美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)本月将访问缅甸，这是美国总统首次访缅，也是美国朝着与长期孤立的缅甸接触的方向迈进了一步。

　　The trip underscores a remarkable transformation by Myanmar as a country under its leader, President Thein Sein, who in less than two years has taken his nation from pariah status to hostof a U.S. presidential visit.

　　Reuters今年9月，奥巴马在美国白宫的总统办公室会见缅甸反对党领袖昂山素季。奥巴马即将访缅凸显了该国在总统吴登盛(Thein Sein)的带领下发生的显著转变。在不到两年的时间里，吴登盛把缅甸从一个受到孤立的边缘国家变成了一个准备迎接美国总统到访的东道国。

　　Mr. Obama announced the U.S. would resume ties with Myanmar, also known as Burma, on his last trip to Asia, a year ago.

　　奥巴马在一年前的亚洲之行时宣布，美国将恢复与缅甸的关系。

　　At that time, he said Mr. Thein Sein had made enough progress in opening up his country, amilitary dictatorship just two years ago, to justify sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton there for a diplomatic visit.

　　奥巴马当时说，吴登盛总统在开放缅甸一事上已取得足够进展，令他认为有必要派遣美国国务卿克林顿(Hillary Clinton)对缅甸进行外交访问。仅仅两年前缅甸还是一个军事独裁国家。

　　The Clinton trip, the first by a U.S. secretary of state in more than 50 years, paved the way toward easing U.S. financial sanctions on Myanmar and restoration of full diplomatic ties.

　　克林顿访缅是美国国务卿逾半个世纪以来对缅甸的首次访问。此次访问为美国放宽对缅甸的经济制裁并恢复全面外交关系铺平了道路。

　　But the visit by Mr. Obama constitutes a further advance in U.S. relations with Myanmar and comes amid a debate about whether the Obama administration is moving too quickly or too slowly in coaxing the government toward greater openness.

　　但奥巴马访缅是美国与缅甸关系的更深进展，且这次访问也正值一场讨论热烈展开之际，即奥巴马政府在劝说缅甸政府加大开放力度一事上进展是太快还是太慢？

　　While there, Mr. Obama plans to meet with Mr. Thein Sein, who has helped move his nation toward reforms and engagement with the West. He will also meet with political activist and Nobel Peace Price winner Aung San Suu Kyi, who has encouraged Mr. Obama to more rapidly open U.S. ties to her country.

　　到达缅甸之后奥巴马计划会见吴登盛。吴登盛把缅甸推向了改革和与西方国家接触的道路上。奥巴马还将同缅甸政治活动人士、诺贝尔和平奖得主昂山素季(Aung San Suu Kyi)会面。昂山素季一直鼓励奥巴马加快放开美国和缅甸的各种关系。

　　He also will speak to civil-society groups ’to encourage Burma’s ongoing democratictransition,’ the White House said.

　　白宫说，奥巴马还会向缅甸的民间社会团体发表演说，以鼓励缅甸正在进行的民主过渡。

　　’It’s an opportunity to support the democratic transition in Burma and build a bilateral relationship,’ a White House official added.

　　一名白宫官员补充说，这是支持缅甸民主过渡、建立双边关系的一个机会。

　　Some human-rights campaigners, though, fear the U.S. has moved too quickly and opened the possibility that Myanmar’s military will be the largest beneficiary of increased investment in the country.

　　但一些人权活动家担心美国动作太快，且缅甸军方可能成为该国投资不断增加的最大受益者。

　　At the same time, long-simmering ethnic conflict in the country has flared recently, underscoring that Mr. Thein Sein still has much work to do to satisfy U.S. conditions for further engagement.

　　与此同时，持续发酵的种族冲突最近在缅甸愈演愈烈，凸显为了满足美国就进一步接触所提出的要求，吴登盛还有很多工作要做。

　　Myanmar has pledged to end its military ties with North Korea -- but it isn’t clear it has yet, fueling American weapons-proliferation concerns.

　　缅甸已承诺结束与朝鲜的军事关系，但目前尚不清楚其是否已经做到，这加深了美国对武器扩散问题的忧虑。

　　Mr. Obama’s four-day Asia trip, which begins Nov. 17, will include visits to Thailand and Cambodia, the White House said Thursday. The White House said the Thailand trip will mark 180 years of diplomatic relations and reaffirm the alliance.

　　白宫周四表示，奥巴马定于11月17日开始的为期四天的亚洲之行将包括对泰国和柬埔寨的访问。白宫方面说，奥巴马访问泰国正值美国与泰国建交180周年，将再次确认双方的友好关系。

　　In Cambodia, Mr. Obama plans to attend the East Asia Summit and meet with Asian leaders attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering. The White House said that topics on Mr. Obama’s agenda in Cambodia will include trade, energy, security cooperationand human rights.

　　在柬埔寨，奥巴马计划参加东亚峰会，并会见出席东南亚国家联盟(Association of Southeast Asian Nations)会议的亚洲国家领导人。白宫说，奥巴马在柬埔寨的议程包括贸易、能源、安全合作和人权等问题。

　　The engagement with Myanmar also has implications for American efforts to counter Chinese influence in the region. Washington has seen the political opening in Myanmar as a uniqueopportunity to partner with a country that has traditionally been among China’s closest allies.

　　同缅甸接触也会对美国试图对抗中国在该地区影响力的种种努力造成影响。华盛顿方面已经将缅甸的政治开放视作一个独特的机会，美国借此机会同一个历来就是中国最亲密盟友的国家建立了伙伴关系。

　　At the East Asia summit a year ago, the U.S. supported smaller nations in the region in their effort to contest China’s territorial claims to the South China Sea, another move seen as achallenge to the Asian superpower.

　　在一年前的东亚峰会上，美国支持该地区中小国家挑战中国对南中国海（中国称南海）的领土诉求。此举被视为美国挑战中国这一亚洲超级大国的又一行为。