South Korean President Set to Discuss Security, Trade During China Visit

韩国总统访华期待加强与中国合作

　



South Korea's President heads to China this week for high-level talks with his country's biggest trading partner. Besides hoping to expand commercial opportunities, Seoul hopes to strengthen security cooperation on issues such as ending North Korea's nuclear weapons.

　

韩国总统本星期将访问韩国最大的贸易夥伴中国，举行高层会谈。除了希望扩大商业机会外，首尔还希望就终止北韩核计划之类的安全议题，与中国加强合作。

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak's is scheduled to begin his three-day China trip Tuesday by meeting with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in Beijing.

　

韩国总统李明博预定星期二前往中国进行三天访问，期间将会见中国国家主席胡锦涛和总理温家宝。

China has hosted five years of multinational diplomacy aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons capabilities. A new round of the talks is expected to start within weeks, and President Lee is expected to discuss details of Pyongyang's forthcoming nuclear declaration with Chinese officials.

　

中国连续五年主持旨在终止北韩核武器计划的六方会谈。新一轮六方会谈预定在几个星期内举行，预期李明博这次会讨论平壤即将向中国官员提出的核声明细节。

Mr. Lee a conservative former corporate chairman, is widely seen as one of South Korea's most U.S.-friendly presidents in ten years. He has vowed to strengthen his country's military alliance with Washington, and is pushing for passage of a major trade liberalization deal with the U.S. - the largest in South Korean history.

　

李明博是一名保守的前韩国企业董事长，被广泛认为是过去十年来对美国最友善的韩国总统。他曾经誓言要加强和华盛顿的军事联盟，并且推动和美国的贸易自由化协议。这项贸易自由化协议是韩国历史上最大的。

Many analysts here say Mr. Lee will seek to reassure Beijing that South Korea's closeness to America does not come at the expense of China. Han Sukhee, a China specialist at Seoul's Yonsei University, says the two relationships can mutually reinforce each other.

　

首尔的许多分析家表示，李明博会向中国保证，韩国和美国亲近不会以中国为代价。韩国延世大学中国问题专家韩硕熙表示，美韩和中韩关系可以相互加强。

"Korea needs both the U.S. and China," he said. "We should take these relations not as a zero-sum perspective, but as a positive-sum perspective. Korea doesn't have to choose [between] either one."

　

韩硕熙说：“韩国需要美国和中国。我们不应该以零和的态度来看待这个关系，而应该以双赢的角度来看待。韩国并不是非要二选一不可。”

Still, some irritants have the potential to emerge in the South Korea-China relationship. Seoul is contemplating participation in a U.S. - led ballistic missile defense program for East Asia. South Korean leaders past and present have expressed fears the U.S. alliance could embroil the South in an unwanted potential conflict over Taiwan, which China has warned it may invade if the island ever declares independence.

　

但是，韩国和中国之间仍然存在一些潜在的不稳定因素。首尔打算参加美国领导的东亚反弹道导弹计划。过去和现在的韩国领导人都表示，担心韩国和美国的联盟可能会使韩国为了台湾问题而卷入和中国不必要的冲突。中国一再警告，如果台湾宣布独立中国就可能动武。

Several dozen business leaders are traveling with President Lee to China this week. They hope to explore ways of boosting the $145-billion two-way trade relationship - possibly including some initial steps toward an eventual trade liberalization deal like the one South Korea has signed with Washington.

　

将有几十名企业领袖本星期和李明博一同前往访问中国。他们希望找出途径，促进每年已经达1450亿美元的双边贸易，其中可能包括一些初步的步骤，以便最终像韩国和华盛顿签订自由贸易协议一样，和中国也签订自由贸易协议。