cyber-theft is a waste of time unless President Obama backs talk with action. “And they also will not pay much attention to a president of the United States who only has the card to play of saying, ‘I am really concerned about this.’  They know that.  They would be much more likely to pay attention to us if we say, ‘There are real and lasting⁷ consequences for what you are doing,’” Auslin said.

The White House says trade will be high on the agenda for the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.  Cheng Li says both sides have issues they want to discuss.

“We want to talk about intellectual property rights, talk about China’s protectionism, especially for the state-owned enterprises.  But for China, they want to make sure that the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership⁸, which they believe is to contain China, keep China out of international free trade,” Li said.  

Presidents Obama and Xi are both concerned about the recent nuclear threats from North Korea, and Beijing has taken a tougher line against its longtime ally.

They will probably also address the conflict between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea and the Obama administration’s increased emphasis on military ties with the Asia-Pacific region. 

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

3 stuffy   

adj.不透气的，闷热的

参考例句：

• It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。
• It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。

4 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

5 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

6 sabotage   

n.怠工，破坏活动，破坏；v.从事破坏活动，妨害，破坏

参考例句：

• They tried to sabotage my birthday party.他们企图破坏我的生日晚会。
• The fire at the factory was caused by sabotage.那家工厂的火灾是有人蓄意破坏引起的。

7 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

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。