中國歡迎特朗普願與金正恩會面的表態

China has welcomed Donald Trump’s statement that he would be “honoured” to meet Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances, amid soaring tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

在朝鮮核野心引發緊張局勢升級的背景下，中國歡迎美國總統唐納德·特朗普(Donald Trump)有關他在適當情況下將很“榮幸”會晤金正恩(Kim Jong Un)的聲明。

The US president’s comments contrast with his hardline stance on the North Korean leader, as well as Friday’s call from Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, for the UN to impose “painful sanctions” on Pyongyang to deter its nuclear programme. A weekend ballistic missile test prompted Mr Trump to declare that North Korea had “disrespected” Beijing.

與美國總統此言形成反差的是，他對朝鮮領導人採取了強硬立場，就在上週五，美國國務卿雷克斯·蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)呼籲聯合國對平壤施加“痛苦的制裁”，以阻止其核武計劃。朝鮮在上週末再度試射彈道導彈，促使特朗普宣告朝鮮“不尊重”北京。

Beijing yesterday called on the two countries to “meet each other halfway”. Geng Shuang, foreign ministry spokesman, reiterated China’s position that “the only practical and feasible way to realise the de-nuclearisation of the peninsula is to solve the issue through dialogue, negotiations and in peaceful ways”.

北京方面昨日呼籲兩國“相向而行”。外交部發言人耿爽重申，中國的立場是“對話協商是解決半島核問題唯一現實可行的途徑，也是唯一正確的選擇。”

Mr Trump told Bloomberg on Monday: “If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honoured to do it. Most political people would never say that, but I’m telling you under the right circumstances I would meet with him.” Mr Trump described Mr Kim as a “pretty smart cookie” to CBS the previous day.

特朗普週一向彭博社(Bloomberg)表示：“如果我與他會晤合適的話，我絕對會去做，我將很榮幸這麼做。大多數政治人士絕不會這麼說，但我告訴你，在適當情況下，我會與他會晤。”前一天特朗普對美國哥倫比亞廣播公司(CBS)形容金正恩是個“很聰明的傢伙”。

Mr Trump did not stipulate his conditions but since taking charge in 2011, Mr Kim has neither met a foreign leader nor left his country. Mr Trump would be unlikely to visit North Korea and has previously said he would invite Mr Kim to the US, though not for a state dinner.

特朗普沒有列出他的條件，但金正恩自2011年掌權以來從未會晤過一位外國領導人，也從未出國。特朗普不太可能訪問朝鮮，此前他曾表示願邀請金正恩訪美，但不會舉行國宴招待。

North Korea has quickly become Mr Trump’s most pressing foreign policy issue. His predecessor, Barack Obama, who also said during his 2008 election campaign that he would be prepared to meet Mr Kim, warned Mr Trump of the North Korean threat during their handover talks.

朝鮮已迅速成爲特朗普最緊迫的外交政策問題。他的前任、在2008年競選期間表示將願意會晤朝鮮領導人的巴拉克·奧巴馬(Barack Obama)，曾在交接談話時就朝鮮的威脅向特朗普發出警告。

Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, which have no diplomatic relations, are regularly heightened at this time of year as North Korea celebrates several patriotic anniversaries and the US conducts military exercises in the area. In recent weeks, however, the simmering animosity has threatened to escalate into conflict.

美朝沒有外交關係，雙方之間的緊張局勢在每年的這個時候往往都會升級，因爲朝鮮要慶祝幾個愛國紀念日，而美國要在該地區進行軍事演習。然而，最近幾周，不斷升溫的敵意似乎有可能升級爲衝突。

Yesterday, US forces in South Korea put into operation a missile shield that has irked both Pyongyang and Beijing, and threatens to undermine the US alliance with Seoul. From Beijing, Mr Geng urged the two countries to “halt the process immediately”.

昨天，駐韓美軍開始運行一套導彈防禦系統，該系統引發平壤和北京兩方面的不滿，並且有可能削弱美韓同盟。在北京，中國外交部發言人耿爽敦促美韓兩國“立即停止部署進程”。

Mr Trump sparked an unusual backlash in the South Korean capital last week when he said he would demand $1bn from Seoul for the deployment, which is widely believed to enhance US strategic interests in the region.

特朗普上週的言論在韓國首都引發不尋常的反彈，當時他表示，將要求首爾方面爲部署反導系統支付10億美元；該系統的部署被普遍視爲有助於增強美國在該地區的戰略利益。

Concerns about the US president in South Korea were already high after Mr Trump raised the prospect of unilateral military strikes on North Korea, telling the Financial Times that if China will not intervene to stem its neighbour’s nuclear ambitions, then “we will”.

在特朗普提出美國對朝鮮發動單方面軍事打擊的可能性之後，韓國國內對美國總統的擔憂本來就處於較高水平。特朗普告訴英國《金融時報》，如果中國不出手管住其鄰國的核野心，那麼“我們會的”。

Pyongyang has accused the US of “intimidation and blackmail”. Western experts believe North Korea is rapidly developing intercontinental ballistic missiles that may one day be capable of delivering a nuclear warhead as far as the US.

平壤指責美國進行“恐嚇和勒索”。西方專家認爲，朝鮮正在快速開發洲際彈道導彈，這些導彈有朝一日可能攜帶核彈頭打到美國。

The US president has often delighted in making overtures to strongman rulers, whether extending friendship to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, inviting Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte to visit or, during his campaign last year, saying he would like to eat a hamburger with North Korea’s supreme leader.

現任美國總統常常樂於向強勢統治者伸出橄欖枝，無論是向俄羅斯的弗拉基米爾·普京(Vladimir Putin)展示友誼，邀請菲律賓領導人羅德里戈·杜特爾特(Rodrigo Duterte)訪問白宮，還是——就像他在去年競選期間曾經說的那樣——和朝鮮最高領導人一起吃漢堡。

Observers struggled to determine whether Mr Trump’s comments were a throwaway remark, a serious attempt to defuse dangerous tensions or something in between.

觀察家們難以確定特朗普的言論是隨口說說，還是緩解危險緊張局勢的嚴肅企圖，或者是介於兩者之間。

Jenny Town of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said that while North Korea “tends to be better behaved when in a negotiation versus when they’re not”, Mr Trump’s suggestion of a meeting was unlikely to reduce tensions. “I don’t even think it was a productive approach,” she said, arguing for greater consistency from the US. “In the usual call-and-response [in US-North Korea relations] this year, the X factor has been Trump rhetoric feeding in and being more threatening.”

約翰霍普金斯大學(Johns Hopkins University)美韓研究所(US-Korea Institute)的珍妮?湯(Jenny Town)表示，儘管朝鮮“在談判期往往比沒有談判的時候更守規矩”，但特朗普的會晤之說不太可能緩解緊張局勢。“我甚至不認爲這是一種有成效的做法，”她表示，她主張美國政府應當增強政策的連貫性。“在今年（美朝關係中）慣常的喊話與迴應中，一個未知因素是特朗普冒出的、越來越嚇人的言論。”