美国国家公共电台 NPR In China's Drone Seizure And Return, A Strategic Message To U.S.

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST: 

As the United States approaches the inauguration¹ of a new president, there is a dangerous dance underway in the South China Sea. Last week, China seized an underwater drone the U.S. Navy was operating there. The Obama administration demanded its return. President-elect Donald Trump² tweeted that the Chinese could just keep it. Yesterday, China returned the drone with no apology. NPR's Anthony Kuhn reports from Beijing that the incident appeared calculated to send a message to the United States about China's designs on the region.

ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE³: After China fished the drone out of the sea and took it away, the U.S. filed a diplomatic protest. It argued that the drone was simply collecting scientific data in international waters. China, meanwhile, alleges⁴ that the drone was just the latest in decades of U.S. efforts to collect military intelligence on what it considers China's doorstep, and that has to stop. Yue Gang, a retired⁵ Chinese army colonel, says the incident was also meant to send a message to the incoming U.S. administration.

YUE GANG: (Through interpreter) We were hitting back, militarily but indirectly⁶, at President-elect Trump's messing with the one-China principle.

KUHN: The one-China policy allows the U.S. to maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan by acknowledging that the island is not an independent nation. Donald Trump challenged that policy when he spoke⁷ by phone with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen this month. But Yue Gang adds that Beijing was restrained and careful not to let the incident escalate⁸.

YUE: (Through interpreter) I hope that the U.S. side can read and understand China's good intentions, and see that China wants cooperation to be the mainstream⁹ of our relations.

KUHN: But some foreign analysts¹⁰ see other, less benign¹¹ intentions.

EUAN GRAHAM: Driving this at the strategic level is China's increased interest in the South China Sea as a patrol area for its ballistic missile submarines and all of the conventional defenses that are associated with that.

KUHN: Euan Graham is an expert on Asian security at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia. He says that incidents such as seizing a drone or building up a coral reef may not individually cause the U.S. much pain.

GRAHAM: But if it's the death of a thousand cuts, to a point when the U.S. can no longer operate freely, then that will mean the U.S. forward presence in Asia is fundamentally challenged at a strategic level.

KUHN: Graham's not saying that the U.S. has lost the South China Sea or its military advantage to China yet, but...

GRAHAM: The old days of being able to sail through the South China Sea risk-free have gone. Now every U.S. vessel¹² more or less attracts a Chinese shadow.

KUHN: The U.S. Navy conducts so-called freedom of navigation operations to keep vital sea lanes open. Retired Colonel Yue Gang says that China intends to put an end to what it considers U.S. military provocations¹³ in the South China Sea in the next five to 10 years.

YUE: (Through interpreter) The U.S. uses the pretense¹⁴ of freedom of overflight and navigation. But what it's really saying is I'm still the top dog, I maintain the order around here, so as to hold on to its domination of the seas.

KUHN: He describes the drone incident as a sort of body check which is unlikely to trigger a full-on brawl¹⁵ between the U.S. and China, especially during the transition to a new administration. But President-elect Donald Trump has signaled that he may be more confrontational¹⁶ towards China than his predecessor¹⁷. And more unconventional, too, by, for example, using security issues for leverage¹⁸ against China's trade policies or vice¹⁹ versa.

KUHN: Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beijing.

1 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

7 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。

8 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。

9 mainstream   

n.（思想或行为的）主流；adj.主流的

参考例句：

• Their views lie outside the mainstream of current medical opinion.他们的观点不属于当今医学界观点的主流。
• Polls are still largely reflects the mainstream sentiment.民调还在很大程度上反映了社会主流情绪。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 benign   

adj.善良的，慈祥的；良性的，无危险的

参考例句：

• The benign weather brought North America a bumper crop.温和的气候给北美带来大丰收。
• Martha is a benign old lady.玛莎是个仁慈的老妇人。

12 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

13 provocations   

n.挑衅( provocation的名词复数 )；激怒；刺激；愤怒的原因

参考例句：

• We cannot ignore such provocations. 对于这种挑衅，我们不能置之不理。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• They must immediately cease all their provocations. 他们必须停止一切挑衅。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 pretense   

n.矫饰，做作，借口

参考例句：

• You can't keep up the pretense any longer.你无法继续伪装下去了。
• Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender.弄虚作假欺骗不了真正的行家。

15 brawl   

n.大声争吵，喧嚷；v.吵架，对骂

参考例句：

• They had nothing better to do than brawl in the street.他们除了在街上斗殴做不出什么好事。
• I don't want to see our two neighbours engaged in a brawl.我不希望我们两家吵架吵得不可开交。

16 confrontational   

adj.挑衅的；对抗的

参考例句：

• Fans love rappers partly because they strike such a confrontational pose. 乐迷热爱这些饶舌艺人一定程度上是因为他们所采取的那种战斗姿态。 来自互联网
• You prefer a non confrontational approach when it comes to resolving disputes. 面对争端，你不喜欢采用对抗性的手段来解决。 来自互联网

17 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

18 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

19 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。