VOA标准英语10月-US Seeks Cooperation with China in Africa

A U.S. official says Washington wants to cooperate with China to help Africa develop. China has been criticized for its dealings with abusive African governments, but has also won applause for encouraging dialogue between Sudan and the international community. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
　

Jendayi Frazer

The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs says there may be opportunities for the United States and China to cooperate in building Africa's infrastructure¹ and its agriculture and health sectors².

Jendayi Frazer says that coordinating³ U.S. and Chinese aid would prevent overlapping⁴ projects and lead to more efficient use of resources.

But she says China needs to be more transparent⁵ with how it gives debt relief and loans to African nations.

"We certainly are concerned about China's lending practices potentially undermining our efforts to insure that Africa doesn't reaccumulate unsustainable debt," said Frazer. "We don't want to on the one hand cancel that debt and then on the other hand, China's giving more debt."

Frazer spoke⁶ Wednesday at China's prestigious⁷ Peking University and is in Beijing for meetings with Chinese officials.

China buys increasing amounts of raw materials and energy from Africa to feed its growing economy.

Beijing has come under criticism for its willingness to trade with and sell weapons to African governments shunned⁸ by Western leaders because of human rights abuses.

Frazer says as China becomes more involved in Africa, Beijing is likely to change its policy of not interfering⁹ in a country's internal affairs.

"I suspect that China's going to come closer to our position," she said. "And, I think that's true because China, as it invests more and has more contracts, for instance in the Congo and in other places, they're going to want the rule of law."

Beijing has won praise for using its influence with Sudan to urge Khartoum to cooperate on peace talks for its war-torn Darfur region.

She offered no specific U.S.-China cooperation plan for Africa, but said the U.S. encourages China to endorse¹⁰ the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative for Africa.

The agreement encourages financial transparency for companies extracting resources from Africa, anti-corruption efforts, and the efficient use of the resources.

1 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

2 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

4 overlapping   

adj./n.交迭（的）

参考例句：

• There is no overlapping question between the two courses. 这两门课程之间不存在重叠的问题。
• A trimetrogon strip is composed of three rows of overlapping. 三镜头摄影航线为三排重迭的象片所组成。

5 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

6 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。

7 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

8 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

10 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。