Press Conference by

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi

And US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Great Hall of the People

Beijing, China

September 5, 2012

中国外长杨洁篪与美国国务卿希拉里∙克林顿在北京联合记者会上的讲话

中国北京 人民大会堂

2012年9月5日

　　MODERATOR: (Via interpreter.) Ladies and gentlemen, the joint press conference of Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will now begin. Now Foreign Minister Yang will make an opening statement.

　　FOREIGN MINISTER YANG: (In Chinese.)

　　MODERATOR: (Via interpreter.) Now Secretary Clinton will make an opening statement.

　　SECRETARY CLINTON: Let me begin by thanking Foreign Minister Yang for his long commitment to strengthening the bonds between China and the United States. And we have had constructive and productive in-depth discussions last night for a number of hours and then again this morning with President Hu Jintao. I conveyed to President Hu Jintao the warm regards from President Obama.

　　国务卿克林顿：首先，我要感谢杨外长长期以来为加强中美关系作出的不懈努力。昨天晚上，我们花了几个小时的时间作了建设性的、卓有成效的深入讨论，今天上午又与胡锦涛主席会晤。我向胡锦涛主席转达了欧巴马总统的热情问候。

　　I am pleased to return to China for my fifth visit, I think, although I’ve lost track, as U.S. Secretary of State. I came on my very first trip in early 2009, and this has been part of our overarching engagement in Asia. And as Minister Yang just said, we have institutionalized a number of mechanisms for ongoing dialogue. Our Strategic and Economic Dialogue, our consultation on People-to-People Exchange, our Strategic Security Dialogue, our Asia Pacific Consultation, our new Middle East Dialogue, and all the rest of our engagement really exemplifies how hard we are working at every level of our government to build habits of cooperation and to open channels of communication. We literally consult with each other almost on a daily basis about every consequential issue facing our nations and the world today.

　　能够再次前来中国访问，我感到非常高兴。我想这可能是我作为美国国务卿第五次访问中国，我已经记不清了。我第一次来是在2009年年初。这些访问是我们在亚洲进行参与的总体努力的一部分。正如杨部长刚才所说，我们已经把一组长期对话机制制度化。我们的战略与经济对话、我们的人文交流磋商、我们的战略安全对话、我们的亚太问题磋商会议、我们新启动的中东对话、以及我们之间的所有其他接触的确展示了我们的各级政府都在非常努力地养成合作与坦诚沟通的习惯。我们几乎每天都就当今我们的国家和世界所面临的每一个重大问题进行磋商。

　　As I have said before, our two nations are trying to do something that has never been done in history, which is to write a new answer to the question of what happens when an established power and a rising power meet. Both President Obama and I have said frequently that the United States welcomes the rise of a strong, prosperous, and peaceful China. We want China to continue to succeed in delivering economic opportunity to the Chinese people. That will, in turn, have a positive impact on the global economy. We want China to play a greater role in world affairs. That strengthens global stability, helps solve urgent challenges. And we are convinced that our two countries gain far more when we cooperate with one another than when we descend into an unhealthy competition. So we are committed to managing our differences effectively and expanding our cooperation wherever and whenever possible.

　　如同我过去所说，我们两国正在做一件前人未曾做过的事情，这就是对这样一个问题给出答案：当一个老牌大国和一个新兴大国相遇时会出现何种结局？欧巴马总统和我都曾多次重申，美国欢迎一个强大、繁荣、和平的中国的崛起。我们希望中国继续成功地为中国人民提供经济机会，从而对全球经济产生有益的影响。我们希望中国在国际事务中发挥更大的作用。这将增进全球稳定，有助于应对急迫的挑战。我们深信，与不健康的竞争相比，我们之间的相互合作将为两国带来巨大的利益。因此，我们承诺有效地管理我们的分歧，随时随地尽一切可能扩大我们的合作。

　　We see this moment as a historic opportunity for our two countries, and indeed, for others as well. To make the most of it, the United States and China must strive to achieve practical outcomes that benefit each of us as well as the broader region and world. That has been the theme of my meetings in Beijing today, and it started with our extensive conversations with the Foreign Minister and his colleagues, which went well past midnight and then continued this morning. Later today, I will be meeting with other Chinese officials, as the Foreign Minister has just outlined. And let me say how pleased I am to have this chance to exchange views in advance of APEC, where I will be representing President Obama.