VOA慢速英语2013 China Develops Its Drone Industry

 

China Develops Its Drone Industry

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report in Special English.

China said last week that it had considered launching a drone strike against a major Burmese drug trafficker wanted in the killings¹ of 13 Chinese sailors.   

China's top drug official, Liu Yuejin, said the plan was to bomb the drug lord’s hideout in northeastern Burma using unmanned aircraft.

The official said the drone strike idea was eventually passed over in order to capture Naw Kham alive. He was captured last April in a joint² operation with Laos. 

The comments by the official are a sign of China’s increasing development of unmanned aerial technology. They also suggest that China is seriously considering drone attacks outside its borders.

Peter Dutton is with the United States Naval³ War College. He says China is moving away from its earlier policy of non-interference in international affairs.

"This is a new change. This is China behaving more actively⁴ in the international sphere to protect its interests beyond its borders than it had in the past."

For years, the United States has led the global drone market. It is known to use UAV, or unmanned aerial vehicle, strikes against foreign targets.

In recent years, China has greatly improved its drone technology. It showed off many of its new models at recent air shows in the country. One of the drones reaches distances of over 3,200 kilometers.

The country is also modernizing⁵ its global navigation system to compete with those of the United States, Russia and Europe.  

The United States has justified⁶ drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia by saying their governments have been unwilling⁷ or unable to suppress the threats from the individuals targeted.

American University law professor Stephen Vladeck says Washington needs to be much more specific about its conditions for using armed UAVs.

"Part of the problem is that because the U.S. government is engaged in what seems like so many drone strikes, and has not exactly been forthcoming about the criteria⁸ it uses, it's possible for countries like China to point at the U.S. example and say, 'if they're doing it, so can we.'"

The United States exports unmanned aircraft to only a few of its closest allies. China is now seen as an increasingly reliable and cheap supplier. Several countries have bought or built their own UAVs, mostly for surveillance. Professor Vladeck finds this concerning.

"The problem is that this technology is becoming so widely available and so cheap, that I think it is only a matter of time before countries with far smaller militaries, countries with far less responsible regimes, are in a position where they want to use these technologies as well." 

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

4 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。

5 modernizing   

使现代化，使适应现代需要( modernize的现在分词 )； 现代化，使用现代方法

参考例句：

• Modernizing a business to increase its profitability and competitiveness is a complicated affair. 使企业现代化，从而达到增加利润，增强竞争力的目的，是一件复杂的事情。
• The young engineer had a large share in modernizing the factory. 这位年轻工程师在工厂现代化的过程中尽了很大的“力”。

6 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。