王缉思：中美重启沟通需要综合思维

作者：  来源：北京大学中外人文交流研究基地

我很荣幸能够出席此次重要会议。从前面几位嘉宾的发言中，我学到了很多。

I feel honored to participate in this important event. I have learned a great deal from the previous speakers.

讲到中美两国之间“重塑政治互信”，我想到了一份我与美国同僚李侃如(Kenneth Lieberthal)在2012年合作撰写的报告，题为《中美战略互疑：解析与应对》。我们提出通过加强两国间的沟通和互相理解来减少战略互疑。如今，九年过去了，遗憾的是，中美之间的战略互疑不但没有减少，反而在加深。

Speaking of “rebuilding political trust” between China and the United States, I recall the report I co-authored with my American colleague Kenneth Lieberthal in 2012 on “Addressing China-US Strategic Distrust.” We called for enhanced communication and mutual understanding between the two countries to reduce the distrust. Nine years have passed since this writing. Regrettably, China-US strategic distrust has deepened rather than diminished.

就像在人际关系中那样，在政治与国际关系中其实很难去建立完全的信任。去年，我们见证了美国两党不断加剧的冲突及其对彼此深深的不信任。如果他们在同一个国家内部尚且无法信任彼此，那么对于政治制度、商业惯例和文化价值都不同的中美两国来说，要实现互信谈何容易？

In politics and international relations, as in personal relationships, it is difficult to build up genuine trust. We witnessed the intensified contention between the two political parties in America last year that reflected deep distrust between them. If they in the same nation fail to trust each other, how can China and the Untied States, with different histories, political systems, commercial practices, and cultural values, get to trust each other?

在过去的四十年当中，中国和美国在社会生活的方方面面进行了接触。所以，直到新冠肺炎疫情暴发之前，双方都并不缺乏沟通、对话和互访。可以说，我们比以往更了解彼此，而中国对美国的了解可能比中国对世界上其他任何一个国家的了解都更广、更深。但是，我怀疑这样的了解是否真的能够转换为我们对于美国对华意图的信任。

In the past four decades, China and the United States have engaged each other in every dimension of social life. There was no lack of communication, talks, and visits until the COVID-19 pandemic. We know each other much better than before. China’s knowledge of America is probably broader and deeper than its knowledge of any other country in the world. And yet I doubt that this knowledge can be translated into our trust of US intentions about China.

对我而言，真正的问题不在于如何重建互信。

To me, the real issue is not how to rebuild mutual trust. The most daunting challenge, I think, is how to prevent the political distrust from falling into more decoupling in social, economic, and technological terms, and from being engaged in head-on confrontation.

我想在这个方向上提供一些思路。我们当然应抓住现有机会重启沟通，但是这必须要辅以对彼此思维方式的理解。美国学者中有一位角色楷模，那就是两个月前刚刚去世的傅高义教授。在他众多的著述和孜孜不倦的发言当中，傅老曾警告美国和东亚国家不要在不了解对方文化特质的情况下制定政策和采取行动。在去年12月14日傅高义写给我的最后一封邮件中，他附了一份文件草稿，标题是“中美之间需弥合的三个基本分歧”。他在文中阐述了两国各自在促进经济增长、维护文化价值、选拔或是选举政治领导人等方面根深蒂固的传统。

I would like to offer some thoughts in that direction. Of course, we should grasp the opportunities right now to resume communication. But it must be supplemented by comprehending each other’s mindset. One role model for U.S. scholars is Professor Ezra Vogel, who sadly passed away two months ago. In his numerous writings and untiring speeches, Ezra cautioned against making policies and taking actions between the United States and East Asian countries without understanding the other side’s cultural traits. In his last email to me dated December 14. 2020. Ezra attached a draft document entitled “Three Fundamental Differences That Need to Be Bridged” between China and America. He elaborated the two countries’ deep-rooted traditions in promoting economic growth, maintaining cultural values, and selecting or electing political leaders.

据我个人的经验，我发现两国之间有一个差异最能说明问题。中国人喜欢讲“求同存异”。我们常说，两国之间的共同利益远远大于分歧。我们用诸如相互尊重、合作共赢一类的原则来界定共同基础。而相比之下，美国人倾向于聚焦棘手的议题，例如在台湾和南海问题上的紧张关系。如此看来，中国人是想在解决具体问题前先确立原则，而美国人急于先解决问题再着手提升两国关系。

In my own experiences, I find one difference between the two countries most illuminating. We in China like the idea of “seeking common ground while reserving differences.” We state that the common interests between our two countries far exceed our differences. We define common ground by a set of principles like mutual respect and win-win cooperation. Americans, in contrast, tend to focus on hard issues like tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea. It looks that the Chinese want to set up principles before trying to solve specific problems, but the Americans are eager to cope with problems before they are ready to improve the relationship.

因此，中国人很容易会抱怨美国为改善中美关系设置障碍，而美国人则批评中国不认真对待美国的实际关切。

It is, therefore, easy for the Chinese to complain that the United States sets up obstacles to improving relations, while the Americans criticize China for not taking their practical concerns seriously.

我希望，双方都能够采取行动，处理未来道路上这种类型的分歧，避免由于缺乏理解而造成的对抗。

I hope we will take actions to address such differences on the road ahead and avoid confrontation resulting from lack of understanding.

谢谢!

Thank you.

来源时间：2021/3/5   发布时间：2021/3/5

旧文章ID：24412