美国航空母舰将访问越南

US Aircraft Carrier to Visit Vietnam

A United States Navy aircraft carrier is expected to make a port visit to Vietnam soon, U.S. Defense¹ Secretary Jim Mattis said Thursday.

Mattis met in Hanoi with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. He said, “Thank you for the increasing partnership² with our aircraft carrier coming in to Da Nang here in March.”

Da Nang was the landing site for the first American troops to arrive in Vietnam in 1965. The city recently hosted a gathering³ of world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

It would be the first such visit from an aircraft carrier since the Vietnam War ended. Smaller Navy vessels⁴ have visited Vietnam, as relations between the two countries have improved.

The planned visit to Da Nang comes as tensions have again increased in the South China Sea. Last week, China accused a U.S. warship⁵ of violating its sovereignty by sailing off the disputed Scarborough Shoal. The U.S. said it was a usual “freedom of navigation” operation.

During his meeting with Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich, Mattis said, “We recognize that relationships never stay the same. They either get stronger or they get weaker, and America wants a stronger relationship with a stronger Vietnam.”

His visit also included a meeting with the Vietnamese president.

Earlier Thursday, Mattis visited Tran Quoc, one of Vietnam’s oldest Buddhist⁶ temples. The temple stands on a small island at the edge of a lake in Hanoi. That is where American politician John McCain was shot down in 1967.

Mattis arrived just days before Vietnamese celebrate Tet, the Lunar New Year.

Next week will mark the 50th anniversary of the Tet Offensive. On January 30, 1968, Communist North Vietnam launched attacks throughout targets in the South. The offensive turned American public opinion against the war and led to its withdrawal⁷ seven years later.

I'm Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

host - v. to be the host for an event

sovereignty - n. a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 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。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

6 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

7 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。