VOA标准英语2011--US, China, Russia to Join Asian Leaders For Summit in Bali

US, China, Russia to Join Asian Leaders For Summit in Bali

 

Next week (November 14-19), leaders from 18 nations will gather on the Indonesian island of Bali for the sixth annual East Asia summit. The regional economic and security forum¹ has steadily² gained in importance in recent years and this year for the first time includes the leaders of the United States, Russia and China. The host nation Indonesia has raised the profile of the summit through its consensus³-building work as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Temple mediation⁴

When violent clashes between Thailand and Cambodia erupted in February, about disputed border claims near a historic Hindu-Khmer temple, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa used his position as chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to act as a mediator⁵.

During the months of shuttle diplomacy⁶ that followed, Natalegawa defended ASEAN's consensus-building approach while also acknowledging that the absence of any threat of political or economic sanctions makes his job more difficult.

"Diplomacy, it's not only about pressure and sanctions but also about encouragement. We'll see. The jury is still out. Come back to me in a little bit and see where we are," he said.

Indonesia Foreign Minister R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa talks to the media during a press conference at an hotel in Rangoon, Burma, October 29, 2011.

Natalegawa managed to get the two member states to agree in principle to a cease-fire agreement, but has been unable to actually implement⁷ the plan which calls for stationing Indonesian peacekeepers in the conflict zone.

Such diplomacy has made the ASEAN forum, and its East Asia summit, increasingly important for a region with about half of the world’s population and many of its fastest growing economies. U.S. officials routinely call the Asia-Pacific region one of the most dynamic and significant for American interests in the coming decades.

South China sea diplomacy

At the last ASEAN regional security summit, in July, Natalegawa hailed an agreement between China and ASEAN to resolve disputed claims in the oil-rich South China sea, even though the agreement only called for both sides to develop a process to eventually reach an agreement.

And, on the sidelines, officials from North and South Korea held informal talks, sparking hope for the eventual⁸ resumption of the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs.

Dewi Fortuna Anwar, Indonesia's deputy secretary to the vice⁹ president for political affairs says, although the ASEAN summits rarely produce ground breaking agreements, they play an important role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

"The most you can do is to try to diffuse¹⁰ tension and hopefully also to develop a mechanism¹¹ for creating linkages¹² between the parties so that the parties will see it is in their interest to cooperate, rather to carry out the rather adversarial relationships," said Anwar.

Burma issue

Also on the East Asia summit's agenda will likely be Burma's bid to take the annual chairmanship role of ASEAN in 2014. ASEAN has expressed conditional¹³ support as a incentive¹⁴ to further democratic progress made by recent elections and the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and some other political prisoners. Some human rights groups argue that ASEAN should take a tougher approach and first pressure Burma to live up to the organization's own democracy and human rights principles.

Anwar says supporting Burma or Myanmar's bid is risky¹⁵ for ASEAN's credibility as it moves to become an integrated regional organization in 2015 that establishes principles of democracy and the rule of law.

"If significant reforms are not made or if there are some setbacks in the reform then there is always the possibility that Myanmar's chairmanship of ASEAN, just one year before the ASEAN community is supposed to take place could spell real disaster, real public relations disaster for ASEAN," said Anwar.

But she says, especially in these times of regional economic growth, the "ASEAN way" of focusing on mutual¹⁶ interests, offering encouragement and building consensus over time is the most effective way to ensure peace and stability.

1 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

4 mediation   

n.调解

参考例句：

• The dispute was settled by mediation of the third country. 这场争端通过第三国的斡旋而得以解决。
• The dispute was settled by mediation. 经调解使争端得以解决。

5 mediator   

n.调解人，中介人

参考例句：

• He always takes the role of a mediator in any dispute.他总是在争论中充当调停人的角色。
• He will appear in the role of mediator.他将出演调停者。

6 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 diffuse   

v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的

参考例句：

• Direct light is better for reading than diffuse light.直射光比漫射光更有利于阅读。
• His talk was so diffuse that I missed his point.他的谈话漫无边际，我抓不住他的要点。

11 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

12 linkages   

n.连接( linkage的名词复数 )；结合；联系；联动装置

参考例句：

• Only the thermosetting resins provide a strong cohesive forces; this is due to molecular cross linkages. 只有热固性树脂具有巨大的凝聚力，这是由于分子交错链所造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The linkages between the stable units must be as near as possible of equal stability. 稳定链节之间的键必须有尽可能接近的稳定性。 来自辞典例句

13 conditional   

adj.条件的，带有条件的

参考例句：

• My agreement is conditional on your help.你肯帮助我才同意。
• There are two forms of most-favored-nation treatment:conditional and unconditional.最惠国待遇有两种形式:有条件的和无条件的。

14 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

15 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

16 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。