There is a Chinese proverb: "Consider the past, and you shall know the future." We have known setbacks and challenges over the last 30 years. Our relationship has not been without disagreement and difficulty. But the notion that we must be adversaries is not predestined -- not when we consider the past. Indeed, because of our cooperation, both the United States and China are more
prosperous and more secure. We have seen what is possible when we build upon
our mutual interests, and engage on the basis of mutual respect.
中国有句名言：“温故而知新。”过去30年中我们也曾遇到挫折和挑战，我们的关系不是没有分歧和困难。但是，“我们必然是对手”的概念并非是注定不变的——回顾过去不会是这样。由于我们的合作，美中两国都更加繁荣、更加安全。我们已经看到我们本着共同的利益和相互的尊重去努力所能取得的成果。
And yet the success of that engagement depends upon understanding -- on sustaining an open dialogue, and learning about one another and from one another. For just as a American table tennis player pointed out -- we share much in common as human beings, but our countries are different in certain ways.
可是，这种接触的成功取决于理解，取决于继续进行开诚布公的对话，相互了解，相互学习。正如一位美国乒乓球队员所说——作为人，我们有着许多共同之处，但是我们两国在某些方面存在着差别。
I believe that each country must chart its own course. China is an ancient nation, with a deeply rooted culture. The United States, by comparison, is a young nation, whose culture is determined by the many different immigrants who have come to our shores, and by the founding documents that guide our democracy.
Those documents put forward a simple vision of human affairs, and they enshrine several core principles -- that all men and women are created equal, and possess certain fundamental rights; that government should reflect the will of the people and respond to their wishes; that commerce should be open, information
freely accessible; and that laws, and not simply men, should guarantee the administration of justice.
我认为每个国家都必须规划自己的前进方向。中国是一个文明古国，文化深远。而美国相对而言是一个年轻的国家，它的文化由来自许多不同国家的移民以及指导我国民主制度的建国纲领所形成。这些纲领中提出了对人类事务的简单明了的瞩望，并包含了一些核心原则——不论男女人人生而平等，都享有某些基本权利；政府应当反映民意，并对人民的愿望作出回应；商贸应该是开放的，信息应该自由流通；司法保障应该来自法治而不是人治。
Of course, the story of our nation is not without its difficult chapters. In many ways -- over many years -- we have struggled to advance the promise of these principles to all of our people, and to forge a more perfect union. We fought a very painful civil war, and freed a portion of our population from slavery. It took time for women to be extended the right to vote, workers to win the right to organize, and for immigrants from different corners of the globe to be fully embraced. Even after they were freed, African Americans persevered through conditions that were separate and not equal, before winning full and equal rights.
当然，我国的历史也并非没有困难的篇章。在很多方面，在很长的时间里，我们要通过斗争去实现这些原则对全体人民的承诺，缔造一个更趋完善的联邦。我们曾打过一场很痛苦的南北战争，将我国的一部分人口从奴役下解放出来。妇女获得投票权、劳工赢得组织权、来自世界各地的移民得到完全的接纳——这些都是经过了一段时间才实现的。非洲裔美国人即使在获得自由后依然生活在被隔离和不平等的条件下，他们经过不懈努力才最终赢得全面、平等的权利。
None of this was easy. But we made progress because of our belief in those core principles, which have served as our compass through the darkest of storms. That is why Lincoln could stand up in the midst of civil war and declare it a struggle to see whether any nation, conceived in liberty, and "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" could long endure. That is why Dr. Martin Luther King could stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and ask that our nation live out the true meaning of its creed. That's why immigrants from China to Kenya could find a home on our shores; why opportunity is available to
all who would work for it; and why someone like me, who less than 50 years ago would have had trouble voting in some parts of America, is now able to serve as its President.
所有这些都不曾轻而易举。但是，由于我们对这些核心原则的坚定信念，我们取得了进步，这些原则指引我们冲过了最黑暗的风暴。这就是为什么林肯能在南北战争中挺身而出并宣布，这是一场考验一个孕育于自由之中、“忠实于人人生而平等这一原则”的国家能否永存的斗争。这也就是为什么马丁?路德?金博士能够站立在林肯纪念堂的台阶上，要求我们的国家实践自身信仰的真正含义。这也就是为什么来自从中国到肯尼亚的各国移民能够在我国的土地上安家；为什么所有努力寻求机会的人都能获得机会；为什么像我这种在不到50年前在美国的某些地方连投票
都遇到困难的人，现在能够出任这个国家的总统。
And that is why America will always speak out for these core principles around the world. We do not seek to impose any system of government on any other nation, but we also don't believe that the principles that we stand for are unique to our nation. These freedoms of expression_r_r_r and worship -- of access to information and political participation -- we believe are universal rights. They should be available to all people, including ethnic and religious minorities -- whether they are in the United States, China, or any nation. Indeed, it is that respect for universal rights that guides America's openness to other countries; our respect for different cultures; our commitment to international law; and our faith in the future. 这就是为什么美国一直在全世界为这些核心原则而大声疾呼。我们不寻求把任何政治体制强加给任何别的国家，但是我们也不认为我们主张的这些原则是我们国家所独有的。表达自由和宗教信仰自由——获得信息和政治参与的自由——我们认为这些自由都是普世的权利，所有人都应当享有，包括少数民族和宗教少数派，不管是在美国、中国还是在任何其他国家。正是对普世权利的尊重指导着美国向其他国家开放，尊重各种不同的文化，致力于遵守国际法，并对未来抱有信念。
These are all things that you should know about America. I also know that we have much to learn about China. Looking around at this magnificent city -- and looking around this room -- I do believe that our nations hold something important in common, and that is a belief in the future. Neither the United States nor China is content to rest on our achievements. For while China is an ancient nation, you are also clearly looking ahead with confidence, ambition, and a commitment to see that tomorrow's generation can do better than today's.
这些都是你们应当了解的美国的情况。我也知道中国有很多有待我们了解的情况。环顾一下这座伟大的城市——环顾一下这个大厅——我确信我们两个国家有一个很重要的共同点，那就是我们对未来的信念。美国和中国都不想满足于已取得的成就，止步不前。虽然中国是一个古老的国家，但你们显然也对未来满怀信心、雄心和使年轻一代能比这一代人更有作为的决心。
In addition to your growing economy, we admire China's extraordinary commitment to science and research -- a commitment borne out in everything from the infrastructure you build to the technology you use. China is now the world's largest Internet user -- which is why we were so pleased to include the Internet as a part of today's event. This country now has the world's largest mobile phone network, and it is investing in the new forms of energy that can both sustain growth and combat climate change -- and I'm looking forward to deepening the partnership between the United States and China in this critical area tomorrow. But above all, I see China's future in you -- young people whose talent and dedication and dreams will do so much to help shape the 21st century.
我们不但钦佩中国日益增长的经济，还赞赏你们在科学研究方面极不平凡的努力——从你们建设的基础设施到你们使用的技术，均体现出这种努力。中国现在是世界上最大的互联网使用国——这也是我们今天很高兴能把互联网作为此次活动的一部分的原因。这个国家目前拥有世界上最大的移动电话网络，它正在投资发展既能维持可持续增长，又能应对气候变化的新型能源——我期待着明天在这个至关重要的领域中深化两国的合作关系。然而，最重要的是，我在你们身上看到了中国的未来——年轻一代的聪明才智、献身精神和梦想将为塑造21世纪发挥巨大作用。
I've said many times that I believe that our world is now fundamentally interconnected. The jobs we do, the prosperity we build, the environment we protect, the security that we seek -- all of these things are shared. And given that interconnection, power in the 21st century is no longer a zero-sum game; one country's success need not come at the expense of another. And that is why the United States insists we do not seek to contain China's rise. On the contrary, we welcome China as a strong and prosperous and successful member of the community of nations -- a China that draws on the rights, strengths, and creativity of individual Chinese like you.
我已说过多次，我相信我们现在的世界是紧密相连的。我们所做的工作，我们所建设的繁荣，我们所保护的环境，以及我们所寻求的安全——所有这一切都是共有的。鉴于这种相互联系，在21世纪，权力不应再成为一场零和游戏；一国的成功发展不应以他国为代价。这也就是为什么美国坚决表示我们不谋求遏制中国的崛起。恰恰相反，我们欢迎中国成为国际社会中一个强大、繁荣、成功的成员——一个从你们这样的每个中国人的权利、实力和创造力中获得力量的中国。