China, US Look to Chart Road Ahead During Tillerson Visit

 

BEIJING —

The thorny¹ issue of trade will be a key topic that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will discuss with Chinese leaders when he visits Beijing this Saturday and Sunday. Given President Donald Trump²'s blunt criticisms of Beijing's trade practices and other policies, bridging the divide will not be easy.

Secretary of State Tillerson's first official visit to Asia, capped off with a stop in Beijing, is seen as an important step in mapping out the road ahead for the world's two biggest economies.

He will be talking with Chinese officials about how the two can chart a way forward on trade and other key issues.

"We want to be able to pursue a constructive³ discussion with China that enables us to get at sort of problem areas and make progress on issues," Acting⁴ Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton told reporters.

Tough trade talk

Trump complained frequently about China's trade practices on the campaign trail, threatening to impose tough import tariffs⁵ on Chinese goods and promising⁶ to label the country a currency manipulator.

None of that has happened yet and since Trump and China's Xi Jinping spoke⁷ last month on the phone, relations appear to be moving in a positive direction.

Despite what Chinese officials say is a sense of optimism about relations and renewed pledges for more open access for foreign companies here, concerns about a possible trade war and frictions⁸ persist in China.

"We do not want to see any trade war breaking out between the two countries," Chinese Premier⁹ Li Keqiang said. " That would not make our trade fairer. Our hope on the Chinese side is that no matter what bumps this relationship hits, we hope it will continue to move forward in a positive direction.”

Beijing residents realistic and optimistic

On the streets of Beijing, some expressed concerns about the trajectory¹⁰ of ties, but also faith that the two could find ways to manage frictions.

“As long as both sides can find a peaceful way to address their interests, they should be able to move forward," one Beijing resident told VOA.

“Each side has their own political agenda, despite what some may say in the U.S. There will be frictions, but I don't think a trade war is likely," opined another.

“There of course will be frictions over their views on trade and finance, but that's normal," a third Beijing resident said.

It is normal given the size and huge interests of both economies, analysts¹¹ say, but forwarding Trump's America first agenda while keeping relations with China on track brings new uncertainties¹² as well.

1 thorny   

adj.多刺的，棘手的

参考例句：

• The young captain is pondering over a thorny problem.年轻的上尉正在思考一个棘手的问题。
• The boys argued over the thorny points in the lesson.孩子们辩论功课中的难点。

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 constructive   

adj.建设的，建设性的

参考例句：

• We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
• He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。

4 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

5 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

6 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

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 frictions   

n.摩擦( friction的名词复数 )；摩擦力；冲突；不和

参考例句：

• Family frictions can interfere with a child's schoolwork. 家庭中的争吵会影响孩子的学业。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• As far as we are concerned, these frictions are not of our own making [have been imposed on us]. 就我们来说，这种摩擦是被动式的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

10 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

11 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。

12 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告